5 Things To Do Everyday to stay Sane (and Balanced) During Isolation

As this period of isolation drags on, a lot of us are starting to feel some discomfort at being cooped up in our houses.  The novelty of being able to wear your pajamas all day and binge netflix may be starting to wear off.  Even the biggest introverts and homebodies may be finding themselves craving a change of scenery other than their own four walls.  But the truth is, social distancing is far from over.  And in order to make it through with our mental health intact, we need to do MORE than just cope.  

Right now, I am still working as a teacher, but I have had to adapt from chasing five year olds around a classroom, to teaching online. Now my day involves sitting at my computer to create and upload assignments, record and edit videos, and communicate with students and families. 

Between this work, the blog, and the online ABQ course I am currently in, I have found myself to be spending most of my waking hours on my computer-- something that I never did before. This is still taking some getting used to.  I’m noticing the days that I spend the majority of it in front of the screen, the more “blah” I feel by the time evening comes around, regardless of how productive I have been.  

Structured Days and Mental Transitions

Even those working from home who are doing similar desk work that they may have before have still felt a toll on their mental health and energy levels from the change in environment. Just the act of dressing in proper clothes, out of the house, and to the office where you are commune with your coworkers inserts very real frames and borders in our day that help us transition from home to work (and everywhere in between), so that we are more present and engaged in each environment.

Working from home, we are missing those physical aspects, from the coffee run on your way to work, to packing your lunch or your gym bag, or tapping your presto card as you fly into the subway, that cue a mental shift, transitioning us from whatever we were doing or thinking before, to the moment at hand.

A change in environment can really make all the difference to productivity

For myself, whenever I had a big chunk of writing or other work I needed to get done, I would head out to a coffee shop (remember those?). The price of a fancy soy matcha latte was always worth the couple hours of uninterrupted state of flow I would enter, and come out with a much greater quantity and quality of writing than I would ever be able to accomplish at home.

Simply the act of leaving my house with my backpack, and sitting down at a counter that was not the same one that I ate my breakfast at that morning, with no fridge or dog or random task to distract me, allowed me to fully immerse myself in my work— even if it took a few minutes to settle in.

Making the Most of Days at Home

To recreate some of that sense of structure, some people talk about waking up, putting on real clothes, maybe even doing some makeup before getting to work in their day.  However, many of us can’t quite be bothered enough to do all that-- especially if they’re not working a regular job at the moment. That being said, I still think it is important to incorporate a few different things into your day that help keep you feeling sane, balanced, and in a state of flow, regardless of what you have on your schedule.  

Here are five things that I do everyday, to keep my sanity and stay in flow:

1. Mindful Movement

Before this quarantine, I rarely meditated.  I used to quite a bit during my YTT, but since then, I’ve largely fallen off the wagon.  When I had thirty minutes in the morning before heading to work, I figured it was more productive to do an asana yoga practice.  However, with few external limits on time, I decided to try taking up a seated meditation practice again.  I’ve now been doing it every day for over a month, and I’m hooked. 

Some mornings, I sit for five minutes, and sometimes, up to thirty, Usually, I last about 15 or 20 before rolling into some gentle, flowing movement to the soundtrack of my favourite yoga playlist.  I’ll move however slowly or intensely as feels good that morning. 

Sometimes it’s gentle side bends and lolling around on the floor, and other mornings, it’s sun salutations, warrior poses and a couple planks. 

I do my best to keep it mindful, flowy and intuitive-- not counting reps, or holds, or anything taking me out of the breath and into a more traditional workout that spikes cortisol.

2. Journal

Every morning, I write in my journal. If I have lots of thoughts swarming my mind, or I am feeling a little meh and don’t quite know why, I just word vomit.  No filter, I pour whatever is going through my mind onto my paper. I write until I feel my thoughts start to shift, which looks a little different each day, whether it's after a half page or three. While I don’t always write in such depth everyday, every single morning, I take the time to make a list of three goals or tasks I want to complete.

Goal setting journal from Lametto Rose

I’ve been using the 3 Journal that my brother gifted me for Christmas. I love its simplicity, and the space it has at the end of every week to reflect on what you have accomplished.

The first one is usually something for work, whether its creating lessons, or going through assignments. 

The second is often something due for my online course, a blog post I want to write, or something else of productive nature.

The third is usually not so pressing, I could technically push it to the next day, but accomplishing it that day would be realistic, and rewarding.  Perhaps it is going to the grocery store,  cooking or baking something to feed you for a couple of meals, or even an act of self care such as reading a couple chapters of the novel that’s on your bed stand or doing a zoom class of some kind. 

I could add lots more to this list, but I like to keep it at three, because it makes it feel very doable to check them all off, and forces me to prioritize as I write what to dedicate my time and energy to that day.  And that way, if I get everything done, I can relax into doing whatever else it is I want to do without feeling like I am not being “productive.”  

3. Get Outside 

one of my daily walks with my fur baby.

