With all that's going on in the world, it can be difficult to adjust to the new ways of living and being. Its easy get off track from your daily routine, which can mess up the overall flow of things. With the current worldly conditions, our stress levels are at an all time high, and many of us are running around on "fumes". Pre-Covid 19, we routinely worked outside of the home/in the home, mothered/fathered, cared for our elders, attended school/college on a daily basis. Now that our primary place of work is at home, the shift from taking care of your responsibilities to taking care of yourself, may have blurred a bit. I'm not saying tips will be the answer to all your worries, but I'm saying being intentional with taking time out for yourself everyday, can be a start. If you agree with these tips or have any you'd like to share, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Enjoy :-)
Set an alarm: So, let's say your "work day" starts at 09:00am, but you have other responsibilities that requires you to rise early morning. Being intentional with setting time aside for yourself in the morning, can be the difference between having a good day or great day! Working from home can cause interference with taking your lunch, as it is easy to work all day, and forget to take a break. Set an alarm for your lunch time and be sure to use up that time to eat, to relax, to be still. It's your time, use it wisely. At the end of the day, before you go back into "mommy mode", "caregiver mode", etc, set at least 30 minutes between shifts to just do nothing. This will give your mind and body a little time to debrief and collect yourself from the days work. It can be difficult finding quiet time with young children in the home. Try playing a little game of "who can keep quiet for 30 minutes" with the kiddos. Kids love games, and will have fun knowing that you're having fun with them.
Take a break outside: if this is possible, just take a little time outside to be "one" with nature. Just taking your mind and body away from being indoors all day, can give you just the right amount of "pick me up" needed to continue on with the remaining of your day.
Listening to music: Studies have shown positive effects of listening to smooth, calming music does wonders on calming the mind and body down. Who would turn down at least 30 minutes of soft music? I know I wouldn't.
Catching your breath: This simply means being intentional with setting time aside to practice mindful/deep breathing. Of course, we're breathing throughout the day, but are we practicing "mindful breathing". This type of breathing helps us to focus on each inhale and exhale we take, and encourage us to be "in the moment" which ultimately causes us to relax.
Exercising: As we all know, exercising can help you with releasing stress and tension from the day, which will improve your overall wellbeing. So, if your going to use your 30 minutes, spend it moving y0ur body. Exercising does not have to be "boring", turn on your favorite tunes, and start jamming.
"Relax, you got this."