Lockdown: The Return
Posted on 17th November 2020 at 23:19
Like Marmite, some love it, some hate it, but however you feel about it, a national lockdown has returned. At least this time we have a rough idea of how long it will last! At Specky and Ginge, we always try to find positives in everything that comes our way so we’re going to share some tips on how to stay positive during this second lockdown!
Tip #1 – Smile
It may sound simple, or even stupid, but smiling is very good for you! Even if it’s faked, a smile releases endorphins, natural painkillers and serotonin into the body – laughter can literally be the best medicine! These neurotransmitters elevate your mood, help you relax and make you feel good. “How can I smile in this current climate?” we hear you ask. We know you’ve probably exhausted your favourite boxsets and films from the first lockdown so we won’t suggest that! You should surround yourself with people who make you smile and laugh. We know you can’t do this physically right now but social media is a fantastic way of talking to those people who make us feel great! Whether it’s a quick message on WhatsApp, silly photos on Snapchat or a video call on FaceTime, social media is great at keeping us connected and is vital during lockdown.
Tip #2 – Switch Off and Clean Up
We know this may sound contradictory to Tip #1 but sometimes you’ve got to switch off from the outside world. Coming from a social media management company, this may seem odd advice but we care more about the people behind social media accounts than the platforms themselves. So, if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through the same few apps all day long, getting bogged down by all the politics and Covidiots, just switch off. Switch off and be present with what’s around you. Sit and chat to those in your household, spend time with your pets or just go out for a walk. We tend to enjoy things more in moderation so by switching off, you’ll allow yourself to enjoy social media again.
You’ll actually want to spend time exploring posts and updates from friends and family instead of scrolling out of habit.
If you can’t bear to be away from social media (we get it!), but are getting bogged down by posts you don’t want to see, it’s time to clean up your feed. For example, you can simply unfollow on Instagram and Twitter or unfriend on Facebook if you don’t want to see their posts again. If you want something a little less harsh (or don’t want your mum to be angry that you’ve unfriended her best mate, Karen), you can mute (Twitter) or unfollow (Facebook) accounts so you don’t have to see their posts whilst remaining a follower or friend. To avoid certain topics, you can mute or snooze keywords so they don’t appear on your feed under News Feed Preferences (Facebook) or Notifications (Twitter) in the Settings & Privacy options.
Tip #3 – Create Your Own Content
We know this tip won’t be for everyone as people may not have the time to create and share content but we would always encourage you to do so to get the best out of your social media experience. Tired of seeing the same old content over and over again? Be the change. Create the kind of content you want to see and are interested in and get the ball rolling. If it’s something you’re interested in, you’ll probably enjoy creating content about it. It could even be the start of something much larger, perhaps even leading to sponsorship deals. Look at Mrs Hinch, for example (@mrshinchhome).
She started sharing cleaning tips with her friends and family and is now on an advert for Ariel washing tabs and has several books out! If you find yourself with the time to do so, create and share content across a variety of platforms. You never know what could come of it!
Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list and it won’t work for everyone, but we hope that this helps you keep going through another lockdown. We’d love to see your content so if you do take us up on Tip #3, send it across so we can share it and build you an audience.
If you ever need a chat and don’t know who to talk to, drop us a message. Nobody should go through another lockdown alone.
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