I woke up this morning to heaps of fresh snow. Opening my eyes, out of the window, the trees were bare, sheathed with thick snow and the woods opposite my house offered excitement and a flickering feeling of hope.

I made myself a coffee, lit a candle, and watched a feel-good film whilst looking out to the beautiful landscape. This morning was what I needed to help me get out of my funk and feel more like myself again. I read my book, went on a long walk on the treadmill (because it was too snowy to go on the roads!!) and then got into warmth of the hot tub and enjoyed the crisp air and magnificent surroundings.

Why am I telling you this? In lockdown, it is unfortunately so facile to become slumped down with the big weight of uncertainty and anxiety. It may take you a long time to get out of bed or complete any one task, and instead want to curl up in your bed and watch seasons and seasons of mindless Netflix shows. That sums up lockdown, sure.

However, in your own time, get out of bed. Make your bed – one thing accomplished in the day – enjoy a relaxing cup of tea or coffee and get ready for the day. Write a list of things you want to do, put on some chill music, jot down ideas into a diary, and take a deep breath. You may not be able to do this every day or even every week, but this feeling will save you, trust me. I don’t know when I will feel low again; that wave of sadness could swell over me tonight, tomorrow, or not for a few days or weeks, but it’ll come I know, because that’s what lockdown(s) do to us. Our moods change and fluctuate hourly, and that’s ok – we all feel like that. Happy one moment, sad the next.

But remember: you are doing the best you can. Nobody has been in this position before; we are all sharing this moment together, whether we like it or not. Don’t be so hard on yourself — you are doing the best you can and the right pace for you. We will make it out of this time eventually and it’ll be a momentous occasion and we are all excited for that I am sure.

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I’ll leave you with a quote from a Taylor Swift song: Past me, I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things, your nemeses, will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing