Tips to stay sane during the Coronavirus lockdown

On 23 March 2020, it might have been your birthday, your anniversary, or some other special day that was a little eclipsed by the presidential address where the nation was told that we’d be put in lockdown for 21 days. It should’ve been scary (and it kind of was) but we felt unified and proud of the measures that the government was putting in place to save as many of us as possible from contracting COVID-19…

Sho, but we’re sounding super serious. It’s not what we’re known for (unless it’s about how serious we are about saving you money on insurance) but you’ll forgive us this once. It’s a bit of a serious time. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to lose your head and tuck away your smile altogether. It just means that you’ll have to be intentional about how you’ll cope with the lockdown.

To help you, we’ve created some essential tips on how to stay sane during the next few weeks.

Mind your mental health

We’re certainly not going to sit here and tell everyone that they need to smile all the time, because that’s not healthy. What we are going to say is that you really need to take care of your mental wellbeing during this difficult time.

Here are our recommendations:

Build a routine that holds together your ‘new normal’, gives you a sense of control, and gives you targets to move toward.
Keep in touch with friends and family, and especially anyone whom you’re concerned about who might be vulnerable.
Create scheduled media times so you’re not bombarded with news that stresses you out.
Exercise also helps your mind, so look for home workout routines.
Make a habit of nourishing your body with delicious foods, because this plays a part in keeping your mind happy.
Look online for mental health support or reach out to loved ones if you’re feeling shaky.

Talk to your kids

It might be easier to just pawn the kids off with treats and distractions. And there’s a time for that, too. Don’t underestimate the power of ice-cream during a meltdown. But it’s also a good idea to be calm and reassure them with facts rather than rumours. Like, the fact that we’re just having fun at home for 3 weeks to make sure that we don’t get sick. When you talk to them like this, you’re giving them the truth in a way that they can handle.

Nourish your body

Your immune system is so important and there are things that you can do to make sure that you stay fighting fit during the lockdown.

Here are our recommendations:

Exercise during the lockdown is possible and vital to destressing your mind and body, so go online and follow a pilates tutorial in your lounge or dust off your old exercise bike.
It might be tempting to comfort eat, but do your best to feed your body with lots of delicious food, including veggies, protein, and treats. Variety is key.
Sit outside if you can, and soak up that vitamin D.
A good night’s sleep will help boost your immune system.

Don’t. Panic. Buy.

We’re allowed out to get the essentials during the lockdown. But that doesn’t mean that you need to panic buy the whole shop. We can’t think of another way to put it, so we’ll just say this as plainly as possible: Panic-buying is not moral and hurts everyone, especially the vulnerable. Rather make a list of what you need for a week or 2, and don’t overdo it. We’ve been assured that grocery stores will continue to operate and that there’s enough for everyone. So don’t panic.

For the fun

It’s so important that you get intentional about having fun during the lockdown because your sense of humour is going to hold you and your loved ones together. So watch comedies, discover your inner chef, do crosswords in the sun, share funny jokes on WhatsApp, make sure you stop whatever you’re doing at 10:00 for teatime and 16:00 for drinks with the fam…

Throughout the world, we’re seeing unexpected levels of contagion… So the lockdown is a critical time to stop the spread of it in our country. We need to pull together, because our safety is in each other’s hands.

We’ll see you on the other side.