Today I’m sharing some of the things I’m doing on a daily basis to help maintain at least some sanity during these crazy times of COVID-19.
Man, things are pretty weird right now. I want to start this off by congratulating you. No matter how you feel right now, you’re doing this. You are getting. through. it. And I’m proud of you.
I’m currently sitting outside in the sunshine as I write this, and it makes me feel so grateful. But generally my emotions are a rollercoaster. My mood is so messed up one day and I have no idea what I’m even thinking or feeling, and then I feel so confident and together a couple days later that I can’t even believe I’m the same person as a few days ago. It’s normal. Whatever you feel right now is normal, and I want you to remember that!
I am going to share some of the things that are helping me keep it (somewhat) together right now. Please do not read this thinking that every one of these things will make YOU feel better, or let it make you feel like you should be doing more. We all need different things. However, I hope this list does help you or gives you some ideas.
I move my body every single day.
It’s a goal of mine to go for a walk everyday, even if only for 10 minutes. This does wonders for my mental health. I also make it a goal to do a 30 minute sweat 6 days a week. Only 30 minutes. But often it ends up being more as I get into it. I solely do this for my mental health and if I was doing it for any other reason I do not believe I would be as successful as I am at getting it done. There are so many workouts you can follow on Instagram or Youtube, I really like to use those as it helps me not get bored of the same old workouts. 🙂
I keep up a routine.
Personally, I thrive in routine. When I was working my 9-5, my work calendar was completely organized and colour coded. I would even put my workouts in my calendar at the beginning of each week. So, I’ve started doing this again for weekdays during “work hours”.
I schedule in my workout everyday at 9 or 10 AM, I love waking up around 7:00 and getting some stuff done, and then using my workout as a way to break up the day.
I also time blocks my calendar with specific tasks I want to work on throughout the day and do my best to follow it. This also helps me spend less time on my phone or sitting around thinking about what I want to do. It doesn’t always work and obviously things come up, like for today example I didn’t feel like my workout and I’m going to do it later. But overall, I feel like using my calendar really adds some structure for my life and that works for me!
I always try to spend time on Sunday evening setting out tasks, goals and getting prepared for the week. I also like to do this each day for the following day before I shut off my computer for the evening.
I let myself relax, and really relax.
At first it was hard for me to do this, I felt like there were so many things I COULD or SHOULD be doing. But now I am enjoying the downtime, and not letting myself feel guilty about it. Lots of puzzling and watching Netflix in the evenings!
I cook a nice meal almost every evening.
I feel very blessed that I am in a position that I am able to do this. I am living at home with my mom, my boyfriend and my brother. We get FreshPrep meal delivery each week (they don’t sponsor me but they should because I’m obsessed), and I currently have the role of the chef of the house (a role I love). You don’t need a service like that to do this, we have just really been enjoying it, and it lessens how many times we have to go to the grocery store. I find that dinner each night is something we all look forward to and it’s been a real positive for us. It also adds structure to the day.
We (do our best) to keep the home clean and tidy.
Since we are spending so much time in the house, I think it’s really important to keep it clean and decluttered. For me, if the room I’m in is messy or cluttered it instantly creates anxiety. My mom used to always say, “it will be more enjoyable in your room if it’s clean” or something along those lines, and boy was she right!
I make my room a space that is enjoyable to be in.
My room is my sanctuary. The little things like my Saje Diffuser, twinkle lights, candles and comfy pillows have really transformed my room. It’s so nice to have a space I love to retreat to. And it makes going to bed so much more soothing. I know this isn’t a reality for everyone. Not everyone is in a position to go out and buy things to make their room a more welcoming space, so I understand I am lucky in that way! A few other things you could do to make your room feel fresher: wash your sheets, purge your closet, declutter “things” and clean it!!!
Did you find these tips useful? Are there any specific things you’ve been doing to help keep your sanity during this time? Let me know in the comments!
Wishing you all so much health and happiness.
xx McCall
P.S. I wrote a blog on my “Isolation Wishlist” if you’re interested! Check it out here.
