How To Stay Sane During Quarantine
Welcome back ladies and gents!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been struggling quite a bit to maintain any ounce of sanity during this pandemic. I mean, my god. The amount of new hobbies I’ve attempted to take up?? People from the past I’ve reached out to?? The copious amounts of wine?? It’s been a rollercoaster.
And listen, I get it. It’s not just me. We’ve all been going through the ringer for the last 6 months or so. So today, I’m going to share some of my best tips for staying sane during this never ending quarantine.
Routine is everything
I know a lot of us have been struggling with how to fill our time, right? I mean...who knew there were so many hours in a single day? Because of all this free time you now have, you may be resorting back to unhealthy habits or being, well, just straight up lazy. We’ve all had those days and phases within quarantine.
What I recommend for this issue is planning out a realistic schedule for your day the night before. Because let’s be honest. You’re most likely not gonna actually get up at 5:30am to run 2 miles if you’ve been sleeping till noon and can hardly walk downstairs to make yourself a cup of coffee. So instead, set your alarm for 9:30 and start your day with a walk around the block.
2. Connect with your friends
Okay so we were over zoom happy hours almost as quickly as that weird banana bread phase we all participated in a few months back, right? But there are many other ways to connect with your loved ones that feel way less chore-like and draining.
For starters, just a classic facetime date is a good start. I know it’s hard to feel motivated to talk to anyone when you have nothing new to share since the most exciting part of your day now is deciding which restaurant feels safe enough to grab takeout from for dinner. But you gotta do it. Socializing is a very important element to staying sane during this time.
3. Read for at least 30 minutes a day
Something about starting a new book has made this pandemic thing a little bit easier. It’s just… I don’t know… something to look forward to at the end of the night and really, it’s an escape. An escape from socializing from 6 feet away and having to wear a mask in order to grocery shop at Trader Joe’s safely. This is the time we all want to live vicariously through fictional characters.
4. Do EVERYTHING you’ve been putting off
I’m serious. Just get it done. Have it be one less thing to stress about in a time that’s difficult to ever fully feel at peace. It will make everything just that much more bearable. And as a rule of thumb, try to keep yourself somewhat busy and productive. You don’t need to go over the top, this isn’t a competition. But just do something. Force yourself to do something.
5. Focus on what you can control
Like cleaning your room! Or taking pictures with your self-timer to post on instagram in order feel like life is somewhat normal! Or doing some online networking! Just do what you can given the circumstances and try not to stress too much about what you can’t do. Because we’re all in the same boat. It’s a lonely never ending boat ride, but eventually we will dock...right?
6. Use this time to quit bad habits
This could mean biting your nails, obsessively texting when you feel anxious, or I don’t know…that one f*ckboy you still talk to that makes you feel nothing but bad about yourself. Bye! Next! Quit it.
7. Do what makes you feel good
You know what makes me feel good? Having a clean space, finishing my to-do list, and curling up with a good book. Nothing beats it! …well, during quarantine when there’s not much else to do.. You gotta make time for yourself and meet your own needs because no one else will.
8. Start therapy
A lot of therapists are doing sessions via video chat and as much as you may feel a-okay this moment in time...we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. No one is totally a-okay and sometimes it helps to talk about it with someone you are paying to help you.
Hope these tips helped! Stay sane.
I’ll see you guys Friday.
xo
Renee