Following on from yesterday’s article by Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, Dawn Reay of Kiln Associates focusses on some practical wellbeing tips.

Be present

Take a breath and really experience where you are and how you are feeling.

Taking in your surroundings and the space and environment in which you live can be a very powerful tool in helping your anxiety.

Schedule in breaks during your working day for yourself – not just to look after the rest of the family!

Be grateful

Be grateful for what you have, instead of what you do not have.

Try keeping a journal and write down three things you are grateful for every

You’ll be surprised how the small stuff starts to feel valuable.

For those staff who are furloughed at the moment, we understand that this is scary and uncertain times.

Take the time to look at your skillset and what you are good at. Is the property industry where you want to spend the rest of your career?

Take the time to consolidate your feelings and remember great things sometimes come out of bad times.

If you love property, now is a great time to strengthen your knowledge of the industry, online learning can be a great distraction and enable you to feel like you have achieved something every day.

Set yourself a goal of learning something new – whether that be a new recipe, a Joe Wickes work out, a podcast or a module of an online training course.

Mindfulness, breathing and relaxation techniques

There are many suggested ways to practise your breathing, including the five-second breath in through the nose, hold that breath for five seconds and then breathe out for five seconds. Training your breathing can bring down anxiety levels significantly.

Another method, called the STAR technique involves a “smile”, taking a breath and then relaxing.

Try mindfulness or relaxation apps as they can also be beneficial.

Write it down and let it go!

At a time where we have little control over life events, it can often help to express anxiety in a way that you can control. That could be writing down what you feel by keeping a journal.

Acknowledge how you feel and don’t ignore these feelings. Allow yourself to worry and put it down in writing in a notebook or journal.

As you put the book away you are putting those anxieties away and letting them go.

Use the same approach to clearly END your working day. One of the hardest balances to achieve when working from home is feeling the distinction between home and work life.

If you have a room dedicated to working from home – close the door! If not, clear away all evidence of work until the next day so it doesn’t act as a reminder.

Get access to natural light

The current lockdown may have limited your trips out-doors as access to parks and play- grounds have been restricted.

This may affect our serotonin and melatonin levels, which are both vital for our mental health.

Sitting near windows and making home environments as light and airy as possible is a great idea to bring the outside in.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden or some form of outside space like a balcony, use it regularly. Take your breakfast outside or wrap up and have a mid-morning coffee in the fresh air.

Remember certain foods such as walnuts, almonds or bananas can help boost melatonin, and salmon, eggs and spinach are among the foods that can help boost serotonin.

Don’t put yourself under pressure

We are living in extraordinary times and quite frankly, all bets are off.

The expectations we put on ourselves are one of the things that can be difficult to manage.
If we remove them, it can be quite liberating, freeing us and allowing us the time to find our way, without any pressure.

Think positively

This might feel impossible at the moment. But re-framing a negative situation into a positive one can be very helpful.

Look around you and identify the positives such as being with family, being productive, working from home on your professional and personal development, keeping up contact with friends, enjoying a meal or a drink.

There are a lot of positives in our day to day routine, so stop, slow down, breathe and take stock.

Remember that in today’s world we are often hard-wired to live at a fast, frenetic pace and sometimes don’t stop to think about what the purpose of it is and where we are heading.

Our current situation is forcing us to do just that and we will grow as a result of it.

Ask for support

It’s not a sign of weakness, but strength, to reach out and ask for support. Be mindful of your friends, family and colleagues and think about who amongst them could offer practical, psychological and moral support.

Make that connection and sustain the support they can offer and encourage them to do similar in creating a support network or group.

Dawn Reay is the owner of Kiln Associates. https://kilnassociates.com/