How to survive quarantine and come out climbing uphill

It’s been two and a half weeks of quarantine for me and more for many others.

Right now, people feel alone, stressed out, depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, scared, and so many more emotions. We don’t know what this world will be like after this all ends. We don’t know who all is going to survive this. We don’t know if our industries will still be necessary or even exist. There is so much uncertainty that it’s really difficult for some people to stay calm or for others to comfort them.

I get it! Know that it’s okay to be sad and feel like you’re on a standstill- but try not to feel like you’re sinking. Your finances may be tight and you may have lost your job (try to find a new one at a grocery store or food delivery, if childcare permits). You may not be able to homeschool your children as well as a teacher would (but you’re not a teacher so it’s okay).

Everyone on this globe has been affected. We are all in this together and we are all going to come out of it together.

How can you help yourself now, though?

How can you more easily get through these days and manage some smiles and laughter?

First, remember that simply existing is enough. You do not have to cross off some big accomplishment from your list every single day. There may be days that you cannot pry yourself from your bed. There are days that I’ve slept until noon! But if it’s a tough morning, don’t let that ruin the rest of your day. There are so many others merely making it by, just like you! Stop being so hard on yourself and just breathe for a minute.

Aside from those more than challenging days, try to form a routine as close to your normal life as possible. I realize with kids, this may be more difficult and I can’t even attempt to imagine what this quarantine would be like with a bunch of little ones running around, but I know you have the magic within you. Children thrive off of a schedule. One of the main focuses involving the girls I nanny (normal life) is setting a routine. I started this by making a big deal about meeting at the “Conference Table” (kitchen island) about 30 minutes after my arrival each day. No toys or stuffies allowed. They pick out what color construction paper they want that day and I grab my sharpie and we start brainstorming our day together with play time, lunch, reading, quiet time, 4pm tea parties and cleanup. Over time, I’ve been a little more lenient with this acitivity because they started school and their after school lessons, so our days passed as they were already scheduled. But it’s funny because they would mention that we haven’t made our schedule yet that week. Now that they’re reading and writing, we still manage to write the schedule sometimes but it’s gotten to a point that they just know what we’re going to do next. We would go through our flashcards (colors, abc’s, numbers, sight words) every day and some days the youngest would fight it, BUT once we started that routine it’s almost like she looked forward to it. Her first question when I walked through the door was “are we gonna do our cards today?” Because she knew if she could accomplish that then the rest of the day would be fun time. So I learned once we make things a habit for kids, they may accept it more willingly without [as much] bribing. So if you’re a parent or a caretaker, and you haven’t attempted this with your kiddos, try this out. Get them excited about something so small, but something that can make such a difference in your life, and in turn, their life.

As for us adults, don’t make a schedule for yourself that is strict on timing. I do this too often and it always ends in me feeling like I didn’t do enough. Do your normal wakeup, exercise, podcast, devotional- whatever you do in the mornings before starting your day- continue that. Make a list for the whole week if you need to about what you need/want to get done. Put this list in bite-sized pieces because you don’t need to add even more overwhelm to yourself. Each day, choose three, at most, of those bite-sized tasks that NEED to be completed today and that is your to-do list. If you finish all of those and have some time to finish up something else, that’s your bonus! But do not make lists that are a mile long (I’m saying this to myself, too).

For instance, I want/need to clean out the closet in my studio space so I can get rid of all of my old art supplies and increase the amount of storage so that my home doesn’t feel cluttered. That has been on my list for 2 weeks now; I should be doing that right now, but is it an emergency? Will my life crumble if I don’t clean out and organize all of that today? No. I’ll have to live another day with some clutter and push back some clay plans, but I’ve got all the time right now and adding that stress does not help with anything, so I’m not going to stay up late doing it or lose any sleep over it because there’s always tomorrow.

Always celebrate the tiny wins. It’s funny because some days I feel like I accomplish nothing, and other days, I feel like I haven’t even sat down. I’ve let myself accept those slow days as a refresher and the busy days as my catch-up. But everyday, whether I'm slow or I’m constant, I mark off something so small that I wanted to do that day. Sometimes it’s listening to a podcast and sometimes it’s folding the blankets that are on the couch. Regardless, I celebrate it. I tackle the little things first. A scientist said that beginning your day with making your bed is the best thing to do because you’ve already brought success to that day. It’s true! Something as little as filing the bills/receipts in my filing cabinet or spraying down the counter and wiping it off is so tiny, but it does wonders to our motivation. So if you’re feeling like your day is utter garbage and you’re just not going to get through it, find something small to do. Start the dishwasher, empty the trash, or put all of the dirty clothes in the basket and the let yourself be done. Do you have kids? If they don’t do chores, then they need to start. Write down little tasks that you want to be done and let them split it up themselves or draw them out of a bowl and check off as they’re completed. Giving them some kind of control might encourage them to finish the chores with some umpf. You never know until you try. And life doesn’t change for the better in one big swoop. It takes millions of tiny little things, so go accomplish that tiny little thing and celebrate that win.

You can never be overdressed- and this is coming from someone who praises comfort over fashion. I could stay in my pajamas all day and my hair has been a mess while I’m giving it a break from all of the product (and this is difficult because the main thing that makes me feel good is my hair and I can handle frizz but right now, my hair is crossing the line and I don’t know how to French braid to keep it out of my face without using my Bunhead strategies). But everyday I’ve gotten up and showered and changed clothes, as I normally would. Some days it’s my workout gear because I know I’ll do some kind of exercise in the morning, and some days its a t-shirt and leggings, but it’s never my pajamas all day. Feeling fresh can work wonders for you psyche. Maybe put on a little eyeliner or mascara. Spritz yourself with that perfume and wear your favorite bracelet. Taking care of yourself automatically makes you feel better. You’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in that mirror and you’ll be like “daaaaang” and that’s what you want! This quarantine does not have to result in all of us looking like sick victorian zombies. Put some of that tinted chapstick on and appreciate yourself and show up because your life is still your life.

