Keeping sane in isolation

With lockdown in place and with it being slightly trickier to navigate a food shop, let alone get an online delivery, we are all having to manage with far fewer ingredients.

If you are following a particular diet plan or have food allergies or sensitivities, getting hold of the right foods can be a source of anxiety. Cooking for a family might take a bit more thought than usual. In the current situation, we all need to be a little bit kinder to ourselves and not get stressed about following the perfect diet, but rather making do with what we have because sometimes what we can manage to do is good enough.

Worrying about getting the perfect supplement, following the best exercise plan or serving the healthiest meal can cause more anxiety which is counter-productive right now. After all, what is the point of a healthy diet if we are constantly stressing about it. At this moment in time, what we all need to do is cut ourselves a little bit of slack and do the best we can.

If you cannot get hold of all the fresh food you need, then frozen or tinned will do just fine for now. If you cannot maintain your daily jogging routine, then doing some stretches or a few minutes of skipping will suffice, and if you cannot get to a health shop to buy your vitamins, then think about the vitamins you can get from your food and even from the sun (i.e. vitamin D).

This pandemic is an unprecedented situation, but we all have a choice: we can get very anxious or we can come up with a plan to get through it with our mental health intact. Personally, I am planning to spend my time in self-isolation by making a dent in the pile of books on my desk, finishing off a cross-stitch design I started a few years ago and phoning all my cousins. When you look back at this period of time, what would you want to have done?