Quarantine Self-Care Ideas

Yall, two months ago I never would have pictured us being secluded from the world in our homes for weeks at a time. As I write this, we’re ending week 5 and heading into week 6. I’m going to pause here for a min to say to our front-line workers through all of this, THANK YOU! You guys are the real heroes! I am praying for all of our essential workers, for their safety and protection, and for their families they are leaving behind day in and out. Our country will be stronger throughout all of this I pray! Ok, back to the post.

I thought I would share some #Quarantine “self-care” ideas. Some of these I want to try, and some are actually on my to-do list since we have all the time in the world, but not too much time for me since I’m still working my full-time job from home. I really hope these ideas inspire, encourage, and help to fill up some time. I know many of you have little ones running around the house, and although I am single I hope that you can still partake in some of these self-care ideas and of course feel free to tweak whatever you want! I would love to know if you try any of these ideas, or if you have some other ideas drop them in the comment section!

• Take a Drive! Yes, take a drive! One thing I miss is my commute to work because that’s the only time I’m able to sit and just listen to a good podcast whether a true crime podcast or a HR podcast. When I’ve been in the house too long, or I start to get frustrated I fix me some ginger ale or sweet tea in my yeti cup and just drive! Gas is really low so why not get out and go driving, maybe drive over to the next town to sight-see some cool landmarks (I mean no one is out – literally). Pack a light lunch or light snacks and fill your coolers and hit the road. For me it calms my anxiety and gives me a chance to clear my mind. If you need some recommendations for podcast let me know in the comments.
• Plant Flowers/Trees – Most hardware and garden centers are open and doing curbside assistance. Me and my mom went to our local garden center and got all the things we needed to plant vegetables for my mom, and small potted flowers for me. We then took one Saturday to play around in the yard and plant all of our things it was so fun, and the time flew by! Being outside and your hands in the dirt is so good for your well-being during quarantine.
• Shut it All Down! Take 1-2 hours every other day and shut down your devices! Every other day or every day if you can, take a couple of hours to shut off the TV, laptop, and fun to just meditate and have some alone time. Have kids? Encourage them to the same with you guide them into a practice of “disconnecting” and practicing some “quiet time”. Use this time to journal, read a self-help book, some scriptures, or just lay in God’s presence.
• Check on a friend! This is a great daily practice. Pick one friend (or more if you have the time) and face-time, phone, or text a friend or a co-worker that you’re missing. This will do good for your soul, and make sure there is plenty of laughter in the midst of your conversation.
• Spa Night! Take an evening and turn on some zen music, put on a mask, paint your nails or toes. Have little ones? Get them to join in! Put them in a robe and cut up some cucumbers for their eyes – take an hour or two to just relax and focus on yourself. Here is a link to some fun masks from Sephora.
• Bake/Cook – I know for me during #quarantine I have found some relaxation in baking or cooking something new! I’ve been on Pinterest more than ever and just searching for fun and new easy recipes.
• Paint! I’ve also been on YouTube looking up fun easy paintings I could do. Did you know there are tons of painting tutorials on YouTube? I’m blown away. I have my canvas, paintbrushes, and paint in my room just waiting for me to use. I plan to take these things outside this weekend with my iPad to access YouTube and paint something. A great thing to do to keep your mind occupied and a great self-care thing to do! This is the time to try all the things with all this extra time.
• Dance! Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed I take some music crank it up and just move throughout my room. Everyone in your household could do this too. If it becomes a “thing” you love – make it a daily thing you do with your family and have a “dance happy hour”. Music is definitely therapeutic.
• Breathe – Don’t forget to breathe, and give yourself lots and lots of grace as we continue to do our part in staying home. You are not in this alone.