Staying Healthy and Sane While Social Distancing

While I’ve made jokes about our social distancing being no different than my everyday home-body life, this whole Corona Virus thing has really taken a toll on our family just as it has the rest of the world. Even though we have always home schooled and my hubby has been working from home for about a year now, we are still having to make adjustments and sacrifices for the greater good. Our home schooling has never been entirely home focused. My kiddos participate in activities ranging from art and drama classes, to gymnastics, co ops and fun field trips to farms and nature centers. I used to frequent the gym for my “me time” as well as participate in bible studies and “girls’ nights” hosted at my home. My husband also loves the gym and playing softball. We are active members of our church which has now switched to live streaming each Sunday morning. These are strange times. My daughter watches YouTube art videos, and my kids have “play dates” and “family visits” on video on our phone. This may be one of the only times you will find me praising technological advances rather than grumbling about technology taking over.

All this to say, I find myself and my family on an emotional roller coaster ranging from extreme highs (as we try to make fun memories in this mess) to lows (while we continued to get updates of all our favorite activities disappearing before our eyes).

So, how do we stay sane and even possibly thrive during this time of social distancing and limited outings?!

I am NO expert. I am not a doctor or a phycologist. As stated before, I have had my low moments through all of this and we are just beginning to understand what this virus is going to do to our daily life. These are just some of the things we have implemented (or continued to keep up with) as our world changes before our very eyes.

How we are attempting to stay healthy (physically and emotionally) during the Corona Virus craziness:

1.Quiet time: This may seem counter productive when we are already feeling so incredibly isolated but quiet time is a must for our family. I believe that one thing we can embrace during these trying times is that we are being forced to slow down. Yes, I got excited about all the time I would have to tackle that at-home to-do list for one hot second. Then, I realized that God was telling me to be still and know that HE is God. He is in control and I can and should turn to Him in my times of trouble… rather than immediately run to my list of things to do.

I find that there are 2 times during the day when I am most likely to have peace and quiet. The first is in the early morning. I wake before the kiddos and I get my workout in, do yoga and breathing techniques to calm my soul. I also spend time in the word and time praying to Jesus. I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me so that I have the strength to do the things I can not do on my own.

The second time we have quiet time is in the afternoon. When my kiddos stopped napping (around the age of 3) we never gave up that afternoon quiet time. I told the kids they can play or read or do whatever their heart desired as long as they were in their rooms and they were quiet enough for mommy to take a nap. This quiet time (at about 1pm each day) has not only been a life saver for me, but it has also been a wonderful learning experience for the kids. They need quiet time whether they know it or not. They need to learn to entertain themselves AND take a break from each other. I find that if we skip quiet time my kids don’t get along as well. They need that time to themselves to reset and refresh just as much as I do. I am then able to take a nap (if I’m dragging from being up early), or read a book, do some chores without being interrupted, spend more time in the word… whatever I desire to do during that time.

2. Get out of the house and into nature! When we can’t run errands, or go to art class, or church, it’s more important than ever to still get out. Thankfully our best option has not been added to the list of things we can’t do. We can always go outside and be in nature! I make an effort of going for a family walk each day. We walk on nature or bike trails or we go to a big field by the park with a bunch of outdoor toys and run around and breath in the fresh air.

I also make sure the kiddos go outside more than just our daily walk. They ride their scooters or bikes, play with chalk, balls, frisbees, and more! The more sunshine and fresh air they get, the better. And you know they have boundless energy… way more than I have! So, the more they can get out the better.

Our homes are full of toxins and one of the best things we can do for our mental and physical health is to get outside, get some fresh air and vitamin D!… which brings me to my next tip.

3. Diffuse some oils and open the windows: Thankfully this virus hasn’t hit us in the dead of winter. So I make a point to open the windows for at least a little bit each day. I also diffuse different oils depending on my mood. Check out this post on the benefits of diffusing oils. Lavender is great for calming. Some other great oils to diffuse when feeling anxious are tranquility, joyful moments, and calming. I also love using purify in when cleaning. I sprinkle some on the floor when moping, or on my wool laundry dryer balls. Attention assist is a family favorite when we are all sitting around doing school together. Immune Strength is a wonderful oil to diffuse when we are feeling sick.

