Do your Batteries Need a Recharge?

How Is Your Mental Health?

The new singers I’m working with in this lock down are fresh and excited by their singing.  It’s their new project, their “thing to do in lockdown” to make up for all of the things that they can’t do in lockdown because it’s lockdown.  If you’re not doing something new, for you, a lockdown thing, I suggest you do.  These new singers are excited by their new singing thing. 

But…. I’ve spent lesson after lesson this week talking to people who are not ok. 

The singers I’ve worked with for a while are not in the same place as they were in the last lockdown.  They are more stressed, more pent up, more tired and much, much more drained.

They are tired.  We are tired. I can see the changes and how it’s starting to drain us. 

It made me think about the well being blog that I wrote so I’m sharing it here to bring it to attention.  Go to the blog here…

I also want to share the advice that I gave to a singer who is drained, and then I gave it again, and again.    I am suggesting things that may help.  I’m not claiming that I’m doing them all but I’m doing some of them and I know that I need to do them all to have a chance at being ok at the moment.  I see the difference when I don’t do the things. 

I prescribe the following, if at all possible.  This is a list that I will add to as people send me new suggestions.  Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions already. I am looking to add to this list as people send more ideas.

11. Find a way to offload. This last one is something some of you may not know that I think is key at the moment.  

MORNING PAPERS.  This is from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and it’s part of freeing your inner artist but when I do it I find it’s a bit like being my own therapist.  The idea is that you handwrite 3 pages of whatever comes out of your head and onto the paper.  There is no need to be clear, interesting or impress anyone.  You can even destroy them after if you feel that they are too private and you don’t have privacy.  But write them because they are how you find the headspace and clarity to know how to face your day.  As you make a better job of living each day in a way that feels better or happier or more satisfying/less stressful to you will be making better weeks and better months, years and a better life.

Since beginning to write this blog I thought I’d pool other people’s ideas.  So I’ve done a call out on my social media groups and places and I thought it would be wonderful to get to 100 ideas.  I may be crazy but I’m going to add them as I find them. 

So, continuing from 12….

12. Time alone – indulging my introverted side;
13. Having a cup of tea;
14. Creating; 
15. Deep conversation with like-minded person. 
16. What’s been good for me lately is to just get in the car and drive. Put on a playlist or a new album and just drive and listen to music. Explore new areas or neighborhoods (sic) and just not have any purpose. Love it so much;
17. Organisation – and meditation – (lots of people suggest meditation but I’m only allowing myself to write it down once);
18. Exercise;
19. Body brushing before showing – invigorating and stimulating. 
20. Pamper time – if we don’t care/value ourselves why shoddy anyone else? 
21. Get up and dance wildly around my office 
22. Do something different. 
23. Schedule time to do the well being stuff – put it in the diary. 
24. Reading fiction at night before going to bed.
25. Getting up before everyone else in the house and having half an hour to myself with the pets and the quiet. 

Check out the calendars on this website.  Go to Action For Happiness Here

I love their calendars – see January’s calendar here

Let me know your ideas for happiness. Send me an email on rebecca@rebeccaschwarz.co.uk or contact me via the contact page.

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