Drink water and try to stick to your diet. Your diet. Not a diet, but your diet. Your diet is simply the way you eat that works for you. I know I know, the fridge is your best friend right now, but even best friends need time apart. It’s okay to have a cookie and treat yourself. You are living through a pandemic! Gaining a few pounds is definitely not the worst thing that will happen, BUT how you eat directly correlates to how you feel. Do you want to feel good? Eat like it. Food may be scarce and you may need to ration a little bit just to save yourself from going to the store. But guess what? Most people who get hungry are dehydrated. Make it a working goal to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. Do you really want that whole pint of ice cream or do you need a glass of water? I say this because I ate an entire pint of gelato last week and it was delicious but I wish I had saved some for right now. I definitely would have been okay with some water or some hot tea instead. Drink your water and eat your normal diet because any little bit of consistency will help.

Incorporate at-home exercises whether it’s cardio, strength-training, or restorative. Find something that works for you! I stressed this a lot in a previous blog post about yoga so refer back if you need to. During these times, you do not want to force yourself to do a workout that you absolutely hate. If it is in your regiment and you can keep it up without it ruining your day, then go for it. If not, take a walk. The Shelter in Place allows outdoor exercise as long as you’re practicing social distancing. Today I had planned to jog my usual 2 miles (I despise jogging), but I ended up jogging 1 mile and walking 2 miles after, just to enjoy the fresh air. And I’m not giving myself a hard time because at least I did something. Practice 30 minutes of yoga before bed or do some pushups every time before you wash your hands (you’re gonna be buff if you’re washing your hands regularly), get your kids and do a dance party. Do you see their energy?! If only we were all kids again haha. Whatever it is, you want your endorphin levels to engage. Make them engage. 30 minutes. Half an hour. One episode on Netflix. 8 songs. You can do it.

Find your peace in having tea, or reading a book, or sitting outside. Put the activity that is pure pleasure on your calendar at a certain every single day. When you wake up, you’ll begin your day looking forward to that activity. If you’re starting to feel stressed out or overwhelmed, stop and breathe and think about you doing that activity. This will activate something in your brain, the feel-good hormone, and your body will respond with just a little bit of calmness. BUT the catch is to make sure you actually do that activity every single day. This does not work if you let it slide.

Connect to your family and connect to your friends. Feeling alone right now is common. Even with all of your pets or family members around you. You may feel like no one understands, even though we’re going through this together, it’s hard. Make a list of people you want to stay connected with, whether through text, call, facetime, zoom, whatever. When you’re feeling lonely and low, pick someone to connect to. Even if it’s just a “hey just checking in, how are you, I miss you”, do it! As for your family members living with you, continue to have dinner together, continue to stay on a routine together. When you are having trouble teaching your kid math the way they teach it nowadays, find someone who can help and connect to your community. Those teachers are missing their kids so much! I know I am and I only have 2 little ones that I love and care for. If the education part of this isn’t going as smooth for you, teach your kids how to bake! Teach them how to do real life things, give them scenarios. My girls were so fascinated one time when I stopped by QuikTrip to put air in the tires. They were ecstatic because they got to get out of the car and push the button. You could make your child’s day! Connect and build on that relationship because that’s what they’ll remember out of all of this.

Get some sleep! This may be too easy for you (me!) or the stress building is taking away precious hours of rest. When you sleep, you allow your brain to rest which allows your thinking to be more clear, which helps calm your reactions and replenish the hormones that push stress away and increases your focus. Put away the phones and the technology and the tv 30 minutes before bed. Write in a journal or read or meditate or listen to music, but do not look at technology. You’re stimulating your eyes when you do that. You’ve been scrolling through Facebook for 2 hours and you can’t fall asleep? DUH! Your eyes are awake and processing and your brain is reeling. Of course you can’t fall asleep. Put the phone down and relax as best as you can. Keep your same sleep routine. Keep waking up early. Schedule a nap in if you can, but messing up your circadian rhythm will result in throwing off your entire routine. If you get nothing done today, just try to go to bed on time and BOOM you just accomplished the most important part of your day. Celebrate that win.

When you feel down, spread some positivity to others. The best way to make yourself feel better is to help someone else. I know right now physically helping someone do something is advised against (unless you have roommates who need you), but send a text. Ask if there is anything you can do. Maybe they need help setting up an online account or starting a new email, or making a financial spreadsheet, or telling them if their winged eyeliner is even from a photo sent over the phone. Help and you will feel the reward internally. My personal trainer has been sending me inspirational quotes from pinterest because she doesn’t have social media and just that alone makes me smile! Get on Pinterest or instagram and look some stuff up and share it! Send it in a private message so that it feels more personal. Just do something. Little differences go a long way.

I know there are so many more things we could do to help ourselves right now- but these are the real things that I’ve been tackling myself that have helped me. If there are more, please share it with us in the comments! If you need some personal help (I am no professional), I am always here! If you just want some encouragement, let me know! I want to help you help yourself. Doing this brings so much awareness to myself (since I actually have to put it into words) as well as hopefully brining awareness to you. My goal is to try to make your life easier by sharing my own tips and beliefs, and I hope that’s what’s happening right now!

Thank you for tuning in! Stay well and much love!