Hello and a happy Friday to you,
I’ve officially been jobless for a week and it’s felt strange not to have the structure of the working day or to check in with colleagues after 10 years of being employed.
One thing I am grateful for, although it’s been challenging, is how 14 months of working from home prepared me for going solo.
Living alone through three lockdowns meant I endured some of the most challenging mental health of my life. Yet, coming from a place of privilege – having a home, a job, no dependents and not losing any friends or family to Covid – meant the flip side of that was when I was forced to look inward, I could learn so much about myself.
The things that have helped me the most include reminding myself of the self-care basics that work for me: I need to go outside every day, I need a solid sleep pattern, I need to move my body and I need hugs.
Other things that I have returned to, or learnt how to practise over this strange time include self-compassion, mindfulness (Headspace works for me), morning pages, and gratitude. Limiting alcohol and tracking my periods have also been transformational. I’m happy to share more on any of these things if you’re interested and have popped in some hyperlinks for more information on the places that have helped me.
With less social plans, I have had the time and money to learn about things that help me – I have found the Museum of Happiness’s facilitator training and Happy World Club incredibly useful; I’ve started therapy and I worked with career coach Selina Barker, who is amazing.
If you don’t have disposable income right now, following people on social media who make you feel uplifted and listening to enriching podcasts is a good place to start. Action For Happiness also offers free tickets to their useful talks and Selina’s Monday Crew is a free weekly check-in, where you can set intentions for the week.
Hope you enjoy The Uplift this week – why not forward it to a friend who might like it? And feel free to buy me a coffee here.
Have a restful weekend,
Becky x
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This is The Uplift, a weekly newsletter by me, journalist Becky Barnes. If you enjoyed it, feel free to buy me a coffee.
The Uplift will arrive in your inbox every Friday, featuring good news, self-care and life advice.
A bit about me: I’m a journalist living in London. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.