The pandemic and the lockdowns have had a huge impact on many people's mental health, and the importance of looking after ourselves has become evidently clear.
It is important to take time to improve our mental wellbeing during this time and mental health mentor Lauren Ephithite, from Watlington, has given us five top tips to help improve our mental health, stay motivated and feel more positive during lockdown.
The wellbeing advocate, who struggled with her own mental health for many years, offers 121 mental health mentoring sessions, online workshops and also works with businesses and organisations to support workplace wellbeing.
She said: "We have been coping with the pandemic for almost a year and lots of us are finding this lockdown harder."
1. Remember the basics
"Make sure you’re looking after yourself.
"When we feel rubbish the self care basics can slip. It’s really easy to let these boring, normal everyday things slip when we’re struggling with our mental health, but they can make a big difference to how you’re feeling.
"So make sure you’re showering regularly, eating breakfast and taking your medication and vitamins."
2. Get outside and exercise
"We all know that physical exercise is good for us and we need to see and experience natural light when we can.
"So if the weather is good try and go for a walk outside as it will really help boost your mood."
3. Stay connected
"Be social and try and stay connected.
"Reaching out and socialising with friends and family that can make you laugh and lift you up is so important.
"We are lucky to have so much technology which allows us to stay in contact. It is very important to talk about mental health. If you find yourself struggling please find someone to talk to.
"Talking to someone you trust can help to get your thoughts and feelings out of your head. As the saying goes - a problem shared is a problem halved."
4. Be kind to yourself
"It is normal to feel strange right now because it is a strange, uncertain and anxious time.
"Accepting that you will feel all sorts of things and that there will be good and bad days goes a long way to maintaining your mental health and not exacerbating your stress."
5. Concentrate on what is in your control
"It is extremely easy to be overcome by worrying.
"It is important to remember what is in and out of your control.
"If you find yourself worrying a lot, try and make a concerted effort to change your thinking to concentrate on what you can control and worrying about what is outside of your control.
"For instance, you can control your actions, you can control the work that you do at home, you can control the activities that you do which will help your mental and physical health.
"But you cannot control whether other people are following social distancing rules and you cannot control when you’ll get your vaccine or when schools can reopen."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here