That Quarantined Life
There are several things that inspired me to write this post. First, I wanted to shed light on behavioral changes that I have observed from family members, friends, colleagues, clients etc. due to the pandemic. Many of these behaviors result from the overwhelming feelings and quests to find ways that they can survive successfully. Second, I wanted to provide a truthful description of the everyday person living in isolation. I feel that people have not truly expressed their emotions and hide their true emotions and feelings behind social media posts. Last but not least, I wanted to provide realistic expectations. Many people feel that they have to create a business from the ground up, clean every closet in their home and be prepared for a sexy summer. The only expectation that we should have is to use skills and techniques to survive as Mentally Healthily as possible.
This post provides a guide with skills and techniques to help the average everyday person in quarantine find success. With this being said, I would like to point out that every person has a different way to react to stimuli, therefore we are all experiencing this situation in a different way. Please realize that some of this information will apply to you and some of it will not.
Environmental Stress
Home-
Many people have expressed feeling anxious and or stressed with being quarantined. I’ve heard endless complaints about being stuck inside the home. My first response is—change it! Redecorate the room you spend the most time in. This will assist you to feel some release and new inspiration. Add relaxing elements such as fish on the tv, calming music throughout the house, lavender going in the diffuser- you name it! If you feel comfortable to, please get natural sun light!! This can happen in your backyard, sunroom, out for a walk or even window sill sitting time! If you need to leave your home, take a walk around your neighborhood, go to a drive through restaurant, drive through the country to admire nature etc. If you need separation from the people in your home, build a tent in the house for calming space! We are all about survival folks!
Stores-
In my personal experience, going to the grocery store has become an instant stressor. There is an unprecedented amount of stress in the air as you walk around. I’ve witnessed and heard stories about anxious reactions, frustration outbursts and all out rude behaviors occurring in the stores. So, if going to the grocery store stresses you out don’t go. Order the groceries to be delivered, or curbside pick them up. Please stop having anger or anxious meltdowns in the grocery store folks. It’s not worth it.
Breathe
We must make sure that we take at least 10 extremely deep breath a day. Taking the deep breaths will release a lot of tension that builds up in our minds, bodies and emotions. We need this folks! We are all building up insane amounts of tensions in our bodies due to silent anxieties, outward anxieties, irrational thoughts, fear, depressive feelings, worries etc This by far is the most important technique that everyone can utilize during this time. Take five deep breaths when you start your morning and take five deep breaths when you end the day. If you feel the need to take to breathe deeply throughout your day please do so.
Get a lot of Rest-
You MUST sleep! Please try to place your body on a healthy sleeping routine. If you struggle to sleep, listen to meditation music before bed, relax a bit and take hot showers/baths. We are running emotional marathons! So we must do what we can to emotionally healthy!
Hygiene
This may seem harsh, however I’d be a terrible person if I did not express this to people. Trust me, I completely understand that being in the house can cause us to be unmotivated, but you CANNOT forgo your hygiene.
Brush your teeth!
Some people (you know who you are) have not kept up on your tooth brushing routine. Loosing your teeth due to the quarantine will not be sexy! Please brush twice a day like you are supposed too!
Bathing-
Please shower! Many of the people I know have conveniently “forgotten” to take showers for days in a row. Get up and wash your butt! Ignoring the shower is damaging to your mental and physical health! No need to sit in filth and cause other health problems.
Appearance-
You do not have to present yourself as model ready at all times, however I do expect that you will do the basics; Comb your hair, put on deodorant and wash your face! No need to return to the pre-teen middle school phase!
On a serious note, not taking care of your hygiene leads to deep depressive states. This is a major sign for mental health workers! Please try to find motivation.
Exercise
I will not spend too much time discussing this topic. Many of you know the importance of staying healthy with exercise. I will just quickly note the mental health benefits- It is SUPER important to get exercise! Right now your bodies are becoming stiff and you are not releasing enough chemicals to keep you relaxed and stable! Your normal range of movement has been reduced! Please, please, please exercise even for 5 minutes 2 times a day to keep emotional brain functioning!
Ex: quick yoga, dumbbells on the couch, short core work out, walking during commercials- I can go on forever!
Eating
This is a tough topic to discuss. Depending on how you operate, take time out to evaluate how/when you are eating. Everyone copes differently, so see where you are.
Over eating-
Ok, I am SUPER guilty of this. Whenever I’m in funk, cookie dough ice cream does the trick! However, I have to be mindful to only head for the ice cream once a week due to the lack of movement that I have. There is a lot of over eating happening, however do not beat yourself up too much about it! Be sure that you consume healthy food also. When your stress reduces, you can really concentrate having more control. Be kind to yourself. No need to cause more strain to your brain.
Disclaimer- if your over eating has caused your health to suffer, consult your physician. Let them help!
Under eating.
There are people that are silently starving themselves! If this describes you, stop it! You must eat! Now more than ever your brain requires the nutrients to help it maintain balance. Please make sure you nourish yourself properly and eat balanced meals. Do not focus on weight gain and find ways to get onto a healthy eating schedule. If depression has stopped your eating, please consult the professionals! We need you to be healthy!