4. Take your vitamins: I don’t use a TON of supplements (you can read here what I usually take on a daily basis). I feel like supplements are there to supplement a good diet, not make up for a bad one. I take a daily whole food multivitamin, and I make sure to have plenty of fish oil from a quality source since we may be getting less vitamin D these days. I also like to have elderberry on hand and zinc to help us get over colds and flu symptoms a little faster. I have also been supplementing with Ashwagandha lately after researching anxiety as well as auto immune disorders. Lastly, I’ve been taking a beef liver supplement since we don’t eat enough organ meat (in my humble opinion) 😉

5. Move your body: The hubby and I recently added some heavier weights to our at home gym when all the gyms closed up shop. Lifting weights might not be your idea of a good time but for us it’s our favorite way to exercise. You may like walking, running, yoga, or playing with your kids at the park. Whatever you like to do to move your body, having your local gym close shouldn’t be an excuse to stop. Exercise is not only beneficial to your physical body but it’s mentally beneficial as well. Even if you aren’t exercising at the same rate or level you were before this whole Corona Virus thing went down, if you keep up some form of movement each day your body will thank you. There are tons of free apps and you tube videos if you enjoy following along to instructed videos. It’s totally free so cost shouldn’t be an obstacle to staying fit. And parks are always free. 🙂 One of my favorite home workout routines has free videos on YouTube where you can follow along with Ashley Conrad as your “trainer”. Check it out here.

6. Eat Real Food: So, what is real food? Well, that’s up for debate, but I strongly believe that just about any diet (whether vegan, vegetarian, paleo or what have you) CAN be healthy if you are eating quality whole foods that are closest to how God created them… meaning the less processed the better. I know it’s near impossible to make everything from scratch and we don’t live in “Little House in the Prairie” times but the closer we can get to the natural way food is made the better. Stumped on what to make for dinner? Check out my main dishes recipe page or general recipe page for ideas. Yes, some of the recipes call for pasta, or organic flour but most of them are as close to the real deal as you can get. 🙂 We don’t eat 100% whole foods (for example, when we go out for pizza as a family), but we try to stock our home with as much whole foods as possible. Check out this post to see “what’s in my kitchen”.

7. Don’t eat too much junk: This may seem like I’m repeating myself here but I know desperate times call for desperate measures. We are living in a time now where it’s recommended we have enough food and supplies to last us a couple weeks (at least) in case we need to self quarantine. So our family likes to have not so junky fun foods that will last longer than our usual fresh foods. Our family FAVORITE is Nick’s Sticks. They are a great source of protein yet have no MSG, no sugar, no added nitrates, no junk!

We also love Lesser Evil Popcorn for our go to snack food. It’s a great high volume snack. Jackson Honest Chips are another favorite. I love that both Jackson Honest and Lesser Evil use quality coconut oil rather than canola oil (or other cheap junky oil). These snacks will last on the shelf longer than whole foods and they are fun to eat so we don’t feel like we are depriving ourselves in times when we feel stressed. I don’t recommend “eating your feelings” but it’s nice to have some healthier treats around when you are feeling snacky. I get these and other healthier snacks through Thrive Market. I save a ton of money shopping with them and they deliver right to your doorstep. If you are signing up for the first time and go through this link you can get 40% off your first order. Check out this post to see some of my favorite Thrive Market finds. They have some awesome dark chocolate too!

8. Load up on immune boosting foods: We are making sure that our home cooked meals consist of healthy vegetables, fermented foods, and bone broth. I cook up a whole chicken every week and use the bones to make bone broth. This is an amazing immune boosting food.

We always have frozen veggies, and fruits like blueberries and cherries in the freezer (since they are not always in season). Then we don’t have to worry about them going bad before we can eat them all. Costco has been a life saver in the frozen organic veggie and fruit department. If you think more about what you can eat rather than focusing on what you can’t, life becomes much more fun. The more variety and color in your diet the more vitamins, so eat the rainbow (and I’m not talking about Skittles 😉 ).

9. Don’t feel bad when you do want to indulge: The worst thing you can do after enjoying some of your favorite foods is feel bad about yourself afterwards. Our family strives to eat as healthy as possible most of the time but then we don’t beat ourselves up or go overtime on the treadmill the day after enjoying something indulgent. Check out my post on “How I Do Cheat Meals” to read more about my philosophy on why it’s not “cheating” when you enjoy your food.

10. Make Memories: Hopefully one day we are going to look back on this time in history and think “remember when we had to….” or “remember the fun we had when…”

We have family night every Wednesday and it hasn’t stopped because of this virus. We have also added more bored games, more conversations around the fireplace, more crafts, more nature walks, more family workouts, more of anything that will make us look back and hopefully remember the good times more than the bad.

