Coronavirus, money, my general thoughts on all this…

So this is a slightly different post than my usual blog posts. I have been focusing on my journey towards financial freedom (spoiler – it’s a slow journey!) and I’ll definitely touch on money in this post but this is a more general post about life in the time of corona.

Actually, I’m going to start with money and a bit of a check in on how things are going. As you may know I set myself two challenges at the start of the year of things not to buy: books and clothes. I had recognised that these were my go tos when I was feeling low and emotionally spending. I have a lot of clothes and a lot of books. Now, personally I believe you can never have too many books but I have such a backlog to read through that I don’t need any more right now. I had been doing pretty well on this front and then coronavirus hit and now we’re in this whole new reality. Have I bought any clothes and books? Yes. But hear me out, I’ve not fallen completely off track! First the clothes, before we were on lockdown I bought a new swim suit because I was getting back in the water wild swimming. I also bought running shoes. Now, I set myself two other mindset mastering challenges this year which were to run and to swim so I feel these were legit purchases. I haven’t used them yet, I can’t swim right now because of lockdown but I could go running. I haven’t yet and to be honest I am struggling to motivate myself. I feel tired and I think that’s why I’m struggling with motivation generally. I’ve always told myself I’m not a good sleeper and I don’t need much sleep but I’ve got better at sleeping and now the late nights and early mornings feel like they’re catching up on me a bit. You know when you get brain fog, struggle to focus….that’s me! So before I drag myself out running I need to sort the sleep out. Especially at the moment when we need our immune systems firing on all cylinders, sleep is so important for health. Basically what I’m saying is I feel the clothes purchases were justified.

Now the book. I have bought one book. And again I feel it was justified. I’ve been wanting to connect with people more online, which is funny because I am such an introvert so actually being on lock down doesn’t feel too dissimilar to my normal life, and one of the things I’ve wanted to do is join a virtual book club. I love books and think it would be great to discuss them with others who also love books. Someone on Instagram posted about doing the same and recommended a book so I bought it so I can join in. The book has a cool title, ‘you are a badass’, so I feel like it will be a good read and really it’s a tool for deeper connection. That may be what I’m telling myself to justify the purchase but hey, I feel ok about it. I guess the point of the challenge was not to fall into my usual emotional spending patterns and these purchases weren’t spur of the moment, emotionally driven buys. They were rational, justified purchases. And that’s different right?

Now we’ve sorted that out  let’s talk about money more generally. How is everyone feeling? It’s such an uncertain, unsettled time. I feel mostly lucky about my situation at the moment. I’ve taken a financial hit from not tutoring any more so my income has dropped, but I’m not going out any time soon and I’m working from home so my fuel bill and my social bill are obviously lower to non-existent. So I’ll be fine I think. But I have friends who have been furloughed from their employed roles and self-employed friends who have had to close their business down (hopefully just short-term) and let their staff go. It is such an uncertain time.

The government has introduced a lot of support but there is a delay in accessing the funds. I feel there’s definitely a shift from focusing on financial freedom and savings to one of survival which is a whole new world for us all. My top tips if you are struggling financially are to contact your bank, check out the citizens advice page on coronavirus and what it means for you, check out your clearscore account to keep track of your credit score and situation. I don’t have all the answers I’m afraid so can only signpost as I don’t want to misinform. But I do want to share what else I’m doing to save money. We usually shop a meal at a time which fits our lifestyle but isn’t the most economical way to shop, combine that with the limit on how often you can shop (as infrequently as possible) and we’re buying more fresh ingredients to cover multiple meals. We’re planning what we’re going to eat and then spending less. The NHS have a general eat well for less guide which has some suggestions.

I guess I want to finish with saying that we can get through this. We are an adaptable and resilient species, even if we often don’t feel like it on an individual level. Already there are amazing things popping up to help us remain connected or offering support. Like the number of people who have volunteered for the NHS far surpassing the target (I signed up, have you?) and last night I did a virtual quiz on facebook which was watched by around 180,000 people! Netflix have a party feature where you can watch and chat together. Technology is amazing and I think there will continue to be more ways we can connect with our loved ones, and with new people. So connection is my first tip to help you look after your mental wellbeing. My second is movement. However you can, get moving. It could be a walk or a run, it could be yoga in your living room. But get moving. It is so, so beneficial for your mental (and physical) wellbeing. And my last tip is routine. I am definitely struggling to settle into a new routine with working from home, basically everything from home! So having a plan can really help you. It might be having clear markers to end your work day and begin your personal time, maybe your daily walk/run/yoga? Maybe a cup of tea on the sofa with a book or magazine. Whatever works for you. Just have some sort of routine to help you feel as normal as possible during these strange times.

Lastly, I want to say that I’m here for you. Psykhe is here for you. I’d love to connect with you via the comments here, on social media. Listen to our podcast for more inspiration and top tips. If you’re really struggling we’ve got our Psykhe mental wellbeing community group on facebook where you can go for support, to share your thoughts and to ask advice. And we’re also offering 4 sessions of free coaching if you just want someone to talk to. We are all in this together and we are all adjusting to our new normal. It’s totally expected that we’re going to struggle at some point with this but you don’t need to go through it alone. Reach out to your friends and family, or to us. And also check in on your friends and family, they may be struggling and may be afraid or ashamed to reach out. So ask them how they are. How are you? How are you really? I’m doing ok thanks for asking.