- Aly Spear
- Mar 18, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 19, 2020
We’re in unprecedented times. Coronavirus has hit. Cities, states, and even entire countries are on lockdown, with varying degrees of intensity. Normal daily life has effectively been cancelled, while a cycle of fear, misinformation, isolation, and the looming threat of Coronavirus have taken its place. This pandemic is serving as a mandatory breather from the universe, but you get to decide what that looks like for you. It can look a lot like house arrest or serve as an opportunity to reset and refocus your life amidst all this chaos.
But, how do you stay sane during this time? How do you honor protecting your mental health as much as your physical health?
1. Get active and get moving
Okay. I know, I know, all the gyms are shut down, your favorite hot Pilates class isn’t happening, and Soul Cycle isn’t in session. Luckily, nature never closes and there are so many ways you can take advantage of it. I personally have been taking my dog for long, several hour walks and gone to some less popular hiking trails, while my roommates have been going for runs.
If you’re like me and have injuries that prevent you from running…or you just hate it (no judgment here) home workouts are plentiful, and many are free right now! Just about every fitspo blogger is posting workouts on their Instagram page, hosting live workout sessions, and some are even offering free trials of their programs. Look at your own network and see what is available. One of my friends, Bella, has been hosting yoga and meditation classes daily on Instagram that I have found to be helpful, unifying, and a nice workout! If you need a few more places to look: fitspo blogger Katie Austin is offering a free 14 day “Quaren-Tone” challenge, Beach Body has made their two week plan free, and the gym, Dog Pound, is posting at home workouts on their Instagram page.
With so much time spent cooped up indoors, it is even more important that you stay active during this time. So grab your water and get moving!
2. Keep in touch with loved ones
Although public outings and get togethers are canceled right now, that doesn’t mean that you have to be lonely. After all, we’re social distancing for health purposes, and being completely isolated from everyone is simply not healthy. So, make sure you are keeping in touch with your friends and family virtually.
In addition to spending time with my roommates and taking my pup for long walks, I’ve been setting up a FaceTime “date” with friends or family almost every day. This is a great way to keep in touch with everyone that you cannot physically see right now. You can even have a virtual hangout together. Time a phone call so you eat dinner together, watch a movie simultaneously, or even play a game with each other.
3. Focus on yourself
While it is so important to be there for your loved ones and respectful of your community right now, make sure you leave some time for yourself…you should have plenty of that right now. And, if you’ve been viewing this forced time at home as a makeshift prison, try to shift your focus and look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to reprioritize, to re-evaluate what really is most important to you, to reset, and maybe even start all those projects you’ve been meaning to get to for ages. After all, we’re always complaining that we wish we had more time….well now you have all the time in the world.
So, re-organize your closet, finish reading the book that has been on your night table for 6 months, or put work into that side hustle you’ve been dreaming about starting. Keep on challenging your brain and try to use this time for personal growth rather than just for Netflix, lounging, and hoarding all the wine. (Don’t get me wrong, you can do that some too…I certainly plan to! It’s all about balance, after all.)
4. Practice self care and be gentle with yourself
Self care is absolutely crucial during this time. This one goes fairly hand and hand with taking care of yourself, but since self care is so nuanced, I felt it needed its own category. This pandemic is thriving on people’s fears and anxieties, with many news outlets reporting conflicting facts and only continuing to encourage chaos and misinformation. Make sure you take care of what YOU need during this time for your mental health. Staying informed is important, but if the ever increasing information is becoming too much, consider limiting yourself to only getting your information from one or two reliable sources, some great ones are the CDC and WHO.
Now is the time to carve out some extra space for self care. Take that bath and recharge, give yourself a break, practice meditation and mindfulness, or do whatever it is that helps you unwind. And remember, try to be more gentle and understanding with yourself right now.
I’ve had several friends whose jobs have been cancelled for the time being tell me how mad they are at themselves for their lack of productivity or that they feel like a failure for spending a day in bed. Make sure you give yourself a break, these are scary times and your schedule has been interrupted. Maybe someone you know is sick or these circumstances are magnifying your anxieties…that’s okay. Figure out what’s challenging you, be understanding with yourself, be gentle, and just work to do better tomorrow!
5. Hold yourself accountable during the week with a schedule
Going hand in hand with trying to do better tomorrow, if you’re struggling with productivity, here are some tips that can help! As someone who works partly from home on a regular basis, I can attest that if you’re not used to it, it can be quite difficult to get into the rhythm. If you want more tips on how to maximize productivity, check out my article: How to Work From Home Like a Boss.
I want to expand upon those original tips, however, because these are not normal work from home circumstances. With all the chaos going on in the world, it is easy to let it seep into the doors of your home and into your life. Regardless of if you are working from home or your job has been canceled for the next two weeks, if you are used to keeping to a schedule, make sure you continue that. It is so helpful to have structure in your life, for both your productivity and just overall mental health. So, make sure you get up and go to sleep at around the same time everyday during the week, keep your meal times consistent, and continue whatever routines you still can.
If you’re no longer working during this lockdown, it can be very helpful for your sense of purpose to still accomplish things everyday. Try to write out a checklist the night before and highlight the top 2-4 thing you want to get done, then make sure you follow through.
Most importantly, take care of yourself during this time....whatever that means for you. Stay healthy, friends!
