Let’s face it, staying at home is hard. Oddly enough, we have all dreamed to have a period in our time like this.
Finally, a moment where we can hibernate away from people, have a reasonable excuse to not meet certain deadlines, and to just take a breather from the fast-paced life we live. I know I have!
But then, here we are, in the middle of a PANDEMIC.
That is something we never could have imagined happening. And most certainly, we never imagine a pandemic happening to this degree.
I will be honest. It has been extremely difficult for me to stay motivated. I have good days where I feel like I can get things done (like writing this post), and then I have days where all I can do is get out of bed. My sleep has been messed up, as well as my eating habits. I’m not eating enough actually!
Whenever I feel stressed my diet always seems to suffer. Of course, this also then has a knock-on effect on my overall health. I am a big believer in the connection between gut health and mental health and I know that when I am not fuelling my body correctly, my mind starts to suffer too.
I was actually talking to a friend of mine about this the other day. She is using quarantine as a chance to kickstart a healthy new diet, and even incorporate immune supplements like diindolymethane. I knew she had been thinking about starting a weight loss journey for some time, so I applaud her for being brave and taking the chance.
My friend has totally overhauled her diet – her microwave meals are a thing of the past and she is now eating healthy homegrown produce. She has also started taking Multi-GI 5, a digestive system-boosting supplement that keeps cravings at bay. She actually sent me a Multi GI 5 coupon code so I might have to invest in this supplement myself.
I am going to need all the help I can get if I want to turn my own health around after all!
But anyway, a few weeks back, I put together a list of actions and tips that you can follow to help make quarantine-lockdown-social distancing-physical distancing (or whatever you want to call it) a better experience.
And guess what? I didn’t follow my tips. In complete honesty, I didn’t. I couldn’t. Then I reminded myself, to actually try to practice what I preached.
I kid you not, it helped. I still struggle some days. But if I do at least one or two things on this list, inevitably, I start to feel better. And with feeling better, I can be more productive.
Why do we care about productivity? Because for many of us, being productive gives us purpose. And we strive to have a sense of purpose.
There are quite a few people who have started businesses during this period, because they are stuck inside they are seeing what they can do with their time (now that would DEFINITELY be classed as hyper-productive). I see a few on my social media pages with them consistently promoting so they can get Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr followers, and so on. They are really going for it.
Ok, ok, enough backstory. Here are my tips on how to FEEL better and be more PRODUCTIVE while staying at home during the pandemic.
Create a schedule for yourself.
AIm to go to sleep around the same time every evening and wake up around the same time daily. For me, I find that I really feel better when I wake up early and not let myself stay up too late. This is tough because my body naturally wants to stay up much later than I should.
Create to-do lists.
These are great. It gets all the ideas out of your head and on to paper. You can put mundane things on the list as well as bigger tasks. Even if you can check off three easy things, it can get the ball rolling for you to want to accomplish more things!
Get ready for the day.
When you wake up, get dressed for the day. Do your hair and make-up as usual. Shower! Yes, I said that. But a solid shower can really set the tone and wake you up for the day.
Unwind. Mindfully.
Put down your phone for a while. Place it in the other room. Give yourself a break from the news, from social media, from all your friends and family calling. Lose yourself in a book or a film or a video game. It is A-OK to create space. Normally going to work creates structure, and with that, we are able to not be available. Remember, just because you are working from home or not working at all, it does not mean you have to always be available. Take time for yourself and treat yourself when you need it. If you’re a film fan, do a Netflix marathon, or if you’re a video game fan, head to somewhere like omegamods.com to get yourself some new custom controllers. Create things to look forward to and make sure you unwind.
Happy music equals happy emotions.
We all know that music has the ability to impact our mood. So choose accordingly! Find songs that make you happy. Put them on, have them playing in the background. If you really get into it, does as I do and dance a little.
Stay active.
Stay active the best you can. Go on solo walks or runs. Of course, avoid others. There are plenty of at-home workouts available. Figure out what motivates you, and do it. It’ll lift up your spirits and help minimize the chance of the quarantine-fifteen. (Say that out loud! It makes me giggle every time.)
Offer help.
A great way to feel better about yourself is by helping those who need assistance. If you’re feeling ok, check on others, offer to pick-up groceries, or even hop on a call. Be mindful that this doesn’t turn into a draining woe-is-me cycle. And don’t let check-up calls turn into panic calls. Be supportive and positive for others. In doing so, you will stronger and more positive as a whole!
So those are my tips! Give them a try for a few days and let me know what you think!
In the meantime, I hope you’re having fun seeing the inside of everyone’s homes and doing a bunch of challenges every day. Those are my biggest takeaways from social media thus far!
If you have a tip that has really been helping you, let me know! I’d love to hear about it!
Stay safe and healthy!