This week’s blog post has been inspired by you guys! I’ve had so many people get in touch asking about our routine, how we’re coping so far and how I always manage to seem positive!

I did film a video similar to this in the beginning of lockdown, I can’t begin to remember how many weeks ago it was now! Naturally, as time has gone on our routine has adjusted and we’ve found our groove. It’s working really well for us all, so I thought I’d re-share our current day in case it helps any of you!

It is mental health awareness week, which I think ties in nicely to this blog post and its meaning. We are all experiencing a very strange, very worrying and very stressful time. We’re all coping in different ways, and that is okay!

I think that we really have to make the best we can of the hand we’ve been dealt. To think outside the box, and try to keep positive. It’s easy to feel negative energy, but I’ve found that to give into the negativity really drains you.

I’ve been through depression, have spent time on anti-depressants and have been through therapy, so I know that a positive mindset really can change your life. If you make a real effort to stay uplifted, you will experience a more uplifting day! It’s as simple as that!

My husband owns a fish business supplying restaurants and I own holiday lets and B&Bs, so obviously everything has pretty much ground to a halt. If I didn’t have my own mental ‘worry box’ - I think I would fall to pieces! Which brings me to one of my very top tips for coping through a hard time.

The ‘Worry Box’

I visualise a simple box inside my mind, into which I put every single thing that causes me anxiety, stress or worry.

I keep the lid firmly closed, so the worries don’t spill out everywhere and become too much to handle.

When I feel it is time to tackle a worry, I open the lid and let just that single worry out and deal with it in a calm and collected manner.

I find that keeping my worries ‘filed’ like this stops me from feeling completely overwhelmed every day, and really helps on the positivity front! Give it a try!

So now we’ve tackled how I structure my mind, let’s talk about how I structure my day:

6AM

I get up, throw on my workout clothes that I had left out the night before and creep downstairs for an hour or so of working out, normally with The Ultimate Shred or LPO Studio.

This has been completely amazing for my body, but for my mind it has been crucial. Do not underestimate how much better daily exercise can make you feel mentally!

You don’t have to workout, you could go for a dog walk, do some meditation or yoga, just try and find something that works for you that gets your body moving and I promise you will feel the benefits almost immediately.

I find that if I spend the morning slow, low and lethargic, the day follows the same path.

7AM

Make sure everybody is awake and getting prepped for the day ahead.

Pop outside to care for the animals.

Start preparing breakfast.

7:30AM

Family breakfast time!

8/8:15AM

Shower and dress for the day.

8:45AM

Children go to their respective school work desks (Coco and Archie are both joining Sigh in his office as the internet is much better!) and begin lessons.

I start work around the house, so I am there to help and supervise.

This is my time to work and clean, and I thank my lucky stars for the Ask Charlie Cleaning Schedule I created before anyone had even muttered the words lockdown!

Using my schedule, I work methodically around the home doing the sections written down for that specific day. Using the guide means that at the end of the week, I know that everything has been cleaned, tidied, changed and washed! It’s been an absolute lifeline, since I barely even have to think about it!

10:30AM

Break time. We use this time for a little dog walk, Gus has a drink and a biscuit with me.

12PM

I begin prepping our family lunch.

12:30PM

Sigh comes home with the children and we sit down for a family lunchtime.

1-1:30PM

I am now trying to have a rest after lunch. A couple of weeks ago I began to feel quite burnt out, so now I take some time to read or spend some time chatting with the children.

2PM

Back to lessons.

3PM

Children’s free time. They do whatever they want! Be it tech time or chatting to friends, running around outside or sitting down to watch the television. This also enables me to have another hour where I can get my head down and work on Ask Charlie.

4PM

Time for tea! We are loving our new tradition of afternoon tea. It’s not necessarily a big affair, it could just be a hob nob or a piece of cake, but I was finding that the children just couldn’t get through from lunch until supper and we didn’t want them snacking on rubbish so this seemed like a great idea! It’s worked so fabulously and gives us a little more quality time together which I am adoring at the moment.

4:30PM

Time outside if possible. I use this time to go for a ride/dog walk/muck out the ponies.

The children are ever so helpful when it comes to helping with the ponies, but sometimes I do like to plug myself into a podcast and get out there for a little more me time!

5:30/6PM

Prepare and make supper.

6:30/7PM

Eat together as a family.

8:15PM (a little later than if they were still at school!)

Time to get the children into bed.

I like to encourage them to read in the evenings, and of course we always talk of the things we are grateful for from the day to create that appreciative mindset and calm them before sleep.

They have also been doing the sweetest thing recently and all clambering into Coco’s room (affectionately named Madame Cocos!) to natter and spend some time together before they fall asleep! It’s been so special!

AFTER THE CHILDREN GO TO BED

Time for me to either tackle some ironing or cook!

I am a huge advocate for batch cooking, so I like to make double of everything and pop them into the freezer, that way you are never left unprepared.

I check my Meal Planner for the week and take a look at what’s coming up, if I need to prep anything, get anything out to defrost or grab anything during the weekly shop. I’ve been finding this planner so utterly invaluable during this time, again it is just so good to take away the stress of working out what to feed the family! It’s all been planned out with the shopping list written!

I also check the freezer diary section of the planner to take a look and see what I’ve already got in there.

Then it’s time to wind down, lay out my workout clothes for the morning and get into bed myself, reminding myself of what I am grateful for before heading to the land of nod!

So in conclusion, it is so important for my day to have structure. I always know what I’m doing and where I’m supposed to be. I have time slots visualised in my mind, knowing that I need to do X by a certain time as then I have Y and Z planned in for afterward.

Getting up, getting active and getting going first thing in the morning releases such happy positive vibes for me, and ensures we have a better day.

Are you finding that structure is working for you? Get in touch if you have any questions, I’m here to help if I can!

Also, happy half term! I’m going to spend a lot of time in the garden! Find things that work for you and that make you happy during times like this, and go do them if you can!

I hope you’re all keeping safe and well,

Love,

How we're coping through these times as a family - an update! Making adjustments, utilising my 'worry box' and keeping positive.