SELF-CARE: 6 ways to take care of yourself during these crazy times

You know the saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup”? Well, this was never so true. In a time where we are all challenged with working from home, having our kids 24/7 depending on us, are confined at home, and/or without the possibility of just taking a night out to drink the stress away have fun; stopping and taking care of us was never so important.

We all know that this quarantine isn’t being as easy as we thought it would be. Especially mentally and physically. Because of this Covid-19 pandemic we are confined to our houses (many of those small ones) and aren’t allowed to have a lot of our old ways to decompress: go out for a walk, a dinner, have a drink with friends, go to the library, the spa, the beauty salon, the gym… But don’t worry, I’m here today to pass you a few small ways you can take care of yourself during this quarantine and get back to feel a little more like yourself:

Routines

Yes, even if we feel like we have all the time in the day and we can take a day at a time and figure it out hourly what we are into doing, this only results for a few weeks. If you’re in quarantine for more than a month, like me, you are already losing your mind for some normality. So, the more important thing to do is: create a routine. Include in it some time for your perfect morning routine (going to talk more about this in a future post), for some physical activity (there a lot of exercises you can do at home), sleep, meals, social and fun time. Oh and work, but that you must already have a schedule for, right? If not, just include it in the time of the day where you usually feel more productive.

READ ALSO: #Liveyourdreamlife: How to change your mindset to have the life you truly desire

Water intake

I found this perfect quote a few days ago on Instagram: “don’t forget: drink water and get some sunlight. You’re basically a house plant with more complicated emotions.”. And isn’t that true? So, let’s get that water intake in! You don’t have any more excuses. Now that you’re home, and nearer your kitchen that ever (we all know we have been opening our fridges too many times than we are proud of, I see you over there), there are no excuses for you to start this great habit. Get a bottle of water or a big-huge glass, an app to remember you, and get started. The only thing you really need to start is having your bottle or glass near you all times. You will see how easy you will find yourself sipping more and more each day.

Sleep when tired

This is a tip I found myself following during the last month of my pregnancy when sleeping was basically overrated. Well, much like now with a baby, but who is counting, right? I know I’ve talked about routines above and I’m not telling you to stop work in the middle of the day and sleep. Do this only if you are able to choose your work schedule and if you really need it, if not, stick with that only for the nights. But, I found that on the weekends, this can be lovely for our brains, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of bad nights lately. A plus: take the weekends completely off. I know we are all at home and the desire (half of the time) is making all days productive (I’m looking at you, that KonMari / home project over there), but we need to get back to that schedule idea. Let’s follow God’s teaching and rest on the 7th day and the 6th, or at least one of those. Do absolutely nothing (or less as possible). Have movie and tv series marathons and eat your favorite foods, on the couch, on the bathtub, in the backyard, on the bed… And sleep when tired. Have naps when you feel like it. Because, if we are not getting our rest at this time, when are we really? Sis, just rest. And if you have kids, rest when they rest or schedule some me time for each parent while the other holds the fort (found this tip from Pipoca and loved the idea).

READ ALSO: A letter to my kid

Take your time in the morning or night

Getting back to that routine, add a moment just for yourself in the morning and at night. In the morning you can wake a little bit earlier, sip your favourite coffee and start the day as you more enjoy. Remember, you don’t have to commute! You have more time! You can finally have the morning routine you ever wanted! So, do it! At night, add some wind down time. End the work day by slowing yourself down. Choose a few good things that makes you relax: that can be lighting some candles, taking a bath, laying on the sofa and watching a good movie, drinking that glass of wine or Gin (oh, I miss Gin!), or just having your skincare routine or reading in bed. Get a list of a few things that make you feel relax and play a little bit with them. Maybe try one each day? Just focus on having that winding downtime each final of the day. And that moment can be when best suits you, some start at 5, others at 10pm. Do whatever you can with what you have. I’m talking for the moms too, put the kids down, build a routine, and get that winding down me time. And yes, I’m working on that too (pray for me).

Read before bed

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t add this here, isn’t it? But even my husband is doing this now. What? Hell yeah, we are all on the doing-new-things-bandwagon and it’s been perfect for our rest. Choose a book that interests you but not that excites you too much, one that will make you forget the state of the world right now, relax you and help you fall asleep quickly while feeling awesome. I’ve been reading the last Game of Thrones, because which else is better to fall asleep right? That Jon Snow chapters… André is re-reading Harry Potter. Baby T is… just kidding, not ready for that yet. But you get the point, find the perfect book for you. If you want a light suggestion that is on point with this post (and that I have read last month) is The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well. A great book to get you in the right mood to slow down, rest, and appreciate the present. Ahh, I’m feeling already relaxed.

READ ALSO: How I plan on reading 100 books this year

Listen to your body

What does it need? This is a must. Stop and calibrate. What are you in extreme need? Sleep? Do it. Sunlight? Find a way to get it. Even on lockdown, we can and should get it. Try to do it at home, if you don’t have much sunlight at your place, like me, take that hygienic walk or car drive, but do it only when you can’t get it anymore and are allowed. Listen to your body and follow what it really needs.

I think that is it for today, guys. This last one was the most important. Oh, just another: appreciate every and each day, even the bad ones.

We all have those super productive ones and the I-just-want-to-sleep-until-this-is-over others. It’s normal, we are not in normal times. It’s normal to be struggling. Just embrace each one. Be productive and feel awesome in the productive ones and take it slow in the others, use those to focus on self-care. You will feel much, much better.

With love,
Tânia