As I write this, today marks the 35th day of the “Stay At Home” order given by Governor Herbert. During this self-isolation period, I think the hardest part for me (besides having a constantly messy house) is taking care of my mental health (AKA staying sane). Between cancelling travel plans to the Oregon Coast, getting refunds on event tickets, entering my third trimester of pregnancy fearful of the new hospital regulations, and also being my kids’ main source of entertainment (besides Disney plus), it’s been hard not to throw in the towel and lose my mind.
In the beginning of this “Stay At Home” order, it was easy to stay busy. We replaced some carpet, got our house appraised, refinanced our house, cleaned out the office to make room for the new baby, and made a long to-do list of what we wanted to do. However, I quickly went from being a productive machine, to crying because I didn’t have a deep freezer and everywhere was sold out, to thinking it would all end soon, to worrying I couldn’t find diapers, and back to the “all will be well – eventually” mindset.
I think the fear of not knowing when this will all end is what causes the range of emotions. It’s so hard to see friends and neighbors lose their jobs, and it’s also hard to watch businesses close down because people aren’t able to shop. It’s terrible to read stories of those who have caught COVID-19, and it’s heart breaking to read the stories about those who have died from it. It’s just an all-around awful situation.
I know many people have it harder than I do, but for those that are in a similar situation to me, these are the five things that have helped me to stay sane:
• Read a FUN book: For me, I can’t handle any self-help/motivational stuff right now. I can’t think about organizing my entire house or setting goals to run a marathon in under four hours. I just need something fun. I’m currently reading Mindy Kaling’s book “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” and it’s the perfect distraction.
• Go outside: I’m so grateful that the weather has been nice lately, because that’s made this so much easier, but I force myself to take my kids outside for AT LEAST one hour every day. They get a lot of their energy out and I get some fresh air — a win-win!
• Find a project (even if it’s small): I have been spending 20 minutes every day on a project. I have this seemingly never-ending project of getting ALL my photos organized on one external hard drive. This is the most mundane project of all time, so I have been setting a timer and working on it for 20 minutes each day to try and stay motivated. It is nice to know that I’m accomplishing something during this time!
• Journaling: I’ve consistently been an inconsistent journaler my entire life, but I’ve been making an extra effort to write in my journal during this time. I know it’s a really weird time, and I imagine I won’t have another pandemic happen in my lifetime (knock on wood), so I’ve been making an extra effort to document what it has been like and the emotions I’m experiencing because of it.
• Eat healthy: Honestly, I haven’t been exercising much this last month because this pregnancy is really taking a toll on me, so I’ve been making an extra effort to drink enough water and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. I feel SO much better mentally and physically when my body is getting the nutrients it needs.
Whether you are getting the whole house organized and dominating your exercise plan, or if you’re laying on the couch watching “The Office” for the tenth time while eating pizza, I hope that you’re getting what you need to in order to stay mentally healthy. This is a hard time to know what to do, but I think listening to our bodies and minds is what will help us all.
Published in The Tremonton Leader in May 2020
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