Five Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health while Flattening the Curve
These are strange times my friends. In the midst of a global pandemic it may be really hard to see a time where we won’t be stuck inside homeschooling our kids. In an effort to flatten the curve our mental health can start slipping due to long days at home with what seems like no end in sight.
I get it. I am living it.
So today I want to share with you a few ways you can take care of your mental health while staying inside and flattening the curve. And I’m not going to lie, when I sat down to write this blog all I could think was:
Read a book, or maybe two or three.
Add a few more paintings to your gallery
Play guitar
Knit
Brush and brush and brush and brush your hair
Anyone else waist deep in Disney+?
Okay but the real tips are here:
Start a Journaling Practice
Journaling is one of those things that can seem daunting. I mean, at night sleep is calling and in the morning you just want the kiddos to leave you alone so you can go back to sleep. The last thing on your mind may be a journaling practice. However, taking 5 minutes in the morning and evening to journal can help your mood tremendously. Ask yourself questions like:
What am I proud of myself for today?
How can I help someone else today?
What is my most important goal for tomorrow?
What are 3 things I’m grateful for today?
What do I need to feel most like myself today?
Then write down simple answers, don’t overthink them. Writing these things down can help shift your perspective a lot.
Throw Yourself into Cooking or Baking
This is a common tactic for me during times of stress. Cook, bake, try new recipes. If you aren’t a cook or a baker, feel free to move along. Focusing on things you can control is a great tactic to relieve the stress of things you can’t control. Recently I’ve been taking to Pinterest in search of recipes to utilize veggies I’m not used to cooking that I’ve gotten in my Misftis Market box. P.S. MM has been such a game changer since this whole lockdown thing. We don’t have to worry about people buying out the produce because we are getting it delivered to our door! Want to try out Misfits Market, too? Go here and enter this code at checkout to receive 20% off your first box: COOKWME-IA1RCN
Marie Kondo Your House
Clean, organize, and distract yourself. Give all the things away, make sure you thank them first. Seriously by the end of this quarantine all of our houses will be so clean…. Except mine because my kids trash it immediately after I clean anything.
Binge Watch TV
Or just binge watch Marie Kondo…. Or Disney+ because we all know you can’t watch your own shows around here. If you’re someone who struggles with feeling lazy, know that during times like these- rest and relaxation is exactly what we need to battle the stress.
Move Your Body
Exercise may be the last thing on your mind right now, but it may also be the very thing you need to deal with some of these recent anxieties. Exercising at home may not be your jam, it used to not be mine, but fortunately there are plenty of ways to move your body: take a walk, go hiking (maintaining social distance of course), take some time to stretch or breathe, do some yoga, lift some weights, do a quick bodyweight workout, dance in the kitchen with your kids, deep clean the house… so many ways to get moving! Exercise releases endorphins and let’s face it, we all need those right now. If you need a helping hand or some ideas/structure for your movement, join me for the next 4 weeks in my coaching group for just $20 where we’ll move together 5 days a week to manage quarantine anxiety.
I know this is a strange time, my friend. Hopefully these gave you some fall backs for taking care of yourself mentally during it!