I remember embracing the start of lockdown 1.0. Yes the pandemic was terrifying as was the uncertainty of it all, but being forced to embrace a more low-paced way of life especially as an introvert was something that I enjoyed. I suddenly had all his uninterrupted time to read, to write and to spend time with my daughter. We did vision boards together, and we thrived on Joe Wick’s PE with Joe sessions. Lockdowns slowly felt normal so when all the restrictions stopped I struggled to adapt for many reasons and fell into a funk. My motivation to read was gone, I had piles of books to review for publishers and I struggled to find the focus to meditate- something which had been an easy addition to my morning and bedtime routine. These are the changes that I made in order to get myself out of a funk.

• Journaling– I spent 10 minutes every night writing down a list of positives from the day, they varied from the morning walk with my baby, cooking a homemade dinner or seeing a friend on the school run. I find reflecting on the day to be helpful because it is to easy to dwell on what we didn’t achieve rather than celebrating small positives.

• Morning routine– How you start your day has an impact on the rest of your day, so on Xmas Eve I made the decision to not have the news on the tv. My ex was in the habit of having BBC News on every morning and the negative news would make me anxious. As an empath I would then spend the day worrying about what was going in the world and matters out of my control. Now my morning consists of a 5-10 guided meditation using one of the many meditation apps that I have and a Spotify morning playlist. I also prioritise breakfast, taking my vitamins and filling up my water bottle.

• Connect with friends, old or new- Lockdown isolated us from our loved ones and for many of us connecting feels hard, I struggled with this during my pregnancy and post-partum so I joined the Peanut app which is like Tinder for mums. I quickly connected with mums in my local area and I have also made some friends through local baby and toddler groups, these friendships have been my go to for advice on motherhood or even when I need a chat with a friend who can relate to with general toddler worries.

• Have a daily walk- There are so many benefits to the outdoors such as improving your mood, reducing stress and improving your physical health.