What helps you to feel better and stay positive?

[FearlessSwiftie]

I found out that avoiding the news is really a thing: I feel much less stressed now. What are your tips to feel more relaxed? At very beginning of the whole thing it seemed to me like I just can't simply take a deep breath, I was so worried. Now it is a little bit better but there is still much to work on in my mental condition. What do you do to feel better?

[BeardedMum]

Restrict the time I spend reading and watching the news.
Reading books.
Drinking wine 🍷

[Tableclothing]

Routine. Making a list of things I've wanted to get done for ages and ticking them off.

[twinnywinny14]

Routine is key for me, so we get up roughly the same time each day, meal times are more or less the same time and going out for our walk (we have dogs) at the same time. Also lists, I’ve made list of jobs and things that need doing this week and spend some time each day doing some of those things and then some down time reading or tv

[hiredandsqueak]

I read a lot. I have a long soak in the bath rather than my usual shower and I relish the walk with the dog now rather than the chore I sometimes found it and I bake cake. I do avoid watching the news as much as possible as well as that does nothing for my anxiety levels.

[onalongsabbatical]

Art. Culture. Watched a play online, virtual gallery visits, looking at artworks. Reading a book.

[Bouncingbomb]

Routine, including work, I would hate not to be busy. I have just moved my desk for a view.

Days are currently exercise, coffee, shower and dressed, work, lunch, work, Jon’s around the house/garden/cleaning, cooking for a couple of hours a day including trying new things.

[PippaPegg]

Being very vigilant of my thoughts. Any negative thought pops into my head I immediately counter it with as many positives as possible. Usually I think of things I'm grateful for. Living in a country where women are allowed to drive. Being able to walk. The sun being out. Sounds a bit juvenile but it really works. The trick is to do it as soon as the first negative thought enters my head. It stops the downward spiral getting too deep. I still go through phases of feeling depressed or anxious but I can usually come out again within 1 or 2 days by being kind to myself and actively fighting it.

[Tonyaster]

My animals. Reading books. Deactivate social media.

[CrunchyCarrot]

When the sun comes out and I can go out into the garden, and see the view across to the Welsh mountains. That is so unchanging and makes any worries seem minor by comparison. I find it relaxing and refreshing, and helps give perspective.

[Roselilly36]

Avoiding the news is a good thing OP.

Breathing is really important too, take in deep breaths and sigh the breath out, it will help you to feel calmer.

Keeping busy, indoors with jobs that you just haven’t had time to do, if you have a garden use it, catch up tv, watching the series you wanted to see but never got round too. Reading, The Four Agreements is a great read IMHO, mindfulness.

Remind yourself that this will pass. It’s an awful time and many people are struggling, I know for me some days are better than others and that it’s OK and normal to feel this way

[yearinyearout]

Turned off a couple of local Facebook pages that were full of ranters. Walking the dog a good distance every day is saving me, if I didn't have her it would be 100 x worse.

[userxx]

Avoiding the news, I watched some last night and I've woke up anxious - shit way to start the day. Getting in my garden is helping me massively, it feels like a safe haven.

[AutumnLeavesSeptember]

Putting music on really loud and dancing with the toddler and schoolkid

[Hotcuppatea]

Accepting the fact that lots of things are beyond my control, including how my body will react when I catch this thing. And most of us will catch it.

Focusing on what I can control- eating well, going outside every day, spending time with my children, doing the garden.

[NewYearNewTwatName]

Restricting time watching the news, taking time off reading some CV related threads.

Seeing my horse, gardening and listening to absolute Radio in the mornings and some times evenings the presenters make me laugh. I was also watching Chris Packham's live stream every morning too, but haven't for the past couple days.

[EsmeeMerlin]

Restricting the news, calling family and friends and just being around my children. Children particularly young children force you to think of other things because they are so unaware they are are carrying on as normal.

[MaudBaileysGreenTurban]

Routine is important. I've been getting up at the same time I would if I was going into the office, shower, get dressed (comfy clothes but still 'dressed', not pyjamas all day), bit of makeup, perfume etc.

30 mins of Yoga with Adriene every morning and then go and take some big deep breaths outside, really wakes me up

I've tried to avoid the news a bit but dp is a news junkie so that's not always easy. I have had to gently ask him to change the subject sometimes! But I avoid FB and twitter as much as possible because you just get sucked into a black hole.

I know that drinking less wine in the evenings would also help but that's the habit I'm finding hardest to break...

[Twattergy]

News only at start and end of day. Enjoying the cat. Time in the garden. Local walks in the woods. Taking more time over cooking. Reading. Board games. Focussing on making things nice for DS. Looking at blue sky. Morning exercise. Lots of sleep.

[FirTree31]

Reading, getting jobs done that I'd been meaning to do for ages, Netflix, food, talking to friends and family, walks with my children and our dog.

Also, just for fun, this video is great with kids

[SleepWithTheFishes]

Routine. I work from home, regular hours, which helps give the day a shape.

Walking the dog. That one walk a day across the local fields is like a beacon, a bright spot. TBF I always loved dog walks (we used to do two good walks a day) but reducing it to one has made it even more precious.

Planning. e.g. I have planned and prepared how the house will split if any of us gets ill, plus gathered together our supplies such as the rubber gloves from my soap making kit or the goggles and dust masks from the garage or the vicks, paracetamol and gaviscon because I read that people with C-19 found those things useful. It might be for nothing or might be the wrong things but it's helped me to have a plan and an emergency kit.

The garden. It's small but it is a god-send right now. We've spent the last few years changing it from a plain bit of grass to something beautiful to sit in and now that spring is here, all our hard work is bursting into life.

A wider family whatsapp group that we all keep updating with funnies etc. It helps me feel connected to many of the people I cannot visit and see right now. The only one missing is my 90+ year old grandmother who is safe and secure (thank goodness) but shielded and not very good with tech so there isn't much chance to chat with her now.

[onalongsabbatical]

So art - here's three artists you might not know. Frits Thaulow - Norwegian. Harald Sohlberg - also Norwegian. And Arkhip Kuindzhi - Russian.
Can you look at any of these and not feel uplifted?

[Sweetener12]

A good book or a good movie, painting or a puzzle, cleaning or cooking, all these things are of a great help. I had fun adding makeup to my and my mom's photos in a special makeup photo editor. Look up for some funny memes to cheer yourself up a little bit. Also you can start learning something new, lets say another language. You can try Duolingo for that, it is a great app.

[Camomila]

Being useful - so making sure the house is tidy, we have nice meals, DSs do interesting activities (DH is a kew worker, working from home, I'm on mat leave)

Daily walk

Relaxing with a film, a cup of tea and sone chocolate. Watched 4 children and IT last night, everything has to be child friendly as I can't get DS1 tired enough to go to bed at his normal bedtime.

Limit how much news I see/read