My daughter and I have had to remind each other each day that “yes, this stinks and things we normally enjoy are cancelled BUT we can choose to make this time more fun than it is right now if we just sit around and mope” AND one day when things hopefully return back to a little more normal, we might just appreciate the every day simple things a little more. We will go to the grocery store again as a family, we will drive across country to visit extended family, we will go to a movie theater, we will have art class, and gymnastics, and girls’ night again and we will hopefully not take these things for granted. This time of social distancing will hopefully make our family stronger AND remind us that we can always find peace in God and trust in Him… always.

11. Come together as a community. We may feel socially distant but there are still so many ways we can help each other as a community. Doing so will not only help those around you but make your heart feel a little better each day. As we pitch in to help others we are less likely to loose hope as we see the news rant about “toilet paper hoarders” and all the other evils out there.

We can all do our part no matter how young we are. We can share extra supplies we may have with other families. Our friends have been texting to see if there is anything we may need when we are out grocery shopping. We can get groceries for someone who is older and may be afraid to shop. There are restaurants in my community giving away free meals to kids who are home from school and may not be able to afford a meal. People are making mask to help with the shortage. We can give blood when we are feeling healthy. Even allowing your kiddos to video chat with extended family who may be far away and get limited visitors can brighten their day (and your kids). Anything positive you can do, no matter how small, can make a difference in the lives of others and yourself.

Our family has a clothing ministry for kids in need called The Lower Room 2. If you are in the Rochester, MN area and have a need or know someone who is in need, please contact me and I will get them what I can. Also, if you have donations we have a drop site so you can contact me for more information. Thank you in advance for considering a donation to The Lower Room 2.

You can contact me via e-mail at livingcleanandfit@yahoo.com or facebook.

12. Unplug. I’m usually the first one in my family to say “AHH! TOO MANY SCREENS!” yet during this time, I find myself gravitating towards the news and vegging out on Netflix far too often. I have to remind myself to unplug and keep my mind active with other activities.

We have been making an effort to do more puzzles, play more bored games, bake more, have more conversations, and read more books. The one bonus to the library being closed is that we stocked up on books right before they cloesd and they aren’t due for a LONG time. So now I have TONS of extra time to read a bunch of books that have been on my reading list for quite some time now.

Maybe pick up that hobby you didn’t have time for before rather than picking up the remote.

Too much news cab cause anxiety. While it’s important to stay informed, I don’t need to hear the exact number of cases of Corona Virus in each and every state when I already know the numbers are rising each day. I am trying to choose to focus on the positive but still make informed choices to keep us healthy and well.

Unplugging from screens before bed will also help you to sleep better and who doesn’t need more sleep? Getting 7-9 hours is essential for good health. You can play around to see how much sleep you need to feel your best in everyday life. Naps are always good too. 😉

Well, that’s about all I have for how we are trying to stay sane in this insane time. My friends and I have been joking lately (not to make light of the situation but because laughter is healing).

One of my friends joked the other day that it feels like we are in a YA novel and some teenage girl will fix this whole Corona Virus thing soon but first she has to decide which boy to date out of the two who have a crush on her.

Another friend was commenting on how there are limits to buying items (like eggs and milk) in stores and it makes it tough for large families to get what they need. We aren’t hording, we are just trying to get what we usually eat in a week. Our solution is having our husband go in and buy items separate from us so we have enough eggs to last us the week. She joked that the new date night is “walk into store like we don’t know each other… buy limited number items and meet back at the car and drive to the same house. So sexy!”

It’s the funny truth though! My hubby and I will be celebrating our 14 year anniversary this week. Our plans were to go out on a nice date night but that quickly changed. We ended up planning to get takeout and eating in the dining room while our kids watch a movie. We also quickly ran out to buy our favorite anniversary dessert (ice cream cake from Dairy Queen) because we were afraid that they would close before our anniversary. Thankfully they are still going strong. I guess everyone still needs ice cream, even in the midst of a viral pandemic. 🙂 Oh, and I plan on changing out of my yoga pants to put on real clothes and makeup. Now that’s living!

Seriously though, we do plan to make memories in the mess and to try and stay positive. I know there are people out there who had to cancel weddings or vacation plans. Some people are worried about losing their jobs or small business, or may be quarantined due to their age or an underlying illness or disease. My heart goes out to all of you. I am by no means downplaying how hard this may be on some individuals or families. This list is just my way of sharing some things that we are trying to do… some days are better than others. We are all just doing our best to stay sane and healthy in uncertain times.

Thank you for reading this and feel free to make comments or ask questions in the comment section below. If you have any tips, please feel free to share the love!

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