How to Stay Sane during the Coronavirus Quarantine
March 19, 2020It feels like everyday life turned upside down overnight and I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you surely heard about the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to self quarantine at home. To be honest, some days have been harder than others. I’m trying to stay as positive as possible and make the best of the current coronavirus situation, especially for my girls… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at times too.
As a work-at-home mom, I’m used to spending a good portion of my day in the house but this quarantine thing is no joke. In the past, I’d stop by the local cafe or do some shopping at a few stores to break up my day at home. Now we practically never leave our house, except to let the girls play in the driveway. They’ve been enjoying their scooters, bubbles and chalk out there recently. Occasionally, we’ll do a walk around the block, but we live in a quiet neighborhood so we normally don’t run into anyone on our walks.
Before the quarantine, I used to see the girls get on their school bus and then get down to my blog work, which would keep me busy for the greater part of the day. Now, I’m their full-time teacher. Between the two of them, it takes hours and hours every day to help them get through their daily assignments. That being said, we’ve only been in this for about four days so maybe we’ll learn ways to be more efficient in the future. At least that’s my hope for the immediate future.
So am I actually staying sane during this quarantine? Mostly, yes! 🙂 Here are some ways I’ve been keeping myself on track.
Monitor media consumption
I know myself and I know that if I watch the news all day every day, I will quickly become paralyzed with fear and anxiety. So I just don’t watch all day, but I do want to stay informed about COVID-19 statistics. So I typically will tune in three times per day to catch up on the latest news about coronavirus. The rest of the day I spend living a normal life… for one in quarantine, that is.
Get fresh air
After being stuck in the house for a few days, I crave some fresh air. It’s something I took for granted before the quarantine but now feeling the warm spring breeze on my skin is a real delight! As I mentioned earlier, we take the kids to the driveway and let them play there. If you have a private yard, that’s also a great place to let them get some fresh air. Even opening a balcony door or opening some windows can help bring some fresh air inside.
Focus on the temporary nature of the situation
For me, it’s reassuring to remember that this is a temporary situation. Things will go back to normal in due time. Eventually, all the stores will be open again. Eventually, there won’t be a fear of food shortages. Reminding myself that the current coronavirus panic shall eventually pass is majorly calming.
Accept some uncertainty
There is so much uncertainty with this coronavirus crisis. How long will things be shut down? Originally we were told that schools would be closed for one week. Now it’s looking like at least a month. However, some schools around the country have already announced that schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year. I wish there were definite answers regarding the timeline of this COVID-19 pandemic, but unfortunately, that’s just not possible.
Set a schedule
Even though we’re in the house all day every day, it doesn’t mean we have to spend our days without a routine. I find setting a predictable schedule every day can be helpful, especially for younger kids. Here’s a sample one I made based on my girls’ schedule:
- 8am: Wake up, eat breakfast and play.
- 9am: Start school work.
- 11am: Go outside and play.
- 12pm: Have lunch.
- 12:30pm: Continue school work.
- 3pm: Play (free time)
Of course this is a fluid schedule and we can move things around somewhat. Furthermore, we’ve only been doing this for just under a week, so it’s possible we’ll revise this schedule as time passes.
Remember that you’re not alone
It’s true that we don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us, but it’s reassuring to remember that we are all in this together. We will get through this and things will get better. Joining a support group online can also be beneficial for those who may be really struggling with the quarantine and the feelings of isolation.
How are you handling this whole self-quarantine thing?
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We are lucky we have enough groceries and everyone is healthy so far. My kids are going to start on line classes soon so that will keep them busy.
I am working on this! It’s not as hard for me, but with my kids underfoot, it can be trickier. Plus my daughter is an extrovert, so it’s been tough on her, so I’m trying to keep her in good spirits.
These are very helpful tips. I have introverted tendencies, so it’s not hard for me however it’s hard for family members who are extroverts.
We are definitely trying to come up with a schedule and adjust to our new normal. I think part of it is definitely accepting that it might be like this for a while.
These are great tips to help us navigate these uncertain times. It must be so difficult to try to balance work and teaching young kids at the same time.
What is happening in our world right now is really terrifying but we can always find ways to stay safe and protect ourselves and family .Thanks for sharing this.
Great tips. The most difficult for us is to get fresh air. It’s the hardest part, that’s why I hope that this quarantine will end soon.
EXERCISE really helps me!!! YES IT DOES. We shall see how the weekend goes… My son is in daycare during the week, which helps me stay sane too… But on the weekends he is home, and we won’t have many or any activities to do with him (leaving the house wise) except for bike rides. So maybe we will just go on hour long bike rides every other hour, LOL!
Setting a schedule is a perfect solution. I have to do that to stay focused on what needs to be done. I do like my down time though for sure.
I was going a little stir crazy yesterday! Wanted to go for walk to get some fresh air and the rain began to pour.
These are all really good ideas. Luckily I work from home, so I’m use to being home a lot. I know we’ll be getting outside when the weather gets nicer.
These are such great tips. I know it is easy to go a bit stir crazy when in insulation. Thanks for the tips!
Yes setting time line is important, and doing some thing active and useful during this quarantine period. We too step out only for grocery or for a walk.
As a homeschooling family, I figured this quarantine would be easy-peasy. But I guess I didn’t realize how often we regularly DO leave the house, and how confining it would be to be told we can’t! Thanks for the ideas! We’ve been spending a lot of time outside (we have acreage), and that has helped tremendously!