#45: Lockdown survival guide Pt. 2

Published in

Man Body Spirit

5 min readFeb 6, 2021

After the slight respite of the winter holiday season and the collective relief of ‘finally making it to the end of 2020’, a month into 2021 we’ve all had to get used to the fact that the end of one of the most torrid years in recent memory didn’t also mean the end of Covid-19. And that, despite promising progress in the rollout of vaccines, in most of the Western world life isn’t going back to how we previously knew it any time soon.

January 2021 may have been a bit of a rude awakening for many of us. But at times like this I prefer to focus on just how much control we can have over our daily realities, rather than on what is outside of our influence.

So instead of thinking about all of the things we would like to be doing but can’t, may I suggest a strategy for 2021 being instead to explore all of the opportunities that are open to us. Which, in a hyper-connected world where we can find limitless information, inspiration, and entertainment, and talk to people from all over the world about anything at all, are truly exciting and vast.

Let’s choose to not let ourselves become sluggish and unhealthy just because the gyms are closed, but instead discover new ways to get our bodies moving every day — at home or outside.

To not focus on the fact that we can’t socialise as much, visit museums, theatres and galleries in-person — but instead find new things that inspire and energise us that we can do from the comfort of our own homes.

And that’s the intent of this week’s The Power Up: To provide inspiration, alternative perspectives, and a greater understanding of what our bodies and minds are going through in these restricted times:

// The ultimate guide to free Arts & Cultural resources

// 10 ways our brains react to uncertain times

// 7 wellness strategies to build resilience

// 56 tried, tested and terrific ways to beat lockdown boredom

// The Great Reset: How the rules are changing about what’s important in life

Plus plenty of bonus content too…

Wherever you are, however you’re getting through lockdown, I hope you find something of value in this edition.

And if you’d like to receive The Power Up delivered direct to your inbox every weekend, you can sign-up here.

Enjoy…

The ultimate guide to free Arts and Culture resources you can enjoy from home

Unsatisfied by, or already exhausted everything Netflix has to offer? Longing for artistic and cultural sustenance to inspire, entertain, soothe and give you respite from lockdown life?

From museums and galleries, to theatre, opera & talks, we created the only listings guide you need to the best free arts and culture resources available online.

10 ways our brains react to uncertain times

Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity all have a compounding impact on how our brains perform.

So if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or unfocused; if you’ve struggled with staying on task or been blindsided by emotion over the past months, that is completely normal. Neuroscientist Amishi Jha explains more.

7 wellness strategies to build resilience

From unconventional ways to strength train at home, to nutrition, sleep and the simple yet powerful benefits of going for a walk, these evidence-based strategies will help you build a solid, strong, and resilient body and mind to equip you well for the months ahead.

Lockdown cabin fever? 56 tried, tested and terrific ways to beat the boredom

The Guardian have curated this expansive and diverse list of suggestions from readers, entertainers and public figures.

From the artistic, to the culinary, active to the passive, it’s packed with great ideas — many of which I’m willing to bet you haven’t tried yet.

The Great Reset: The rules are changing about what’s important in life

The most-coveted skills, behaviours and perspectives of the world we knew may not be the most important in the ‘new normal’, posits Thomas Oppong.

Thriving will mean confronting difficult life questions and establishing a new mindset about what it means to live a fulfilling life. But the good news is, we are all capable of this adaptability.

BONUS CONTENT

THANKS FOR READING

I hope you found something valuable in this The Power Up.

If you did, and would like to receive this in your inbox each week, you can sign-up here.

See you next time, Adam