#QuarantineDiaries: Anisha Tiwari

I think that one of the most difficult things that we’re all struggling with is the reality that we don’t really have much control over the situation. As someone who has faced many mental health battles over recent years, I am definitely well acquainted with these feelings of helplessness. However, the ways in which I have focused my energy during this lockdown has undoubtedly been a big turning point for me. I’ve learnt that no matter how difficult a situation may be, we have more power than we think in being able to control how a situation affects us.

By taking advantage of this time to invest in myself, I’ve found myself in a much happier mental space. Sometimes you really need to take a step away from everything and sit with your thoughts, in order to realise the potential you have to change the world within you. Once you can visualise what a better, healthier and happier ‘you’ could look like, the path you need to take to get there becomes a lot clearer and the goal feels more attainable as each day goes by.

Everyone is different, and so how everyone responds to a time like this will vary. Nevertheless, I cannot stress enough that it is important for everyone to have some form of ‘toolkit’ to be able to turn to whenever you feel low or anxious. In this post I want to talk about five things from my mental health/self-care ‘toolkit’ that have helped me stay positive and somewhat in control during this lockdown.

1) Meditation – meditation has helped me become better at grounding myself through the very simple task of focusing on my breath. When I take a deep breath, no matter how stressed or anxious I may be feeling, I find that it has a very powerful cleansing effect for my mind. Initially I was quite bad at meditation, constantly getting distracted by thoughts and unsure if I was doing it correctly, but through completing several courses on the Headspace app, I have increasingly found it easier to take a minute to stop, breathe and silence the mental chatter. One thing I’ve learnt from meditation is that it’s not about getting rid of your anxiety, rather, meditation is about changing your relationship with it.

2) Bhangra – Bhangra has always been a big part of my ‘mental health toolkit’ as it has always helped me boost my mood or provided a healthy distraction whenever I’ve felt low or stressed. During this lockdown, Bhangra has become my main form of exercise as well as my go-to revision break. With Bhangra classes being put on hold, there has been a number of virtual Bhangra classes taking place, so please do check the LIFT Bhangra Instagram stories as we’ll continue to be hosting as well as sharing any upcoming virtual Bhangra classes we come across.

3) Yoga - I genuinely had no idea how tense my body was until I’d started practising Yoga. After trialling a few beginners Yoga sessions on YouTube, I decided to commit to a 30 day Yoga journey with ‘Yoga With Adriene’ on YouTube, and I’ve found it so helpful in alleviating the tension in my body. It can be tough sometimes, I thought Yoga was meant to be calming until I started doing some trickier moves, but push through the pain and you’ll realise that it’s actually a very rewarding practice. I think the best thing about utilising any form of workout or yoga session on YouTube is that, as you are doing it in the comfort of your own home, you don’t need to worry about making mistakes or looking funny… and its free!

4) Aromatherapy - essential oils are also a relatively new addition to my ‘toolkit’. Whenever I feel really stressed or anxious, I’ve found that lavender has a really calming effect on me. There was a period during this lockdown where I was feeling really suffocated and I’ve found that diffusing lavender oil or choosing to study in the garden has really been helpful for me in getting through these days.

5) Fresh air – if you don’t have really noisy and distracting neighbours, I highly recommend studying or working in the garden. Being in fresh air can really help you feel a little less suffocated (as you would if you’re working behind a desk all day). I’ve also found that the sound of birds singing helps me stay focused as well. Going for a walk can be quite difficult as parks become increasingly busy, so if you’re in a situation where you’d prefer to stay at home, perhaps consider spending some time watering the plants in your garden instead.

I hope that you’ve been able to take away something valuable from this post. As I’ve said, everyone is different but these are some things that have helped me look after myself during this lockdown (and exam season). Stay at home, stay safe and look after yourselves.

Anisha x