10 Healthyish Habits Keeping Me (Mostly) Sane During Lockdown
Well, it’s August, and things are just as crazy as they were when the world imploded back in March. My innocent March-self never imagined that 5 months later we would still be in the thick of it, but here we are.
After spending a majority of these past few months living in a small studio apartment with my boyfriend in NYC, going through a personal loss, and dealing with some hella anxiety, I’ve developed some personal habits that have really helped me stay grounded and relatively sane during the pandemic. I know everyone else is dealing with their own hardships during these times, so I thought I’d share what’s been helping me, just in case it can help you.
Move your body every day.
This one has been SO important. Movement has always been my meditation, and I’ve found that to be even more true right now. Whether it’s my daily walks, yoga, at home strength or HIIT workouts, I’ve been prioritizing moving my body in some capacity every day. It’s incredibly beneficial to both your mental and physical health, so this has been a big one for me.
Eat balanced, healthy meals.
I don’t know about anyone else, but this pandemic has seemed to turn me into an absolute hypochondriac, and one way I’ve been able to combat the anxiety it’s brought on is by making sure my meals are filled with nutritious foods to keep me healthy. Knowing I’m fueling my body with what it needs has kept my mind and body in the right state of being.
Enjoy the cookie(s).
While it is ever important to eat your greens, it’s also important to allow yourself to enjoy those less nutrient dense foods that bring you joy. There’s a lot of hoopla about the “quarantine 15”, and it’s infuriating. We’re in the middle of a 100 year pandemic. Please, please, for the love of all that is good, do NOT stress about potentially gaining a few extra pounds. There’s already enough to stress about. So eat the cookie, chocolate, pizza, soul food, and enjoy the crap outta it. Life is all about balance.
Connect with family and friends via the interwebs and phone.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have had someone to spend lock down with, and it’s especially lucky that we’ve managed to survive living in a 300 square foot studio and still enjoy each other’s company. However, it’s been a huge help for both of us to be able to connect with our friends and family easily and frequently.
While we’ve been physically distant from everyone, being socially connected to our loved ones has really helped alleviate some of the feelings of isolation. We’ve had a standing Zoom trivia night every Wednesday with some friends up in Boston, I’ve had many a movie night with my ladies back in Michigan, and plenty of calls and zooms with the family. And I always end each one feeling a little bit lighter, happier, and less alone.
Journaling daily (well, almost daily).
After reading about Morning Pages in The Artist’s Way, I’ve been wanting to start keeping a journal consistently as part of my daily routine for ages, and just never made the time to do it. Cut to March 2020. What better time to start journaling than being stuck at home 24/7 for a few months? So, for the past several months, I’ve taken the time to get my thoughts and feeling on a few pages a day in my journal, and I feel like it’s really helped me keep my head on straight. Being able to dump my thoughts, reflect, vent, and try to process all that’s happening in the world right now has been a habit that I’ve come to rely on heavily.
Also, in 10 years, it might be interesting to look back and read about how I was processing this time.
Engaging in hobbies, both old and new.
With classes all online, work closed, and everything else closed, I’ve obviously had a lot more spare time on my hands. To keep myself busy and my mind occupied, I’ve taken to an assortment of hobbies to stay distracted. Some of them include: trying and succeeding (if I do say so myself) at making my own sourdough starter and bread; finally practicing yoga consistently; getting back to reading for pleasure a lot more...hello fiction, my old friend; and working my way through a photography course. I’ve found that sometimes the best way to calm myself is to zone out and focus on some hobby or activity in front of me.
Turning OFF the news.
I know it’s important to stay informed, and I do. But honestly, the news these days is just a huge source of anxiety for me. So, I don’t watch it. The tone and high stress vibes that the news seems to always give off just doesn’t help my anxiety, so I have been opting out of it for the most part as of late. If you have been finding yourself fearfully clinging to every word of every broadcast these days, I would recommend just taking at least a few days off to let yourself breath.
*If I do want to catch up on some news, I’ll tend to watch the Today’s Show, because Hoda, Savannah, Al, and Craig are the bee’s knees and they never make me feel stressed.
Get outside once a day.
Living in NYC, I know that can be easier said than done. Trust me. But I’ve found that even just stepping outside on the fire escape or going for a quick walk around the block to get myself into the fresh air has a huge impact on my mood and mental well being. We aren’t meant to be cooped up indoors all day, and I can really feel the impact if I don’t get at least a little bit of outdoor time each day.
Keeping a to-do list and calendar.
As I’m sure many of you have experienced, the days have kind of just been blurring together, and the past 5 months have all kind of lumped into one extra long month. To keep myself organized and on top of the things I need to do, especially when school was still in session, keeping a to-do list and a calendar with “events” (I use that term loosely as the ~events~ of the past few months have been primarily around the computer) and due dates. I’m big on maintaining my to-do list and calendar always, but they’ve been especially useful in making sure I maintain some level of productivity during these strange times.
Not doing a damn thing and embracing it.
Lastly, I’ve been taking time to do absolutely nothing. Some days, I’ve found the best way to cope with everything is to veg out and watch some Netflix or movies. A lot of the time I feel pressure to always be productive, but when the world is on fire, sometimes a true day of rest and relaxation is more than necessary.
So these are the 10 habits I’ve been incorporating into my quarantine routine the past several months. I hope they can be helpful for you, and I’d love to hear if you start implementing them into your daily routines! If you have some helpful tips or habits that have been getting you through these wild times, leave them in the comments below!
Stay safe and healthy out there, my friends.
Xx
Slim
