5 Tasks to do Everyday to Survive Quarantine
For the past 9 years I have been homeschooling. Let me tell you, that has afforded me a lot of trial and error in the staying at home department. I also work full-time and have had to make quite a few modifications to our schedule over the years to make sure things run smoothly around here.
True, there are days when we are derailed. Who am I kidding, we have had weeks when things have been derailed. However, there are certain things that I can count on with quite a bit of certainty that, if we do them and do them daily, I can be sure we will reap the rewards of having an orderly schedule, tamer children, and a happier homelife.
These things keep us sane on a normal basis but right now, during this special quarantine time, I am depending on them even more.
Take Care of Yourself Like Its Your Job
I have seen so many at-home workout routines now that we are all homebound and cannot move around. They all conjur up images of my mom doing Body Electric routines in the living room infront of the console tv. I'm fairly certain she wore a leotard and ankle weights.
Quarantine has taught me that I do not like working out at home. There is a reason that I pay monthly to go to the gym to run my little heart away on the treadmill, attend yoga classes with my husband, and to try out new skills like bo-staff every once in a while. That bo-staff thing was a joke but seriously, I hate working out at home. It could be because we have 37 windows on our first floor so everyone can see me...
Regardless, the most productive days I have are when I have movement. 30 minutes or more of moderate to intense movement. Power walking around the neighborhood, mopping the floor on my hands and knees, playing baseball with the kids, or yes, my dreaded exercise routines in the living room. All give me a clear head and help me to function better. Every day.
Another thing...eating cheetos all day while watching Tiger King is doing nothing for our waistline or your mental mood. Trust me on this.
Refined carbs, while comforting right now, are not your friend. Occasionally they are comforting and yummy but enjoy them all the time and you'll find yourself in a self-induced glucose coma that is riddled with guilt and the inability to move.
Instead make it a point to get your veggies and fruits in. Look for ways to improve your diet, even with just one meal a day. When I've noticed we've gotten off track with our diet I will institute a "salad only" lunch or something along those lines to chock my family full of phyto-nutrients. These help to reset us mentally as well as our digestive systems (ah-hem).
Read Something...Anything Not on a Screen
Read the bible. Pick up a new book. Find something inspirational you've read before. Look through a cookbook. Reading something that is not on a zoom meeting or the laptop helps to stretch your mental muscles and put your thinking skills to good use. Want to challenge yourself? Pick a number of books to read this year and use this time to chase your goal.
After so many hours on the computer my eyes start to feel like they are going to ooze out of my head. I will walk around my desk to the overstuffed chair, sit down and read by the window. It gives my eyes a break and helps my brain immensely to kind of reset itself.
Find Yourself a New Hobby
We all need something to pursue. Having a new hobby means you can feel accomplished as you strive towards the feeling of learning or completing something.
It doesn't have to be something complicated like totem-pole carving. You can pick anything. A new hobby could be you're going to watch all of the Steven King movies to learning how to crochet dishcloths.
Nick and I have recently started watching Agatha Christie's Miss Marple movies on Hulu. They are very well written and very suspenseful. We're enjoying them immensely and it's a fun thing to do together.
Get Outside for at Least a Few Minutes
Humans were not made to be inside all of the time.
If you want to disprove this, go outside. You'll immediately notice that you feel better, your thoughts feel lighter, the quality of air you breathe is better.
We were created in a garden and are meant to be outside. If you have projects around your home outside, now would be a perfect opportunity to carry those out. Rake out your flower beds, reseed patchy areas of grass, start a vegetable garden. Or walk around outside, taking in all of the sights and sounds. Whatever it is, being outside improves your emotional state and helps your mental state.
Daily Choose Gratitude Over Grayness
Practice an attitude of gratitude. Look for things to be thankful for. This morning I woke up to yet another day of the same...work, homeschooling, mountains of dishes piling up. Just another day of gray bleakness staring at me. But when I walked to the front door to let the dog out I was struck at how beautiful the sunlight streaming in was. I effortlessly whispered a thank you to God. It doesn't need to be a formal thing, just a breath of thankfulness. In that moment my brain fired off so many things I found to feel gratitude for...the sun, the beauty, the big old front door, having a home, having a home I love, on and on...
We all are in this together. We all have to be quarantined. But we can choose our attitude. We can choose to have an attitude of whining and complaining, or we can choose an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude. Which do you think will produce fruit at the end of this time we're going through?
They both will produce fruit actually, but one will produce bitter fruit and the other, sweet. We have the power within us to decide which attitude we will take, each and every day, each and every moment.
So those 5 things are what are carrying us through this time. They are 5 pillars our daily routine stand on. When a child says he's bored, we go through those 5 things to make sure each has been accomplished and acknowledged. Those things help us create structure and routine within our day, as well as improve our mental and emotional states.
I hope this list helps you like I know it has helped us! And if you ever need a friend to chat with, please reach out! You can reach me on facebook, instagram, or the "contact" button above!
Our love to you all!
