How are you doing self-care during this time?
Self-care is so important right now, while we are at home with no end date in sight. A lot of people have lost their jobs. A lot of people have lost people, or know people who have lost someone to covid-19. It’s hard to find a way to manage the amount of stress that is coming at us at a daily pace.
What am I doing?
I am working out 5 days a week, still. Even with my gym closed. (Quarantine workout). There is a LOT of stuff you can do at home, even if you don’t have a home gym. There are a ton of videos for home workouts, body weight workout. Even just doing squats, squat jumps, jumping jacks and ab workouts will get your blood pumping and your heart rate up and make you feel better.
I get outside every day, even if it’s a little rainy. (But not if it’s pouring rain, because- no thanks.)
Feeling grateful that our new neighborhood is very walkable. I’ve been trying to go on daily walks with Bella (weather permitting), exploring the areas of our town.
Feeling glad we live near some very pretty, scenic areas, even though parks and trails are closed. The other day, Logan I went out for a little break to get some sun and fresh air and throw rocks in the river.
It makes me feel better getting outside. I wave to neighbors, even though we are strangers, and it makes me feel a little better about life.
I eat a “normal” diet. Or try to. I am not really doing keto, but trying my best to do low carb 85% of the time. Now is not the time to be fanatical, but I still need to eat healthy, stay on some kind of plan and just not give up entirely because eating junk food doesn’t make me feel good physically or mentally.
I call friends and family. Sometimes on my walks now I give friends or family a phone call and just check in. It’s nice to hear their voices, see how they are doing, lend an ear, vent, etc.
I read. I still read a lot. (You can check out some of my old book reviews here to find some recommendations if you need some.) I get library books on my Kindle (which is a life saver!!!). If you want to order some books online and support someone OTHER THAN Amazon, check out Powell Books! They recently had to hire back a lot of staff to fulfill online orders, which is amazing!
I take a bath a few times a week to relax. The Jacuzzi tub in our master bath was the selling point for me. It’s amazing! I turn on the Spa station on Sirius radio. I drink tea and read a book and relax.
I journal. I started a “quarantine” journal. It helps to get my feelings and thoughts out, keep track of what is happening. Even if the days are all blending together. If nothing else, it’s a record of our lives in the weird time.
I do art with Logan. For his “home school” I am on art duty. We do crafts and stuff and the painting rocks for our garden was really fun!
I take it one day at a time. It’s kind of all we can do right now.
QUESTION: What are you doing for self-care?
Marianne
First off, I love Logan’s butterfly that needs to be put up on the wall! Your photography is great. The hiking you all do so jealous. For my self care I do the family room workout for about an hour plus then go for an outdoor walk. It is starting to get too hot here though. Then in the afternoon I am finishing my book Molokai this book IS SO GOOD! Stay safe and have a great week.
Lisa Eirene
Thank you! He did a good job. 🙂
Your self care sounds good. And glad you like Molokai! It was a good book!
We are slowly running out of places to hike. And I use the word “hike” loosely, because they are often just nature trails in parks that aren’t closed (yet). But slowly they are being closed. 🙁 We don’t go if they are crowded, if people are there we go somewhere else.
emmaclaire
That Logan face – how do you keep from constantly pinching those cheeks like someone’s Great-Aunt Bertha?!? He is just so cute!
Self-care can be tough when the world goes wonky. I am still going in to work Mon-Thur, and so my brain thinks everything is normal, until I start thinking about all the little self-care things I usually do, but can’t right now. Like taking a reading lunch break, journaling at Starbucks on Friday afternoons, the gym, my therapist appointment on Tuesday, etc. So I am trying to do what I can, like I ate lunch and journaled in my car yesterday – not the same, but it helped (like your quarantine journal – what a great idea!). Shifting my work start time by a half hour, which lets me sleep a little longer, etc. The biggest thing is to give myself permission to acknowledge that it’s hard – things are definitely NOT normal, so why should I expect myself to think/act as if they were? Making my way through the Harry Potter books is helping, too – so much fun to revisit those stories! Hang in there and be healthy!
Lisa Eirene
I think those are great. Shifting your start time to sleep more is great. That will help a lot with staying healthy! Things are not normal and the standards we have for ourselves are different, so we have to remind ourselves that.
Thank you! I think Logan is pretty cute too 🙂
Loretta J. Gilbert
Thank you for this inspirational post, and you are absolutely correct we need more time to give our selves. If we aren’t at 100% then things will suffer.