The new normal has set in. We are quarantined at home, homeschooling our children, working full or part time, and still responsible for projects and chores around the house. It feels heavy, monotonous, and sometimes depressing. But here’s what I know: so many of us, including myself, are blessed to be healthy and safe at home. While you may be going stir crazy and feeling out of control since the future is unknown, I decided to change my perspective and focus on the things we CAN control. And when we come out of this, maybe it will be with a newfound appreciation for all of the little luxuries we used to take for granted.
Spreading Positivity
I don’t know about you, but whenever I do something for someone else I instantly feel better and I have been witness to acts of kindness every single day since our new normal. For us, spreading positivity can be dropping coffee (or WINE!) off on someone’s porch, picking up groceries for your parents/grandparents, writing fun messages in chalk on your neighbor’s driveway, or painting rocks and hiding them in your friend’s yard for a fun activity with the kids. Waking up with a grateful heart and coming up with a plan on how to be positive will shift your focus from everything that is out of your control. And when you see empty streets, sidewalks, freeways, and stores it’s because everyone else is practicing this same act of kindness. Stay safe. Stay home <3
At Home Self-Care
For this one, it doesn’t need to be beauty related because let’s be honest, none of us are glamming up for a day of staying home 😉 While some people feel better actually getting dressed for the day, that’s not me.. joggers fo lyfe and my kids sometimes stay in PJ’s until 3 pm. However, self-care takes many forms and here are the things I have been doing to boost my mood.
For me, this has been a time of minimizing all the excess. I have gone through closets, drawers, and my pantry purging everything that doesn’t spark joy. I organized my fridge and bought these trays for all the quick grab and go snacks. I have these cereal containers in a number of different sizes for rice, cereal, pasta, etc. This lazy Susan is how I organize all of my spices. My LaCroix’s and Diet Cokes are organized in this beverage container and these are fabulous for your tea’s or coffee pods.
Another thing I have been doing is buying fresh plants or flowers when I make my essential grocery runs. Maybe next time, pick up some eucalyptus or an orchid for a friend and leave it on their doorstep. Instant mood boost. Spread that positivity.
I give myself at home facials with this steamer and my drunk elephant baby facial mask (burns so good).
Lastly, meditation and breathing exercises are great things to try during this time. Find 5 minutes a day if you can to be still and be alone in a quiet space. You can do this through your Peloton app, the Calm app, or HeadSpace. I know there are more but these are the ones I’ve heard people trying recently. You have control over your day and how you approach it and for me, starting it out with meditation has helped tremendously.
Staying Connected with Friends & Family
It’s amazing what this quarantine life has done to my social network and I don’t mean that sarcastically. I have since connected with friends and family near and far more than I ever have in the past. I downloaded the Marco Polo app on my phone and am in constant communication with my friends in Seattle, family in Wisconsin, and friends in California. Checking in on a friend or family member is critical right now. Try and reach out to one person a day.. shoot them a text, give them a call. Talking with my friends, having Zoom happy hour’s, watching Jackson FaceTime with his school buddies brings all of us SO. MUCH. HAPPINESS. So stay connected and maybe try Marco Polo.. it’s really fun!
Getting Fresh Air
No matter if you are a parent or not, single or not, working or not.. everyone needs fresh air. I make it a point every day to get outside to walk with my boys. Being cooped up indoors without fresh air will wear on you and you can control if and when you get out of the house. Find the time, carve it out of your workday, bundle up if it’s chilly and just walk. We walk around our block, up and down hills to boost our heart rate, to drop hand written notes to our friends. The more we make it outside, the happier we are so find the time to move. To breathe in the air.
My husband set out yesterday for his morning run and when he wasn’t back in what I thought was his “usual” time, I got worried. Turns out, he decided to be Forrest Gump for the day and didn’t stop for 10 miles. He wrote a little about his newfound perspective during this time here if you want some inspo 🙂 Proud of him for this accomplishment!
I recently bought these new joggers, tie dye sweatshirt, and running/walking shoes since this is my new uniform these days!
Finding Fun Things To Do At Home
So now that you’ve gotten outside and you’re back at home.. now what!? It’s going to look differently for each person and their circumstances but you can control the environment around you. What’s fun for me won’t be fun for you but here are some ideas. If you have kids: create a scavenger hunt around the house.. hide something of value or importance and give them clues on where to search next. I have included my kids in the kitchen so much more and we make cookies, rice Krispy treats, or brownies and they help measure the ingredients (this is a great math project!). I wrote a whole post on homeschooling ideas with links for younger kids (think preschool and PreK age). Get a bubble machine and ask your kids about bubbles.. what are they made of? Where do we see bubbles during our day? Encourage creativity with coloring, stickers, and sidewalk chalk. These are just a few small things I’m doing each day with my kids and hopefully creating fond memories.
At the end of all of this and we’re back to our normal lives, I hope we come out of it a little more grateful, open-minded, compassionate, and loving not only to each other but ourselves. Show yourself grace.. it’s ok to feel down, lonely or sad. But you can control how you approach each day and by doing any one of the things mentioned above, maybe it’ll boost your mood and give you a new perspective.
Stay healthy, happy and positive.
H
