Healthy habits for hard times.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has found lockdown hard, I am missing church family and missing being able to gather properly. Many times I have questioned what God is doing and doubted his love and goodness. This pandemic has forced us to rely on God in ways that perhaps we never have before as the lies of this world have been revealed – we are not in control of our health, our economy, our work, our social lives or even our daily routine – but God is! He is good, he is sovereign, he is faithful and we have a sure and certain hope in him.
Right at the start of Lockdown #1 I was reading 2 Corinthians 1 and was encouraged and challenged by verses 9-10:
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us
- 2 CORINTHIANS 1:9-10
What does it look like to rely on God and not ourselves? How can we fix our eyes on him when our lives have changed so drastically? Here are three simple tips that I have found helpful, none of which is ground-breaking!
1. Prioritise your relationship with God
Lockdown has helped us to be grateful for things we once took for granted: being able to go outside as many times as we like, seeing friends and family, going out to work, and knowing there will be toilet rolls in the shops!
My first suggestion for a healthy lockdown is to make a habit of daily giving thanks to God for his good gifts to us, whether that be the little things, like socially distanced walks and baking, or reminding ourselves of the bigger truths of who God is. I’ve been particularly comforted by remembering God’s unchanging nature - he is the same God now in lockdown as he was before lockdown, and he will be same when all restrictions are lifted. We need to daily remind ourselves of God’s promises and his character because we are so prone to forget.
2. Seek out Christian friendship
We are not in this battle alone, God has blessed us with Christian friendships in which we can share the ups and downs of life - we should treasure this gift! I am currently reading None Like Him by Jen Wilkin with a close Christian friend over Zoom. It looks at characteristics of God and why they are unique to Him. It has been so encouraging! So my second suggestion is to read a Christian book with a friend and help point each other to God’s truth and pray it through with each other.
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
3. Don’t neglect your physical well-being
Many have found lockdown #3 harder, and an element of that is it being cold, dark and wet outside. But whatever the weather, it’s worth making the effort to get your daily exercise outside. Not only is routine in an everchanging situation helpful but getting outside and exercising even in the rain means we see daylight and we exert ourselves, both of which help with sleep, improving our physical and mental health. God made us with physical bodies and we need to care for them as best we can. Alongside exercise make sure you are eating moderately healthily! Prioritise fruit and veg and get a balanced diet. You probably won’t notice the difference after 1 day but make it a habit and it will improve both your physical and your mental health.
Finally on the days when we are thoroughly discouraged and can’t see the end of the dark tunnel, let’s remember 2 Corinthians 12 v 9 where God tells Paul
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
- 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9
As a summary, here’s a helpful haiku (possibly easier to remember than all the above!):