The current normal has changed a lot of things. Even though I always dreamed of taking a long beak from work (I was actually planning on taking a month off for my big birthday month), I haven’t been enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I have this constant anxiety about needing to do MORE. It’s very hard to just be and do the things I enjoy doing.
I like this question someone on social media asked: “What would I do if it were vacation? How would I treat myself during this time?”. This is the perfect opportunity to take care of myself, establish healthy habits, eat home cooked meals and spend time learning all the things I always wanted to study. Here are some current practices I’m doing:
Morning Rituals
The way I start my mornings now that I’m home all the time, really sets the tone on my mood and how the day is going to go. This involves waking up before hubs so I can have some quiet time meditating (I love guided meditations from Simple Habit), stretching, breathing and making my tea. Recently I started experimenting getting up an hour earlier and going for a power walk first thing in the morning, straight out of bed. Seems that fresh air, movement (and occasional sunshine) is a winning combo.
Smoothie A Day
Since I am not moving as much as I was when working in the office (walking to/back from work, taking multiple walking breaks throughout the day, running around the office) green smoothie a day helps me get so many nutrients in, keeps my body alkaline and waistline in check.
Daily yoga
This has been a tough one, but a MUST. I’ve never been the workout at home type of girl and I’ve tried for years to make that habit stick. It still hasn’t. But I can trick myself into it by saying I’ll just do a Child’s Pose and some Cats and Cows. Once I’m on the mat I usually keep going for at least 20 mins.
Meditation
I’m using a new app, The Simple Habit, that my place of work gave us a subscription for because of the Covid-19 crisis and the stress it may have brought, and I really like it. They have all different types of series of meditations for different purposes, time of the day, length and so on. I’ve been doing the Good Morning ones for 5 mins upon waking up as well as Deep Sleep series in bed before falling asleep. Most of us breath very shallow and meditation helps me focus on deep breathing and staying present without worrying about my future to-do list.
Yoga and smoothies have definitely been helping me through this time!
Yoga has most definitely been helping! Thanks for the other tips!