If you are able to work from home and have no children, then it is not so difficult & here are 10 quick tips on staying sane during your quarantine:
(If you have children, these 10 also apply but I will add some tips from my parent friends at the end 😉 ) :
- Keep your work schedule (eg. 9 to 5 ) : the key here is to keep your brain in a “normal” healthy and manageable routine.
- Make sure you take breaks every 45 mins (if you drink tons of water you’ll need to pee 😉 )
- Stretch & move every time you take those breaks: here are some videos that can guide you: (2 min in desk stretch video)
- Agree with your team on an efficient communication channel.
I chose slack text but I’m also 100% open to video calls at any time, that way we can tackle things fast and be connected both personally and professionally.
Big recommendation: turn on your camera, one of my coworkers brought it up and it is true, it makes us more sane to communicate while seeing each other. - If possible connect to your router through a wire, internet is faster and more stable than wireless. 😉
- Take lunch break, take the time to plan and cook your meals.
It is healthy and also makes you conscious that you don’t need to go nuts grocery shopping, you have all you need to survive for some time, and if you need to you can always go to the super markets (they will stay open throughout the quarantine time) and get what you need.
But it is important to keep everyone else in your mind, not everyone can afford to buy it all at once and we need to keep supplies available for all. Buy only what you need for one or two weeks. - Add indoor activities to your afternoon & evening.
Pick 1 or 2 things you wanted to do “but you never had the time”: eg. read for a couple hours with a cup of tea, practice yoga, learn to code 😉 , cook vegan meals, etc.. This is a great moment to put your mind into something you wanted to do but never had the excuse to do so. - Stay active. If you are in strict quarantine and not able to go for a walk to an open space outdoors at a time streets might be empty.
Then search on youtube home workout routines, just adding 20 mins of “movement” day will change your health. This is also important for your immune system.
If you are not fan of yoga or any of the youtube videos for indoor workouts, you can commit to your own routine: eg. 100 squats, 100 ab crunches, 50 pushups, 10 1-min planks.. you decide. But stay active. - Meditate, I know easier said that done, but here are some apps that can help you with guided 5-10 min meditation (some are even free!): headspace, Insight timer, Serenity: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness(free both in ios & android).
- Limit your social media consumption, social media can be an addiction you pick up during this time and it is not healthy for your mind or body, putting a side that there is tons of incorrect information being shared at the moment. So watch news, do your own research and stay calm creating a good environment at home.
** For weekends, allow yourself to wake up later, stay in pjs for longer and be a day with no strict schedule but allow yourself to think and plan what you want to do that weekend. Because you will have to adapt to the quarantine setup.
For those who have children at home (tips from friends who have children):
- Explain them what is happening: ” we are helping the world avoid the spread of a virus that can be dangerous for some sick and vulnerable people, it is not dangerous for you or us because you have a strong immune system (cells that fight bad viruses) in your body to fight it just like it fights a flue or anytime you get sick, but there are people in our community who are a bit less strong and need us to stay healthy to avoid getting it from us….”
The point is finding a good explanation easy to understand that doesn’t scare them but makes them understand the purpose of the quarantine and how important their role is in it. - Build a schedule/ routine for them and share it with them as a plan for the next weeks.
This can include, continuing with what they are learning at school, getting their homework book advanced a bit, deciding together what would they like to learn this week: the planets? the human body? math? don’t be scared all resources you need are online just google it and you’ll find it. - If you are parenting with a partner: Take Parenting shifts, agree with your partner hours to be the ones fully present and responsible for children’s entertainment, care and education. (2 hours shift are usually the best).
If you are single parenting, then try to find activities where they can keep self entertain for small stretches of time, even while being in the same room or space make sure there are moments each can be doing their own thing without interruption for at least 40 mins at the time. - Add creativity boosting activities: like reading, knitting, drawing, painting, learning a dance choreography, making bracelets (from whatever thread you have at home ) One good friend created a hunting game that made their kids entertained for 2 hrs XD hiding a list of 20 toys around the house and giving them a paper with the list of toys they had to find and write down where they found them *the one that found the most was the winner of a cupcake or something.
Children need this to stay sane, their brains are developing so much in so many ways that you need to feed them with creative activities. Again best way to find them: google it! : ” creative indoor activities for children age___ “. - Add time and breaks for active challenges: eg. who can last the longer standing on one foot, or doing more squats, or going up and down the stairs.. etc etc.. you can also google: indoor workouts for children.
- At night create a stable calming bed time routine and shower/bathe them with warm water at night.
I hope this tips help you as much as they are helping me staying sane for so long being indoors and so abruptly having to change my habits and daily routines.
Resources:
Favorite online YOGA classes (for beginners):
Yoga with Adriene , short efficient yoga sessions, easy for beginners and good to follow at home.
To boost your immune system 😉 Yoga Immunity Boosting Routine: Flu-proof (open level)
En español: Xuan Lan Yoga . (she is actually practicing in what used to be my studio in mexico city 😀 )
Keep yourself updated on Coronavirus outbreak numbers per country: Worldometer.info
The Yogi Coder 