6 Way to Stay Connected and Sane When You’re ‘Stuck at Home’
At some point in your life you’ll probably be ‘stuck at home’ for some long period/s of time.
Whether you’re social distancing due to coronavirus, you have an infant that limits your ability to leave the house, or you’re taking care of a loved one or relative, staying home can be harder than it sounds unless you build some sort of routine that makes you feel connected, happy, and productive.
As a homebody, I don’t mind spending most of my days at home, but even I can get a little stir crazy. The first time I was ‘stuck at home’ for a few weeks was following my husband’s ACL surgery a few years back. I had no idea that this was a pretty accurate glimpse of life at home with a newborn, and also with kids during quarantine (each experience harder than the last).
During these experiences, I learned how difficult it can be to maintain self-discipline, satisfying relationships, and a general sense of fulfillment and happiness, but I also found ways to overcome this.
Here are my 6 best tips for staying sane when ‘stuck at home’:
- Get ready in the morning. Most importantly, get dressed and make your bed. Even just changing from pajamas to leggings and a sweatshirt can make all the difference. And make your bed so you’re not tempted to take a nap later. I find it better to just ‘commit to the day’ (as I call it) when I wake up, otherwise the day just kind of feels ‘blah.’
- Eat a real breakfast. It can be so tempting to just kind of snack on a few different little things in the morning, especially if you’re not a breakfast person. I’ve recently realized that the trick (at least for me) is finding one substantial thing that I look forward to that fills me up and is actually healthy. That used to be buckwheat pancakes, and now it’s a banana shake. Eat or drink whatever feels best to start your day.
- Do a quick workout at home. Regardless of whether the gyms are closed or you just don’t have the opportunity to go, come up with a few workout routines you can do from home. They don’t have to be anything super intense, and you can get your kids involved if you can’t sneak away to a quiet room. It’ll help you physically, mentally, and emotionally to move in some way- use some weights, resistance bands, or body weight and move for 30 minutes.
- Talk with friends and family regularly. I have a standing Thursday night Zoom with two girlfriends, and regular phone calls with a few groups of other friends on a monthly basis. Honestly, sometimes I’d rather just watch something on TV and not join in, but I always feel so much better after a quality conversation, and if we’re using webcams, it gives me a reason to put on an actual outfit.
- Go outside. Sit on your porch, or go on a short walk. Even if it’s just for 20 minutes. Seeing the sunlight, waving to people who pass by, being in nature, it’s really good for the soul, and 20 minutes is really all it takes.
- Do date night indoors. When you’re married with kids, it’s hard to build in quality time with your spouse unless it’s deliberate, and when you can’t go out on dates it’s easy to be complacent. So recently I invested in our first date night box, and we’ve also looked into some Airbnb experiences that we could participate in from our home with people around the world. Our go-to date night lately is ordering from our favorite local restaurants and watching the sunset in front of our house after the kids go to bed. Whether you’re at home with family, a roommate, or a spouse, there are always creative ways to build in some fun.
I know it’s not ideal being cooped up at home, but there are times in life that require it. I’ve come to realize that if you can find a way to stop fighting against it and find some positive ways to adjust, you just might come out of the experience with some new home-based hobbies and habits that are pretty great.
Happy living, much love, and take care.
Photo by Valeria Ushakova from Pexels