On Friday, March 13th, my husband and I had a serious talk... We talked about the spread of Covid-19 and my compromised immune system. Based solely on good judgement, we decided we needed to bunker down at home and play it safe. Since then, we have made one trip to the grocery store, one trip to the pharmacy, and I had to go to work on Monday the 16th. Effective the 17th, my company decided to move all of it's employees to work from home status until further notice. Since then, we have been under self isolation.
We have had people laugh, tell us we are overreacting, assume that we must have it if we're staying home, and also, thankfully, some people who are very understanding and supportive.
I have gone on some extreme ups and downs over the past few weeks. My anxiety has been high, my hair has been dirty, and my sleep has been more sporadic than normal. I know that I'm not alone. The emotional strain of this isn't just limited to those with anxiety, but it sure does activate our existing fears.
To try and combat my growing anxiety, I've implemented a few things and thought I would share them with my readers in hopes that they will help you as well.
First, I enacted a schedule. Nothing makes me more calm and collected than a firm schedule. I am working from home at this time, but things are extremely slow and it's making it hard to keep focused. My schedule has helped break up the otherwise laborious day. I've heard the reports that starting your day as if you are going into the office will increase your productivity, but ya girl struggles to wake up, so that's just not happening for me. So, I wake up around 8:15 and give myself just enough time for a quick snooze of the alarm before I'm out of bed, letting the dog outside, taking my medicine and booting up my computer. The mornings have somehow been going by fast - I think it's thanks to the influx of emails to sort through and the news updates. By noon, I am ready to stretch - it's the perfect time for lunch. I mute my work computer, take a quick five minute fresh air break, and have some lunch - typically while standing at the kitchen counter. I try to break the afternoon up with multiple fresh air breaks, puppy snuggles, stretches, quick scrolls through Tik Tok and calls with my best friend. I also use my 30 minute lunch break to either shower or take a nap - whichever seems more necessary. I've also been watching quite a lot of Netflix... time goes by a lot faster when you're powering through five seasons of a new show.
I've been trying to keep my evenings and weekends busy and productive. What I don't want is to lounge around until I get into a depressive state, which will then just maximize sloth-like tendencies. So, I've made a list of things I can accomplish around the house that are either the "rainy day" type cleaning activities we put off, home improvement projects we've been wanting to get done, or things those "no time like the present" things I've been meaning to get to.
Here's my current list:
-Catch up on laundry
-Throw out expired makeup
-Reorganize my bookshelves
-Rake and bag up the leaves in the yard
-Finish all of my half-written blog posts
-Do puzzles
-File taxes
-Clear out the spare room
-Organize the attic
-Regrout the shower
-Learn how to sew
-Finish painting the office
-Clean the windows, inside and out
-Learn to curl my hair with a flat iron
-Clear out my camera roll on my phone
-Practice painting my nails
-Vacuum out my car
-Write letters to friends and family
-Wipe down inside and outside of kitchen cupboards
-Clean and organize fridge
-Wipe down stove and microwave
-Organize my files and shred what's no longer necessary
-Wipe down all ceiling fan blades
What things are you doing to keep busy, to keep sane? How are you keeping your fears, anxieties, and concerns at bay?