Tips on how to cultivate good feelings over the lockdown

Most of us are fed up with the pandemic. The new year has arrived and it’s still here. Blue Monday has passed, but we are still in lockdown and dealing with tight restrictions to stop the virus. This whole situation has made us uneasy and tired of ever-changing measures, leading to feelings of misplacement and loneliness. Gathering around with friends or hugging someone we love never has been so important. Enough, says the brain, but we’re going to need to wait a bit longer until life is back to something closer to normal. However, there is a powerful way to deal with all of it and it’s pretty accessible: to feel gratitude. It might be what we need at the moment to finish the race against Covid-19.

Gratitude is a powerful positive force. Moreover, it’s a way for people to appreciate what they have, instead of always reaching out for something new in the hopes it will make them happier. A recent article by Forbes confirms that feeling gratitude has positive effects on emotional wellbeing, motivation, belonging, engagement and physical health. Some philosophers suggest it’s the greatest virtue and that you can’t feel both grateful and unhappy. For example, appreciation of someone can grow into love, gratitude for what you have can lead to greater satisfaction and loving your work can lead to improved performance. Sounds good, but let’s look into science too.

A study published in Psychological Science found that being thankful increases patience. In addition, it has been found that gratitude has a positive impact on our mental and emotional states – leading to optimism for example – as well as physical health. It also predicts behaviours such as helping others and exercising.

Another article in the Harvard Medical shows the power of cultivating gratitude. In this study, three groups were tested. The first wrote about things that had occurred during the week, that they were grateful for. The second wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them, with no emphasis on positivity or negativity. After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also exercised more and needed fewer visits to physicians. Researchers explain that these effects occur because gratitude helps us refocus on what we have instead of what we lack. Although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice. It is an effective exercise to do at home, to try and fight the annoying feelings we seek to silence.

The Harvard Medical school made a really cool list suggesting ways to practice gratitude in your life. Let’s take a look at some suggestions:

Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one your thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day. This can be a nice meal, a great complement, your home, beautiful music, etc. Make a list and write it down once in a while, or even every morning.

Write a thank-you note. Express your enjoyment and appreciation for someone who has impacted your life. Send it, or even better, deliver it and read it out. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Really important: once in a while, write one to yourself.

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. It’s also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).

It may help to just think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank them.

Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings, reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Make a list of three to five things and write about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.

If you are religious, you can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.

From anxiety to loss of taste, we have worked with Lenstore to analyse over 100 common health ailments to reveal the ones we are searching for most. You can view the graphic here:

Netherlands Most-Googled Health Symptom 1. Fever 2. Diarrhea 3. Migraine 4. Rash 5. Delirium

Here are some key stories that may be of interest to your readers: • Across the globe, people are turning to Dr

Google for on ailments with Diarrhoea, Anxiety, and Vertigo coming up as the most searched averaging 909,000 monthly searches • Diarrhoea still takes the number one spot and is also the most searched for symptom across

Austria, Estonia, France, Greece, and the US • There are also a few symptoms where we may feel a little shy about discussing them with a doctor and are therefore also high up on the list, including ‘vaginal itching’ (214,400) and

‘inverted nipple’ (178,930) • COVID-19 has seen those Googling ‘loss of taste and smell’ increase by 733% worldwide

Unfortunately, self-diagnosing on the internet can sometimes cause more harm than good. 1. Unreliable Sites: Unreliable websites, giving incomplete information, poor algorithms and thus wrong conclusions and wrong directions. The websites used must be evidenced-based and good quality. Websites need to have information cross-referenced, evidence-based and peerreviewed information. It can be difficult for the general public to understand which websites are of good quality. 2. Too Medical: Websites written for Doctors/ medical personnel have the basic assumption of training and experience and are only useful for the trained, otherwise may cause more confusion and fear in the non-medically trained.

1. Triage: Helps patients to decide whether to self manage, speak to a doctor or come to a clinicbased on information and questions answered with health information online. It is worth bearing in mind that while symptom checkers may be useful as an adjunct to triage, they are not recommended as a substitute for triage. 2. Information: Evidence-based, quality, peerreviewed and reliable sources of information will help to give information to patients for self-care and guidance. Can be read in their own time and not given in a tight/rushed consultation.

1. Only use recognised and reliable websites. 2. Make sure information is not outdated or irrelevant geographically. 3. Ensure a medical professional is consulted as a result – whether a pharmacist for minor symptoms or a nurse or doctor for persisting and serious symptoms. 4. Dr Google is there to assist and help, but should not replace your doctor 5. Use a variety of pages to get a different perspective and to understand the information better, but speak to a doctor for further clarification 6. Google is a great tool to use before seeing your doctor, or going for tests or procedures.

Do some bedtime reading before your appointment so that you have some questions to ask on the day