Katie Piper has been a powerful force in breaking down barriers for the marginalised in society, and now Katie shares her journey in lockdown during Enable Asks.
Survivor, writer, podcaster, mother, and icon – to name but a few successes – Katie Piper has achieved a lot in her lifetime. And through this experience, Katie is using what she has learned to help her during lockdown.
This is what Katie said when we caught up with her.
Good morning Katie, great to have you involved with Enable Magazine again. How are you adapting to life in lockdown?
I am safe, and healthy so I am absolutely fine because that’s really what matters. I haven’t had any symptoms and neither have my family, so that’s good news.
I reframed my thoughts to instead of saying ‘I’m stuck at home’; it is ‘I’m safe at home’.
My two little girls Belle and Penelope keep me busy – I am home-schooling Belle, which is interesting to say the least! It’s actually lovely to spend such quality time with them as normally I work a lot in London and can miss meal times and bed times.
We are spending lots of time doing old-school activities such as baking, painting and treasure hunts in the garden. Work-wise I’ve had to adapt. My charity, The Katie Piper Foundation, is working remotely offering online services for our patients, from physio to the mental health services we offer.
My podcast, Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People, continues to record, but from my house – I’ve built a little studio, which is great.
Can you offer any advice to our readers to help maintain positive mental health at this time?
Of course – maintaining positivity is so important right now.
We must remember that anxiety and worry will be a natural emotion right now shared by millions of us, so I hope there is comfort in knowing you are not alone.
Hopefully the below coping tips will help you through.
Try to keep perspective – Right now COVID-19 is all most of us are reading about and hearing about because we are living it in the present. Remember, this will eventually pass.
Routine – It is crucial to have routine, structure and dignity in every-day and this was crucial to my long-recovery process. Create a schedule, write lists, have an order of the day, it really helps me!
Look for the positive – I always say ‘look for the helpers’ when times are tough. Dark days can be overwhelming and negative, but it also shows how powerful the body can be (look at the survivors old and young).
It also shows how incredible the human spirit can be, whether that is our amazing NHS and key workers or the incredible fundraising initiatives taking place. Look at Captain Tom Moore for your dose of positivity.
Finally, what book, podcast, boxset or recipe have you discovered over the past few weeks that you would like to share with our readers?
I have just finished Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson’s, Where’s My Happy Ending. It’s such a brilliant book, by a husband and wife duo, navigating their relationship, and the ups and downs. It’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s serious.
I think Fearne Cotton’s Podcast Happy Place is brilliant, and I’ve been a listener for a long-time now. I am fortunate enough to have been a guest before, and Fearne is such a lovely woman.
In each episode she chats to different (but incredible) people about life, love, loss and everything in between. Guests include Hilary and Chelsea Clinton, Ricky Gervais, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joe Wicks, Nadiya Hussain, Jessica Ennis-Hill, and many more people.
We have downloaded Disney Plus and we’ve never looked back! My girls love it and it’s really nostalgic for me – our last watch was Lady and The Tramp. I love that film and used to watch it with my sister Suzy growing up.
I have also just finished the BBC series The Nest – it’s brilliant!
Don’t miss our conversation with comic book writer, Mark Millar on Thursday (21 May). Catch the interview on our social media channels, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.