Today, the entire world is facing widespread COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation, physical distancing, constant wearing of face mask – we are all trying to get used to new normal. When many people first started working remotely, this lead to much hope for a new routine. Gaining more free time means you are finally able to read that book you have always wanted, sign-up for that online course, spend time for your hobby, or get started all activities you shelved months ago. Sure, the lockdown was going to destroy your social life, but with all these ambitious plans, at least you wouldn’t have a chance to get bored.
Well, the bad news is that for many of us, these “lockdown goals” are just remained as plans in the to-do list. With plenty of information taking up our mental space at the moment, worrying about our closed ones, and panicking about the future, it’s only natural that people are struggling to shut off and concentrate on something. However, instead of taking stress, it’s crucial to find ways to focus on a task or activity a little easier for yourself, even during this unprecedented time. Here are five tips to if you want to adapt to a new way of life and find the needed concentration.
Establish Routine & Stick To Healthy Habits
While your usual routine has likely been changed by this crisis, you can try to create a new structure even if you stuck at home. At the time of uncertainty, it’s important to focus and take charge of the things you can control. Lockdown is a great time to establish and build healthy habits and routines.
One of the best methods to re-energise yourself is to break up objectives into a few mini-goals and create activities or tasks that you know to will complete. Whether it’s waking up at the same time, sticking to a fitness regimen, eating a healthy breakfast every morning, consider encouraging positive habits within the day. Also, ensure you are setting time for your favourite activities to prioritise your own wellness.
Eliminate Distractions
Procrastination is always the enemy of hard work and effective task finishing. It’s becoming an even bigger danger when staying at home with the disappointing news and temptations of watching Netflix or being trapped in social media or TikTok.
As many individuals concentrate better when they tune out the distractions from the outside world, make sure to schedule time without any possible distractions like news and notifications from texts. For a start, take your phone away from your awareness, so it’s not instantly available.
Take Regular Breaks
It’s crucial not to push yourself too hard and give yourself time to reset. If you feel like you can use some time out, honour the feelings you have, and take a needed break. Frequent breaks help our brain to restore and reboot, just like proper sleep gives time to refresh our bodies.
You can also try setting a timer for doing something at 25 minutes (or less) and allowing yourself five minutes break for phone time. Use your phone as a treat when you have accomplished a certain task rather than as a constant companion. Experiment with working period and gradually increase the time you set the timer for, which can help to build up the strength to focus. Eventually, you will be able to focus on what you are doing for 45 minutes and have a 15-minute break.
Try To Meditate
You can also incorporate breathwork and meditation into your everyday scenario. Meditation is an effective way to re-focus and allow your mind to cleanse. Meditation is one technique that takes little effort but can pay serious improvements in decreasing your body’s response to stress and anxiety as well as improving focus and sleep, and even boosting the immune system. Meditation includes quieting the mind to take a break from the continuous thoughts and bring yourself to what is going on in your head.
Try to start with two sessions of meditation each day and maintain a daily habit of practice. It can be the first thing in the morning and the evening or before going to sleep. Find at least 5-10 minutes for each session and then increase the time to 20 minutes, as you get deeper into this beneficial habit.
Also, being more mindful with each task you do might a good idea as well. This can be as simple as introducing mindful eating, handwashing, or just taking moments to take a break and check-in with yourself.
Consider Using Natural Supplements
Caring for your body and the environment in which it inhabits is essential to digesting upsetting or worrying news in a safe way. To successfully receive distressful information/news, the body must be healthy and cared for so that the brain can mirror this. Drinking vast amounts of water and getting a healthy amount of sleep is vital for this progression. Alongside being great for focus, a continuing advantage of CBD oil is its staggering improvement upon a decrease in energy and transformative benefits in managing sleep insomnia affect and stress-related disorders. Combined benefits of CBD oil and other natural oils such as lavender oil, when rubbed thinly on bedsheets, can help this relaxation and consequently improve your night’s rest. Using CBD oil to relax will force you to enjoy your rest time and make you better charged to focus properly in your work time.