With another 4 weeks of lockdown announced I keep finding myself singing songs all day long. I am literally making up numerous songs about various topics, including my dog and signing them to her, like literally in her face! Maybe I am going crazy, or maybe I am finding my calling now that life has calmed. Hahaha, calm, I am fooling no one here.

I spoke to my good friend the last night; he has no kids, and I asked him ‘how is life in lockdown’? He said, ‘I am sure it is the same as your life in lockdown’, and oh how I laughed.  Only parents in lockdown can understand how completely bonkers this sounds. Parenting in lockdown is like every parent’s worst nightmare! Yes, we love our children, but we also miss our going to the toilet alone.

Here are some tips for staying sane, and some songs to match!

1. Screen time – we know that kids shouldn’t have too much screen time, which right now means absolutely nothing because their entire schooling is reliant on screen time! We also know that giving them screen time means giving us some “free time” to get work done. Drop the guilt, no kids will be harmed by too much screen time.
2. Call on me – a problem shared is a problem halved, so get on the phone and start talking to your friends. Check in on everyone, we are all doing it tough and those who say they aren’t, are probably just drinking loads of…. something. If someone doesn’t answer, keep calling.
3. Dance parties – when things are starting to get on top of me, or I can see the kids getting frustrated I bang on some really loud tunes and just booty drop! Everyone knows this is the sign to stop what they are doing and start dancing. Plenty of studies show that dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections. Click on the link for a belter of a TUNE to bop to.
4. Release the pressure – parent life is tough enough without lockdown. Adding home learning, no socialising and no escape and that just equals a pressure cooker. Just release the pressure, don’t let it get to you. You are not superhuman, sorry to break this to you, you are human, and humans can’t do everything well. We can only do one thing well. Sadly, something has to give.
5. Let’s get physical – all of a sudden, we all love walking, which is great. Getting outside and getting fresh air and exercise is paramount for survival during lockdown. There are a gazillion online workouts, yoga, Pilates, whatever you are into for free that you can get into. There is no excuse not to move your body, apart from not physically being able to.
6. Sleep – oh sleep, how I miss thee. With a 3.5 YO who has NEVER slept through the night I generally walk around the place like a zombie. Sleep is a key ingredient to staying strong and healthy in both mind and body. Don’t stay up late once the kids got to bed to get work done, or to get some you time. Time spent sleeping is the best use of any kid free time.
7. Life lessons -v- home learning – I am not a teacher (and my goodness, kudos to teachers getting kids to actually pay attention) but I can teach my kids how to clean up, make dinner, ride a bike and that is important stuff. I have made the smart and potentially lazy choice to not sweat the home learning list of things that is piling up which my child refuses to do.
8. Stay hydrated - Your choice of liquid is no one else’s business. I love tea and am really enjoying being so close to a kettle all day long. I have been sampling so many types of tea, because hey why not. Tea is a better way to spend your money when you have nowhere to go, plus it is packed full of antioxidants that help build your immunity. Get some top-notch tea here. Of course, there are many other ways to stay hydrated, and I know that our local bottle shop has been selling out of pretty much everything these past few weeks.
9. Do something for yourself – even if all you do is eat a chocolate bar. Is that makes you feel good, then do it. Probably not a great idea to eat multiple chocolate bars on a daily basis. If working out makes you feel good, do it, yoga? Binge Netflix? Bake? Cook? Read? Take time out away from everyone else and just do you.
10. Don’t scroll – the most annoying thing about this lockdown is that it feels like we are the only place in the whole world that is in one right now. The first time, the entire world was locked down and oh how we bonded. How connected did you feel with everyone in Italy? This time around watching people holiday in Italy while we are locked in our house is actually hurting my eyes!! My advice is, best stay away from scrolling social media and seeing how much fun the rest of the universe is having right now.

Don’t listen to those crazy childless people who have painted the entire house or who are studying Japanese. Don’t worry about starting a new hobby, just focus on getting through each day with a smile across your dial. Force a smile - There's a good chance your mood will change for the better. The physical act of smiling actually activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state—meaning that by adopting a happy facial expression, you can "trick" your mind into entering a state of happiness.

I wish you a happy and healthy lockdown loves. May peace be with you.