6 Tips for Staying Sane While Stuck at Home | Arizona Elopement Photographer
6 Tips for Staying Sane While Stuck at Home | Arizona Elopement Photographer
Ok, ya’ll. It’s no secret that we’re stuck in our homes right now because of COVID-19. It sucks, for sure, but it’s for the greater good and, while not everyone is doing everything they can, I’m pretty proud of us humans for making these sacrifices to take care of each other. Even so, being literally unable to leave the house for days or weeks on end is enough to make anyone crazy. Here are a few tips to keep your sanity during this time - whether you’re alone, with a partner, with kids, or whatever!
Tip #1 - For Homeschooling Your Kiddos
I feel for you parents out there who suddenly find yourselves having to home school your kids. There’s no way it’s easy and it probably feels damn near impossible if you’ve never done it before. Here’s what I’ve got for ya:
My cousin, Christy, has been living on the road in an RV with her husband and 2 kids for almost a year. Luckily, she is a teacher, so homeschooling wasn’t such a learning curve for her. Even as a school teacher, she wanted to work towards changing the system that’s been ingrained in us. She says, “there is significant research on the powerful effects of movement on concentration, play on self-motivation, and nature on foundational well-being.” In other words - have your kids play and exercise first thing in the morning! (After breakfast and morning chores, of course.) If you have a yard, have them get out there and explore! If you don’t, go for a family walk in the morning. Just get your kids moving and breathing fresh air, and then they’ll be more focused and ready to learn. This has worked super well for my cousin’s family and would hopefully work for yours, too! :)
Tip #2 - For Quarantining with Your Partner
I’m single af right now, but I can recall some distant memories of spending a lot of time with past partners… You know what they say about too much of a good thing… 😂 Well, anyway. You love each other and it’s ultimately a good thing that you have more time together. You just need to find ways to entertain each other!
Try making up silly games together. I saw a YouTube video recently in which a couple plays “hide the lemon” in their apartment. Um… ok. It looked like they had a lot of fun, though, and it provided some laughs and hey, just something to do besides Netflix and chill. :P See what goofy games you and your partner can come up with to take up a little bit of time. Silly Scrabble? The whisper challenge game from Jimmy Fallon? Draw each other to look as ugly as possible? The possibilities are endless!!
Tip #3 - For Working From Home
Being stuck inside can be quite a motivation killer. Even worse if you’re already an enneagram 9, like me. :P But there are two words all entrepreneurs and office workers should know: TIME. BLOCKING.
This technique has been proven to work wonders for productivity. The idea is, if you give yourself a time frame in which to get something done, you will. If there’s a deadline, then there’s more incentive to get it done. Basically, you block out every minute of your day, even recreational time. For instance, I might want to edit and deliver an engagement session and work on my website on a certain day. I’d schedule perhaps 3 hours for editing and delivery, and another 3 for dedicated website time. And I’d also schedule in yoga, shower, cooking, eating, and chill time. Give it a try! I swear it helps.
PS It also helps to have a kickass planner! This is the one I use.
Tip #4 - For Doing Good AND Having Instant Company
I’m sure you’ve heard this one and maybe even thought about it… fostering a pet!! Oh man, how I wish I could do this. If it weren’t extra rent, I’d definitely foster a cat right now. If you have the means and the space and the love in your heart, this is a great option for alleviating boredom, having plenty of things to do, getting affection, and helping out a cute lil fur baby. Especially if you’re quarantining by yourself. Even if I got a very aloof cat, just having the company, the feeling of knowing I’m not alone at home, would feel so lovely right now (but alas).
Tip #5 - For Fending Off Boredom
Remember back in high school when tv streaming didn’t exist and you were procrastinating doing your homework with actual hobbies? Whoa, what’s that? As we become adults with more and more responsibilities and things to do, sometimes our hobbies fall by the wayside. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality for many of us.
Use all this new time on your hands to get back into an old hobby (or multiple!) or start a whole new one! As for me, I’ve barely picked up my guitar in half a year, but the last couple weeks I’m already forming callouses! I also ordered a sustain pedal for my keyboard so I can start playing piano again, too. I also used to color aaaall the time. I found it so soothing. I want to get back into that, too. What’s a hobby you’ve neglected in recent years that you might want to pick back up? :)
Tip #6 - For Everyone
Perhaps the most important one, ya’ll.
GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE.
Seriously. This is a hard time for us all. Some have it way worse than others, and we should give them due credit and help them how we can, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to feel guilty about how good you might still have it. The fact remains that this situation SUCKS. Don’t be hard on yourself. If you can’t be productive every day, that’s fine. If you need a day off (or a few) for your mental health, take it. If you don’t exercise as much as you want, that’s more than okay. If you can’t bring yourself to cook every day and have several frozen pizzas in a row, THAT’S FINE. (In fact, that sounds great. :P)
We’ll all get through this together. Stay home. Wash your hands. Take precautions when you MUST go out. Help your fellow humans. Stay healthy, friends. See you on the other side. ❤
