Tough times don’t last, tough people do.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has no doubt changed the entire dynamic of the world. Everyone has been affected. Streets are getting empty, schools have closed, and employees have been asked to work remotely. You might ask, where is everybody asked to stay? Where have all the people that bought out all of Earth’s natural reserves of toilet paper gone? You guessed it, they’re at home!
Traffic has officially moved from outside the house, to inside the house.
With our increased activity at home and with all the entertainment systems right our finger-tips, it’s so easy to get distracted and binge-watch on Netflix or snack on all the excess cookies and chips in the kitchen cupboards (especially after all that panic-shopping…).
But if there’s one thing scarier than the virus out there, it’s that we might lose ourselves into negative habits that will undo all the hard work we’ve done this year…
While we don’t know how long the mass quarantine will last, we do know that maintaining our mental and physical health is vital during this time. Not only will we gain more happiness as we take care of own health at home, but this happiness will also help us give our best to our families and loved ones, because they will need us too.
With all that being said, here are 5 awesome ways to cope with self-isolation at home:
1. Eat Healthy
As mentioned earlier, it’s easy to fall into negative eating habits during self-isolation if we’re not careful. Because there’s less work to be done, and we’re at home (ie. our comfort zone), we may find ourselves eating out of shear boredom versus actual hunger.
Listen to your body, and feed it right. It’s important to start your day with a nice and healthy breakfast. Make sure your daily diet contains plenty of vegetables and fruits, protein foods, whole grains, and of course, lots of water! Follow Canada’s Food Guide for excellent tips and healthy recipes to boost your nutrition, and help keep your family healthy during self-isolation.
2. Spend Quality Time with Family
While it’s okay to have healthy doses of social media, gaming, and Netflix, we must not forget to use this time to build and nourish our relationships with our loved ones. This period of self-isolation is the perfect opportunity to make-up for any relationship you’ve recently been absent from.
One day, you will remember these moments and share them with your kids or spouse in the future years. So cherish every moment you have with your family, and build wonderful memories that will turn this negative experience into a positive and memorable one.
3. Stay Fit and Flexible
With the absence of the daily grind, and more time confined within the limited spaces of our homes, our bodies can easily become weak and flimsy. Our daily routines have changed, but we should be careful not to let this change affect our physical health in a negative way.
This is a great opportunity to start a home exercise routine. It doesn’t need to be complicated. Assign a small area in your home for exercise. Use a yoga mat or comfy carpet area to stretch out your body and to release any tension from all the sitting at home. Pull-ups, push-ups, planks, lunges, and burpees are also excellent body-weight workouts that you can incorporate as well.
4. Be Productive
Working from home has it’s perks, but being away from the infrastructure of the office and the social work environment can take it’s toll. While sending emails from your kitchen table sounds convenient, or being on a conference call in your pajamas feels liberating, it’s not the perfect setup.
Assign for yourself an office area at home where you stay on top of your work-related tasks. Ditch the pajamas, and wear something that helps look and feel more productive. To avoid yourself from easily sliding onto the bed, watching a movie, or playing with your phone, use a stopwatch to assign yourself reasonable breaks at a particular time. It’s important to keep your mind sharp and not let laziness take advantage of these unexpected circumstances.
5. Keep Clean!
Last but not least, it’s important to stay clean during this period of self-isolation. While social distancing is crucial to avoid contact with any germs or viruses, not cleaning our own homes during this time will make us just as vulnerable. More time at home equals more messiness at home. For example, it’s only natural that we’ll find more crumbs on the ground and splashes of juice on the table. In addition, there will also be more clutter laying around than usual (since everyone is at home).
Therefore, it’s very important to establish a cleaning and organizing routine to make sure our environment is clean and healthy. Create a daily cleaning checklist that ensures high traffic areas at your home are properly dusted and wiped. Better yet, book a cleaning service with Hellamaid and we’ll make sure all the surfaces of your home are properly disinfected!
