Do you feel like you’re losing track of what day it is, or that the days seem to meld together? Do you feel like you’re losing your mind from being stuck at home alone, with roommates, or worse… family!? Fortunately, you’re not alone. If you find yourself struggling with keeping a schedule or figuring out how to juggle working from home, parenting, home-schooling, or all of the above, check out one of our other blog posts on Creating a Temporary Normal or NPR’s 6 Tips for Homeschooling During Coronavirus.
So how can you truly keep your sanity while the whole world seems to have been turned upside down in a few short weeks with no end in sight? Here are some daily practices on how to make the most of this disruption (adapted from Bridgetown Church’s Rule of Life):
1. Start the day by grounding yourself.
Start the day with some time to yourself, whether through prayer, yoga, meditation, or mindfulness before anything digital, like Instagram, the news, or TV. If you have kids, this will ideally happen before they’re awake.
2. Create a gratitude ritual.
During times like this, it’s important to recognize things you can be grateful for. You could write them down, create a photo journal, or share them with friends and family during a meal. You can be grateful for big things and little things!
3. Move your body.
While maintaining social distancing, go for a walk or run around your neighborhood or exercise at home! Check out YouTube for in-home workouts or take advantage of free apps and trials. Taking care of your physical body goes hand-in-hand with taking care of your mental health.
4. One “focal practice.”
Find a life-giving and restful activity you can fully engage yourself in without getting distracted by external noise. This could be gardening, doing a puzzle, reading, art, etc.
5. Keep up with relationships.
Social distancing can sometimes feel like social isolation. Make an intentional effort to connect with a friend or a family member at least once a day.
6. Limit your intake of the news.
The news cycle moves at a rapid pace and, especially in the middle of a pandemic, it can start to feel like we’re being dragged along. Our bodies and minds weren’t meant to run at this pace. Limit watching or reading about the news to twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening.
7. Watch out for your coping behaviors.
In a situation where fear and anxiety is high and we’ve lost a lot of control, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy coping behaviors. Be mindful of things like alcohol, sugar, social media, screen time, video games, overeating, and staying up late.
8. Join an online community.
More than keeping up with personal relationships, larger communities provide a feeling of belonging and that we’re not alone. The blessing of technology allows us to connect with communities that are either in our area or share our interests. For example, there’s a Facebook group that holds daily Lego building challenges for kids where they can share pictures of their creations.
by Tyler Martawibawa, ALMFT0 Likes
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