Tips To Keep Your Sanity – Quarantine Edition

Well ya’ll, writing about the exciting adventures of quarantine each and everyday turned out to be way harder than anticipated, meanings the only thing I have looked forward to these past few days is the meal I am going to eat next. There is a high potential that this blog may become “Cooking with Grandma” is the near future – featuring as many frozen goodies we can possibly make in a two week time period – stay tuned. All I can say is – thank goodness for in-home workouts, or this girl would end up looking like a 10 lb bag of potatoes squished into a 5 lb sack by the end of this pandemic. Although, I don’t have many exciting activities to report from these past few days, I do have some essential tips and to-do’s that could be beneficial to the general public that may be going just a little bat-shit crazy going into week two of self-isolation. So get your pen and paper ready and take some notes.

As some of you may have read, I went to take care of my little brother for a few days after his surgery. Although, this adventure had me driving over the river and through the CITY – I DO NOT drive in the city – it was a sense of self-validation that if there would happen to be another apocalypse in the near future, possibly with zombies, I would totally be able to drive us anywhere and everywhere to survive. My brother is doing just fine, most of the first day was spent with my ass planted on his couch re-living my childhood watching everything from The Lizzie McGuire Movie to Cadet Kelly while he slept – I guess you can infer that I was indeed a Hillary Duff fan girl back in the day. Day two of sibling quarantine was just as exciting as the first, although this time I made him watch Disney re-runs with me – he was super enthused. Although, he wasn’t as enthused when I accidentally put his fancy TV into Spanish with the audio description on and couldn’t figure out how to turn it off – neither of us are in fact Hispanic or blind. As our sibling hangout surprisingly quickly came to an end – time sure does fly when you have no where to be, and nothing to do – my parents came to check in on him and visit with me before I left to venture back through the city. While spending time with my loved ones, I came to the realization that none of this would be happening if we weren’t in quarantine. Sure, my brother probably would’ve had surgery, but I wouldn’t have been there with them if this crazy pandemic wasn’t happening. That’s what made me think, I really have been given the gift of time. It may have to be spent confined within the walls of my cozy little house, but so what? I have time to spend doing things I have complained for months, even years that I didn’t have enough time to do before. So here are my ideas that may have you thinking a little differently about being cooped up basically until further notice.

Spend time with your loved ones. Obviously if you’re confined to your house, you really don’t have a choice in the matter, but really spend time with them. For instance, today, my Fiance and I made 3 meals together, we cooked, we laughed, we danced in the kitchen, and I learned that he had to take his drivers test 3 times before passing – really be present with the ones you love. We spend our typical lives going so fast, there is constantly something to do, or somewhere to be, but for once in our lives that is no longer the case. I urge you to take a moment to enjoy their company, preferably, before day 14 of quarantine – by then they will quite possibly be on your last nerve.

Spend time doing something for you. In a time where we have all the questions with little answers, you might as well spend a little time doing something for yourself. You’re in control of the things that you can do for you, whether that be reading a book, doing a face mask, taking a nap – enjoy the moments you can take for yourself, some of us are not always lucky enough to have this extra time. This will also hopefully help with keeping your sanity during a trying time.

Clean up your mess. You have been saying for weeks now, that if you only had a little more time in the day, your house wouldn’t be such a mess – at least that is what I say, along with if I didn’t have a dog the size of a miniature pony. It is officially Spring, which definitely calls for some deep cleaning. Whether it be your house, your garage, your brain – now is the time sister! Your spouse is home, your kids are home, assign a job and get to it. Coming out of this isolation with a clean house and a clean mind might be a game changer for the rest of 2020, because right now, most of us would like to end our 3 month trial for this new year.

Get some fresh air. For the love of God, get the stink blown off of you. If it is only going 3 feet out of your door, get some fresh air. Let the sun shine on your face, if only for a few minutes. Although it might not feel like this chilly weather will ever come to an end – Spring has officially sprung. So, get out there. Take your dog for a walk, plant some seeds, wash your car, do something that will fulfill that Winter vitamin D deficiency.

Take a deep Breath. Take a moment to yourself to just breath. I realize some of you Apple watch owners like myself often ignore, or simply laugh whenever it tells you to breath. This time it is serious. I realize that for some of you, you have been sentenced to your house, unable to go to work, stuck with your 4 kids on repeat with no end in sight. It’s almost as if you woke up at 3 am, lost the remote in the couch and are unable to turn off the beginning theme song that plays over and over on the dvd home screen – it is enough to drive anyone crazy. So, lock yourself in the bathroom, turn on the shower, and just take a moment to yourself before you kill one of your children.

These are just a few suggestions that will hopefully give some ease during these difficult times. Absolutely do what you need to do to stay safe and healthy, but make sure you’re not sacrificing your sanity because of it. Sooner or later, we will all go back to a time where toilet paper is bountiful, and the only thing we have to worry about is what the hell to make for dinner for the rest of your life.