19 Ways to Cope While You're Self-Quarantining
Week 2+ in quarantine. How are y’all holding up? Like many of you, we are taking it day by day; each seeming to bring its own unique highs and lows. These uncertain times have created an opportunity for us all to experience the world and ourselves in ways never before granted. Hopefully, you are finding your own rhythm amongst the chaos.
Here are 19 ways we are minding our physical health, mental wellbeing, and emotional stability all while practicing social distancing:
Image from @supernovahoney
Limit news consumption. Flooding your imagination with information will only seduce you to The Dark Side. Check national and local news once a day for pertinent updates and/or delegate the task to a trusted sister circle informant responsible for reporting out as needed.
Find something binge worthy and get lost. May we suggest Tiger King (Netflix), High Fidelity & Living Single (Hulu).
Join a virtual jam session. Deejays and vocalists from across the globe have been bringing their talents to social media feeds at little to no cost. Join the likes of DNice for a virtual party for a cause and get your dance on from your living room!
Go for a walk. Vitamin D not only boosts your immune system but it helps ward off depression.
Take a nap. Seriously, the world is pausing right now. We should all pause with it! Our friends from The Nap Ministry always provide great insight into the power of napping.
Host or join a virtual happy hour. 2-4-1 from your own couch!!! What a time to be alive! Text a few folks and have them join you via Zoom, Google Hangout or Houseparty (p.s. If you use houseparty from your phone you can play games with the other guests)
Listen to audiobooks. Audible even lets you share your favorite books with friends. Right now we are enjoying Ta-Nehisi Coates “The Water Dancer” and Mikki Kendall’s “Hood Feminism”
Take a free online class. MOOCS or Massive Online Open Classes have been around for a few years now; one of our favorite platforms Coursera even gives you an option to receive a certificate in certain specialities. Check out The Science of Well-Being, it’s a fan fav!
Bake something! Who doesn’t love the smell of sweet savory goodness coming from the kitchen? Whether it’s Toll House breakaways, or a new vegan sweet potato cookie, turn on the oven and have some fun!
Find an online community that speaks to you. Maybe it’s a facebook group with your neighbors, a Slack channel strictly reserved for funny meme and gifs with your coworkers, or a curated digital oasis for creators of color, identify what you need from a space and find your people. (Notable mention: #BlackGirlStream hosts a virtual watch party every Friday with great film picks and even greater conversation!)
Audit your automatic debits. Word to the wise, if you are not using whatever that subscription is at this very moment, when you have more time than ever to take advantage of it, then you don’t need it. Cancel.
Give your body the support it deserves. The myth has been dispelled, everyone is susceptible to the virus! A few of the items we have incorporated into our daily regimen includes: sea moss, vitamins C, D & B-12, echinacea, elderberry & black seed oil. Peppermint and eucalyptus oils are great in your diffusers. Try adding some to the corners of your shower and enjoy a nice herbal spa! Additional note: fresh fruits and vegetables are your friends, especially right now. This is a great time to try juicing or commit to a 7 day juice or smoothie routine.
Remember your pleasure principles. Pull out your favorite sweater and rock it, that fleece blanket you love so much let it join you for the virtual meeting, light the candles you’ve been hoarding from TJ Maxx.
Review your 2020 new year resolutions, intentions, vision board or plans. Q1 has been a hell of a ride! Execute your own 90 day assessment or performance review. Find at least 4 things to celebrate and 2 areas of growth, improvement or adjustment.
Declutter your space. All those times you said to yourself “if I just had one more free day, I would____,” WISH GRANTED! Pick one room, one closet, one project and (finally) take it on.
Try a new dish. Give yourself a challenge “how many different vegetables can I incorporate” or “what can I make with these 5 ingrediants” and see how much fun you can have stretching your culinary skills.
Move your body! Seriously, you’ll thank yourself for this later. Look, the world will happily take whatever summer body you want to give it, BUT remember physical health is deeply tied to mental health. So dance with Auntie Debbie, get your black girl yoga on, or join a bootcamp class.
Enjoy your quality time with those in your home. Play a game, make up a game, create new inside jokes, find new pleasure points and enjoy these moments with those around you because they matter.
Do as little or as much as you need. If you’re like us, you’ve been battling two conflicting dynamics: blissfully doing nothing (or as close to nothing as humanly possible) AND desiring to read all the books, write all the blogs, revise all the business plans and create something life changing and transformative! *deep breath* So here is our reminder, what you (we) are feeling is by design. The need to “do” is a function of capitalism and the guilt (yes we are projecting) associated with a lack of productivity is white supremacy in action. Take a breath. Remember we are all in the process of unlearning our conditioning and assimilation has been a function of survival. We know what it feels like to operate at 100%, meeting both the explicit demands placed on us and the internalized behavioral expectations. We understand the toll being over extended, depleted, underpaid and overlooked has taken on our minds, bodies, and spirits. So why not give ourselves permission to experience BEing in a different way? If ever there was a time to flex a new muscle, practice healthier boundaries, re-prioritize our own well being, reconceptualize our own agency, it is now.
It is our hope, our petition to the universe, that life, as we knew it, will never be the same.