‘Agree to disagree’: 5 tips to mind your mind if you are cooped up with family

It can be hard to spend so much time on top of each other if you happen to be stuck indoors with family members for an extended period of time. We spoke to mindset coach Rebecca Lockwood about her advice when it comes to family relations.

Social distancing is our new normal. Shops are putting in protective plastic barriers, queues are spaced out by the required 6 feet apart and contact with friends and extended family is staggered.

It is fair to say that life as we know it has been drastically altered. And as we wait for the crisis to pass with as few casualties as possible, those around us come into a new focus.

So we spoke to Mindset Coach and the founder of The Female Entrepreneurs’ Network Rebecca Lockwood about the best way to approach this new proximity.

Rebecca has been featured on the BBC, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Women’s Health and works with thought leaders, high achievers, celebrities and influencers to support growth and leadership.

But now, she has turned to advising people about their mindset when it comes to isolating and is running free online social advisory service.

“It can be hard spending a lot of time with anyone, especially when it’s your partner and you are so close as you don’t tend to hold back voicing your opinions when they are getting on your nerves.

All of a sudden, spending all your time with your spouse and full family can put a strain on your relationship. The important thing is to ensure you communicate properly and be open and clear when talking through what you need to do and work out a plan together.”

In other words, time to find that silver lining?

“Yes,” explains Lockwood. “Set clear boundaries. Be really clear on who is doing what and when. Agree to disagree. Sometimes we don’t always agree on things, and that’s ok. Get to grips with the fact that you may not agree on everything.”

Rebecca believes that recalibrating the way we see things and redefining your perspective is key to the ‘adapt to survive’ mentality we all need currently.

“Communicate properly. If you think something say it, don’t let your thoughts muster in your mind, be open and honest about how you feel and what you need.

”Through all of this madness, we also must look at the outcomes of this that will bring us closer together and wake us up as a species.

”This is a time to really pull together and utilise the time we have to be with our loved ones more than ever. Rather than thinking of this as a burden, think about how much you will be brought closer together and how much closer you will become as a result.”

Rebecca has opened a free group to support people at the moment with their mindset, mental health and anxiety.