Being isolated is hard on your emotions as well as physically. Here are some things that might help:
1)
Create a Healthy, Supportive Routine
When we feel powerless or helpless (as so many of
us do at the moment), one EXTREMELY easy thing to do is to create a routine or
schedule.
While we're all stuck in anxiously waiting at home,
it's easy to lose our sense of time. Days can begin to blend into each other. A
routine can give us an anchor and greater sense of control over our lives.
And
if you have children, creating a routine is especially important to give them a
sense of normality.
This routine or schedule can be as simple as:
- 7 am - Wake-up
- 8 am - Breakfast
- 10 am - Exercise
- 11 am - Talk to friends
- 12 pm - Lunch
- 1 - 4 pm - Learn or a hone project
- 5 pm - Make & eat dinner
- 7 pm - Talk to your family
- 8 pm - Reading or journaling
- 10 pm - Bed
.
Be sure to include food preparation, social time,
exercise and outdoor time and some learning or creativity so you get some benefit
from this challenging time.
It's also important to recognize weekends because
it's too easy for weeks to blur together. So, make a looser schedule for your
weekends. For example, you could include:
- Sleeping in/later bedtime
- Brunch
- "Treats"
- Movie night with popcorn
- A virtual happy hour with friends or colleagues
- A larger project, perhaps some art, craft, gardening or home redecoration.
So, create a routine for a sense of control and
mastery over your environment and life circumstances. Reclaim what power you
can over your own life, because with all this uncertainty it's important for
you - and especially important for children - to have predictability.
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2)
Build Your Physical Strength, Fitness Levels or Flexibility!
Building your physical strength is powerful and
health-boosting! Not only is physical strength and flexibility life-affirming
and good for our health, but feeling more physically powerful actually
helps us feel more empowered and less helpless in life too!
Add some physical activity into your schedule - as
little as 15 minutes daily. Maybe by the end of this you'll be fitter or even
be able to do 10 (or 100!) press-ups!
There are many options to boost your physical
strength and health. Here are some ideas:
- Take up a yoga practice - excellent for strength-building,
flexibility - and calm! There are lots of online options. Here is one with
everything from 10 minutes for beginners to an advanced practice. Sarah Beth Yoga on Youtube has more (free) yoga videos than I can count
- Learn do a press-up or push-up. Then see if you can get to 10 (or
more - depending on where you start)!
- There are so many online fitness classes on Youtube - for
beginners, experts - with equipment and also with no equipment whatsoever.
PopSugar Fitness has many options to choose from.
REMEMBER: BEing stronger = FEELING stronger and
more in control! And building your PHYSICAL strength or fitness = REDUCED
feelings of helplessness!
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3)
Explore your Life Vision:
Rather than watching endless news streams, you can
choose to focus on a bigger picture - your future. What do you want from the
rest of your life? What would you be disappointed you did NOT do? Where do you
envision yourself in 10 years?
Having a clear vision of how you want your
life to be is a powerful motivator. A vision helps us work towards our goals,
take action and make change. Soon, we'll all be super-busy again - and a vision
might be just what you need stay focused!
Here are 5 questions to ponder or journal around to
go deeper:
- What do you desire or yearn for in your life?
- How do you want to feel?
- What do you really, really want to be different in your life?
- What would have happened in 3 years time such that your life is
spectacular and you feel magnificent about yourself?
- What's your dream for this lifetime? Imagine you're 90 years old
and looking back over your life; what did you do that made you proud and
happy?
TIP: Remember to think possibility not
probability! Don't limit yourself and your ideas because you don't believe
something is likely. Instead believe it's possible - and even if you don't get
all the way there, you may get close - or even find something better along the
way!
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4)
Start a Journal!
If you've always wanted to journal, now is a good
time to start. More than just keeping a record of your day, a journal can help
you explore and sift through your feelings and experiences and learn from them.
It's a great way to get to know you.
It's great to choose a beautiful notebook, but the
most important thing is to just get started. Here are some prompts to get
started with:
- Today I am feeling _________. I think this is because __________.
- One big thing I have learned during this crisis is _________.
- I remember the last time I was stuck in the house _________.
- One thing that's surprised me recently is _________.
- What matters most to me in life is _________.
- Describe your ideal day _________.
"A journal is expressive by nature and it
contains feelings, emotions, problems, ponderings and it is more reflective on
the meaning of life being lived." Lynda Monk
You may find this How to Journal
article ( https://iajw.org/how-to-journal-complete-guide) from the IAJW (International
Association for Journal Writing) helpful to get you started.
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5)
De-Clutter
I bet you have some organizational things on your
to-do list (like going through winter clothes, sorting out toys to donate or
tidying the laundry closet, garage or shed) that have been on there for a
while. Use this isolation period to get them done!
Getting organized and de-cluttering allows us to
exert some control over our lives - and therefore feel less helpless! Plus, it
will feel amazing just to have it done.
Organize your closets, your garage, your books,
your photos, office, kitchen equipment. Whatever needs organizing. Or perhaps
you need to go through your receipts or file your taxes!
A simple 3 Step Method to go through your stuff:
1. If you're keeping it, be sure to DECIDE where it will
"live" from now on.
2. If you're not keeping it, create two piles:
Things to GET RID Of
Things to DONATE (and if relevant to pass on to specific people)
3. When you're done, put each pile into bags or boxes, and then once the crisis is over yo ucan get rid of what you no longer need.
- TIP: You don't need to do any of this 'in one sitting', do an hour
a day - you'll be surprised how much you get done if you keep it up for a
week!
*** As a
special gift to you – Organizational Consulting Services is offering $ 10/hr OFF of their Virtual Organizing services now
through the end of May.
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Check out our website: www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
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6)
Send "Real" Snail Mail Letters or Cards
Go old-fashioned. Who doesn't love to receive a
lovely card or handwritten letter in their mailbox! Rediscover the lost art of
letter-writing and make someone's day.
Yes, you could send an email appreciating someone,
and that's great. But imagine your recipient's face as they pick up that hand-written
card in the mailbox.
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Wondering what to say? Write from the heart! Here are some ideas to get started:
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- I really appreciate having you in my life because ________.
- I love hanging out with you when we ________.
- I've realized that you bring ________ to my life.
- I miss seeing you. Let’s make a plan to get together when this
crisis is over.
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7)
Begin a Meditation Practice
Meditation is a practice that has been proven
scientifically to calm us, help us be more creative and be happier (for
starters). It's extremely beneficial.
There is a lot to learn about meditation - and it's
called a Meditation Practice for a reason. But it's also not as hard as
it sounds. You can start with as little as 5 minutes a day - and it's good to
build a routine, so you meditate at the same time every day.
Get a book on
"Meditation for Beginners" or go to Youtube or Google and search for
"How to Meditate". Another good place to start is "Metta"
or "Loving Kindness" meditation. Again, search online and you'll have
lots of options to choose from.
It helps to have a quiet space without
interruptions - which many of us don't have at the moment. And for some people,
trying to meditate when anxious can be stressful. If this is the case,
listen to a relaxing guided meditation instead.
Another idea is to listen to a sleep meditation or
"Body Scan Meditation" before going to sleep.
If you are interested in a short 7 minute Guided
Meditation to help you relax – send us an email with “Guided
Meditation” in the subject line and we will send you a link to a
relaxing Guided Meditation that will help calm and relax you.
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*** If you are interested in a FREE Discovery Coaching Session to help you figure out
what your next step will be – just email or fill out the contact form on our
website.
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Less Clutter = Less Stress SM in your home, your
business and your life
Organizational
Consulting Services