Regardless how much stuff on my computer I need to get done, I make it a priority to get outside everyday, whether it’s taking my dog to the park or a longer excursion that takes most of the afternoon.  If it’s nice out, I will try to incorporate being outside with as much of my day as possible.

On warm sunny mornings, I find myself doing my meditation and yoga outside.  If the glare isn’t bad, I will even set up my laptop or ipad in a sunny spot to do some writing.  Or I will take my breakfast or lunch and eat it outside. 

It sounds so little and so simple, but I feel immensely lighter after spending some time out in fresh air.  If you have the time, go for a walk, however long you have, without rushing yourself (or run if that's what you prefer!). 

In my little patch of the suburbs, it’s pretty amazing to see the little ways my community has made an effort to reach out and support each other: there are childrens’ art work in windows facing the street, signs and white ribbons tied around trees in support of front line workers, and motivational chalk drawings on driveways and sidewalks, spreading messages of hope and positivity. 

And even while staying acceptably distanced, it really fosters a sense of community and connectedness to witness others out and about just like I am, whether its on a bike, with a wagon of kids, or a happy dog on a leash.  It’s a comforting reminder that we are all in this together. 

4. Connect (Do Something Social) 

I try to chat with at least one  friend or loved one everyday.  Sometimes its over zoom or facetime, but mostly, I will hit two birds with one stone and have a long phone call while walking in the neighbourhood.

It’s so easy to go days without talking to anyone besides the people we are living with. Sometimes I feel like I have to push myself to commit to a phone date or group virtual meetup. However, I always always ALWAYS, hang up (or sign off) feeling happy and grateful for making the time to be social.

Also, I am trying to be better at keeping up with texting and group chat conversations. Admittedly, I definitely fall into the bad texter category, having every intention to respond to a message “in a bit” and letting it end up in the graveyard of unread and unopened messages in my inbox.

Before covid, it was a little easier to beg forgiveness, seeing many of these people in person, but now that in-person encounters are no longer the norm, I can’t use the rationale. So if I get a message, I try to respond right away… ideally. If you are my friend, reading this and rolling your eyes, I am sorry and I love you. Please get on my case!

Check out my post on how to fight loneliness during quarantine for some other ideas of how to stay connected.  

5. Create (State of Flow)

for me, this usually comes in the form of writing.   Oftentimes, my morning journaling becomes an act of creating all in itself.   Creativity also seeps into my movement practice, whether its flowing intuitively to the music on my yoga-inspired playlist, or having a spontaneous dance party with a whole lot of  drama and feeling in my basement. 

Exercise your right-side brain through doing something creative each day.

It can also be painting, drawing, playing in a instrument, making a recipe, writing poetry or a story, taking pictures, posting on social media something of a little meaning, or anything else that moves you from a place of consumer to creator. 

Instead of allowing life to just happen to you, make something of your own doing.  In whatever form or outlet that takes for you, let go of expectations, allow yourself to fall into a state of flow, and let whatever comes up, come out and into the world. 

Creativity is NOT a gift or talent that is reserved only for “artists.” Rather, creativity is a muscle, that can be strengthened and honed through regular practice. Making a commitment to exercising your creative muscle, tapping into the right hemisphere of your brain, may increase your resilience, your productivity, and your mental and emotional well-being.

Creative tasks allow us to enter a state of meditative focus and flow, and in turn allow us greater insight into our thoughts and internal feelings that we may have difficulty processing or expressing otherwise.

Putting These Things into Practice

How you go about tackling each of these aspects is up to you-- maybe you improvise a little, finding ways to incorporate each one as the day goes on, or maybe you pencil each in at different, specific times, if you think you may need a little more motivation.  Whatever you choose, be realistic. 

Still spending my days in my PJ’s doing “unproductve things” like lazing around with Jaeda

Think about how you usually feel at different times of the day.  If you know you are ready for a nap by 4 PM, it may NOT be the hour to schedule in exercise.  If you have been staying up late watching Modern Family every night, committing to meditate as the sun is coming up also might be stretching it.  

For myself, I haven’t been holding myself to any firm schedule.  When I wake up, I think of my day in terms of chunks, and then I think of what I need to do and in which “chunk” it might fit best.

For example, I do my lesson planning in the morning after breakfast, go for a walk and phone a friend when its the sunniest time of the afternoon, and spend a few hours before dinner writing and blogging.

This sounds quite productive, and many days I feel quite accomplished by the time I’m sitting in front of another Game of Thrones episode with my family.

However, there are still several hours of the day that I am doing whatever little tasks or less-productive activities catch my interest— from doing the laundry I’ve been putting off for weeks, watching netflix, doing handstands around the house, and more often than I care to admit, mindlessly scrolling social media.

But what can I say?

I am human, and this pandemic has shaken all of us out of our routines. We are all getting used to the new normal. And in light of that, we should be giving ourselves and each other the time and space to adjust and adapt to whatever that looks like for each of us.

What has happened to your daily routine during Covid-19?

What commitments have you made, or do you want to make, to help you adjust to this new normal?

Keep on keeping on,

Jordan

xoxox