Completing tasks-
Doing too much:
There are many views on task completion that provides so much unnecessary added pressure. Some feel that you must completely deep clean your house, clean all closets and create an entire business during this quarantine. Although that may work for some, I do not feel that it is necessary for everyone to do that. Personally, I feel that if you accomplish your basic needs, feed yourself and engage in activities to maintain SANITY- you’ve accomplished a lot. Many people do not realize the amount of mental trauma that we are all enduring at this time. I’d much rather you have a toy on every square inch of your house than a crying stressed out person rocking in the corner. No need to be like the warriors of social media! Take your time and do things at your own pace. However If cleaning a closet provides you with comfort, Be my guest!
No motivation:
On the other hand, if you are not accomplishing basic tasks (hygiene, eating appropriately and engaging in activities to maintain SANITY) we need to find ways to motivate you! It is not healthy to just lay around, not complete assignments or work. If you feel that everything has been stripped from you, this is the time for research! Researching information, starting new exercise routines, and learning to cook will be helpful (within reason)! Enlist an accountability person (I.e. best friend) to help you get on track! We have to pull yourself from the shutdown mental state. If you feel that you need additional assistance, contact a local clinical for help! We all need connection at this time.
Alone time
At this time, many of us are spending more time in our homes than ever. We are surrounded by the same people day after day. For some of us, we are learning new traits about people that we live with and it is overwhelming! It is ok to go to your car and hide from them. It is a good thing to take breaks. I’d rather you separate from them than cause unnecessary arguments or spend the day yelling at children. Go ahead and plan healthy things to do inside and provide yourself with calm activities. Please take this time for self-care and self-preservation.
Waaayyyy too much time to think
Currently, there is too much time for people to think. STOP IT! Do not spend hours a day re-evaluating your life. This is not the time for that. You are stressed! Spending time hyper focusing on your thoughts while stressed/isolated/ worried has the potential to cause an insane amount of depression and anxiety! Alter your thoughts with something positive! Find something to look forward to or a hobby to research and focus on! Idle minds cause negativity-typically.
Disconnect from family/phone/social media/work
Family
Many of us feel worried and stressed about our family members. Whether they call us constantly to ensure we are “ok” (aka work our nerves) or they are not taking proper precautions to keep healthy, this causes us stress. It is important to know when to disconnect. If you begin to feel worry, stress or frustration due to speaking with them, video calling or any other source— please disconnect. This does not mean ignore their existence, cause a major blow up, or decide to not be in their lives, it means that you take a break for the day and resume conversation at a later time.
15 minitute rule- Allow yourself to engage in an uncomfortable conversation with a family member (within reason) while being respectful and nurturing.
Social media/Media.
Media can be a wonderful thing, however it can cause us to have maladaptive behaviors. I think that everyone should limit their exposure to their social media and other types of media during this time for sanity purposes. Seeing people doing “amazingly well” during the quarantine or the constant emotional pulls from consistent sad stories not only raises our anxiety, but it depresses our subconscious. Continuously watching all of the commercials that discuss COVID-19 topics cause a lot of silent anxiety also. Take some time off to disconnect. You can choose to have media free days, weeks or hours. Your mind will thank you.
Ground Hog Day
I do not know about you, but there are times where my days blend together. It is hard to keep track of time when our normal routines have stopped. It is important to have small things to look forward to so that your brain stays excited! You can be creative with this, add things to the schedule that excite you!
Sample Weekly Schedule:
Monday’s— Home-made Cookies and HGTV watching night!
Tuesday- Italian meal Night!
Wednesday’s— Random Art Night
Thursday’s-Zoom yoga night with the Fam..
Friday- Thai Food night!
Saturday— Cupcake day!
Sunday— Laundry and Movie Party Day!
Sample Daily Schedule:
8:00 am— Healthy Breakfast!
9:00 am— FaceTime/Google Hangout with someone
11:00am— Exercise time! This can be a short yoga video, P90x etc
12:00 pm— Lunch!
2:00 pm— Quick Appreciation Break!
3:00 pm— Daily activity (Craft, baking a cake, making pancakes etc)
5:00 pm— Exercise time again!
6:00 pm— Dinner
Rest of the evening is Free time!
9:00 pm— Kids are in bed!!! Parent time! Watch your movie, have some juicy juice, eat popcorn, snuggle!! Make sure you fully relax so that you can sleep please!
Trauma going forward
Unfortunately, there will be a lot of trauma that follows this pandemic. Every person has experienced change in life and will function differently going forward. My only worry at this point is the amount stress that people have begun to feel. There are many conversations/predictions about what “life will look like” and plans of how to survive once bans are lifted. These conversations are increasing anxious and depressive feelings in everyone. Please try to take time out to relax, and let life happen as it goes. Do not spend a lot of time stressing over things we cannot change.
Conclude
I hope that this post has provided insight and encouraged people to focus on being Mentally Healthy. Please spend time allowing yourself to create your own routine as you cope with things. Reach out to people you know, and reduce the amount of exposure to negativity. We will get through this! Stay well!