TOP TIPS TO BEAT THE LOCKDOWN BLUES

Is it me, or does lockdown this time round seem harder? We are all working from home, coupled with homeschooling and then add on the dark, cold and wet winter days. It does leave something to be desired  - so what's a girl to do, to get her mojo back? - I have listed a few tips below that I swear by, and they are all about stimulating your senses and doing things that makes you feel good.

So the starting point of this little exercise is to think of a time when you felt seriously happy, free and fulfilled. It could be all the memories surounding swimming in the cold water off the coast of Cornwall in the summer sun with your friends and family, it could be sailing on the Saine at night in one of the small wooden river limos, taking in all the sights of Paris whilst sipping Champagne, or that summer holiday when you rented that gorgeous house in Puglia with family and friends and picked fresh figs from the garden with the kiddies for breakfast, or it could be the day you landed your new dream job and went celebrating with your girl gang. Simply pick one of these favourite memories, and then try and emulate the feelings of that moment by stimulating your senses through, music, foods, smells, scent and dreamy films, at bit like in my Complete Guide to a Scandi Staycation. 

Tip no 1: Recreate one of your fave meals surrounding your treasured memory, it could be gourmet, but it does not have to be. Some months back I found the Ines Rosales treats in Waitrose, you know those anis flavoured thin sugary biscuits from Seville. Seeing and tasting these seeming insignificant treats brought me straight back to my first childhood holiday in Spain in the 1970s and I was filled with warmth and joy, merely by looking at and munching these biscuits.  

Tip no 2: Did your memory include swimming in the sea? And the sense of freedom you feel, when being absorbed in the cold water? Then why not try to start each morning with a cold shower? Have your normal warm shower, and then finish it off with a 1 minutes cold show? Not only is it good for your hair, skin and blood circulation, you are also filled with the same sense of rebirth and freshness, as when you swim in the sea. PS. it is okay to scream the first few times you feel the cold water against your skin : )

Tip no 3: Foreign language films is another fave tip of mine, especially if your love to travel or if you miss a certain place in the world. Netflix and boxset fatigue has hit many of us, as it is boring to just watch telly, so search out something totally new and interesting, and watch it in its original language like Cinema Paradiso if you miss Italy and they holiday with your hubby.

Tip no 4: Learn a foreign language, it is great for stimulating your brain and in preparation for travel or a new job. There are so many language apps out there, and you can simply learn the language whilst doing your daily walk, or along side the kiddies during homeschooling. You may not become fluent but learn enough to hold a conversation at your favourite holiday destination : )

Tip no 5: Get outdoors, I know, I know, everybody stress the importance of exercise bla bla bla, but

getting outside is also soooo good for your soul, and not least when the sun is out. Personally I sit like a parabolic antenna facing the sun with my shades on whenever it shines upon us, and when sitting there dream away.

Tip no 6: Let the Music fill the air. and I don't just mean making your new fave play list, but also expand your musical repertoire, as if you have been invited to a cool little gig by your friends, check out new genres, music from different eras and venture into world music to transcend to somewhere you miss or remind you of special moments..

Tip no 7: Party like it's 1999. Get dressed up, pop on your heels, frock and bling and then always celebrate life and not least on the weekends. It may seem superficial, but it works.

Tip no 8: Create your own little oasis somewhere in your home, I am a sucker for sunshine, so a window sill propped up with cushions and cosy lighting for when it gets dark is a perfect little retreat spot. Think Scandi Hygge.

These were my tips for now

 

Stay safe and stay fabulous

 

Karina 

 

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