Hey everyone, I wanted to write a quick post about keeping my mental health sanity during this crazy time.
It’s hard, I get it. We’re all afraid of what’s happening and what’s yet to come.
If we’re not thinking about our health, we’re thinking about the economy. There’s huge risk in both at the moment.
There’s also way too much information out there about what to do, what not to do, what is essential, what to avoid, and facts/figures/statistics on COVID-19.
In an effort not to add to the ‘scary’, I thought I’d write the five things I’m doing to improve my mental health, right now.
Meditate
Yes, I do this. Every morning I sit for 15-20 minutes with my eyes closed. Recently, I added a second meditation sitting in the afternoon.
Guess what? It’s free.
- You don’t need fancy pillows (I do have one, that I use occasionally and love).
- You don’t need candles or essential oils.
- You don’t need crystals or gongs.
- You don’t need anything at all.
I highly encourage this, and will continue to write more posts about my practice in the future.
Meditate. It’s free and simple.
Read
The internet is a great resource for reading material, yes, but I highly recommend you pick up a book. I have a ton of books and no shortage of things to read.
If you don’t have any books on hand, and you have money that you spend on books (you can decide whether this is considered essential), my recommendation is to shop local.
Call your local independent store and see if they will deliver, or offer curb-side pickup.
You can transact via phone, online, etc. Your shipment can be made without ever having to come into contact with another human being.
Sad that this is the time we’re in, but to be on the safe side, this is my best advice. My friend, Jennifer, owns a book store and is currently doing free-deliveries in the local area.
I’m sure your local book store will do the same. Help keep small local businesses employed.
On the other hand, there are a lot of free resources available as well. Another friend of mine, a well-known author named J.A Konrath, is currently running a promotion where he is giving away each of his books for free or $0.99.
He has over 90 books, so for 90 days this is his gift to you. He’s one of my favourite authors. I highly recommend him.
Side note, he’s only a friend because I reached out to him to tell him I love his books. Now we’re Facebook friends, and I pretend like I know him. I don’t. I wish I did. He’s awesome.
Read. It’s free. And it’s quiet. I’m loving the quiet times I get. They’re rare.
Despite being socially distant, I still hear a heck of a lot of noise!
Craft
I love to craft, but often don’t have time or don’t make time to do it. I have a Cricut which I got for my birthday a couple years ago.
This makes crafting, fast, easy, and precise. Also, I follow Jennifer Maker on Facebook. Like Konrath, she’s my friend now.
Currently Jennifer Maker is doing a “Craft-along” challenge. Every day she gives you/me an idea on what to craft.
The idea is to use what you have. I have a ton of paper, so I’m loving all these new paper crafts.
Tonight I’m going to get out my paint and do some painting. I’m excited.
Honestly though, this got me thinking about the key phrase here: use what you have.
I’m lucky in that I have not one, but TWO cabinets full of crafting supplies. I have no shortage.
But there are many people I imagine are interested in doing something like this but have NOTHING at home. So, use what you have.
Be creative.
Toilet paper for example. This is on short supply, right? So no, don’t use toilet paper to make a craft… but how about all those rolls?
What about wine corks? What about crayons?
I have a ton of crayons in the home, and they aren’t being used. Now I have an idea for making a melted crayon project.
Go through your recycling bin. Make something. Show it off. Then put it back in the recycling bin.
I’m just saying there are tons of things you can do without hitting the stores or spending any money.
If you need inspiration, ask your children. They are masters of this. No children? Hit up Pinterest.
Walk
This is an easy one. We go for family walks around the block. I don’ t know the distance, but it’s about 7,500 steps. It’s a big block.
Keeps us all busy for about 45 minutes. We also live in a small town, so we rarely see anyone on our walks.
If the same is not true for you, then don’t do it. Don’t put yourself at risk. You still have to walk, but find somewhere else to walk.
Drive to a small town and walk around there if you need to. Or better yet, drive to an empty parking lot and walk around it.
Bring music. Don’t bring excuses. You need fresh air and a reason to move. Walk.
Garden
Alright so this one is a bit new to me, and I will be writing a post in the very near future about all the benefits of indoor gardening.
So I’ll save the explanation for then… but indoor gardening. It’s cheap and I can eat the fruits of my labour.
Just for fun, here are a few extra things that are cheap/free:
Cleaning – this is essential. Clean your body. Disinfect your home. But I’m trying to do it without the stress. I’m trying to make a game of it. Trying to think of all the good that will come from a sterilized home. I have not been successful in my attempts at these tries. So far it’s stressful and not enjoyable.
Cooking – oddly enough, I’m not enjoying this either at the moment. Every time I cook something I think about when I will have to go back to the store to get more of the now depleted food. It scares me. I have avoided the kitchen. However, others might find it therapeutic, so I’m putting it out there.
Yoga – I want to start doing this. I haven’t yet, but I think I will soon. Stretching and movement of the bones and muscles. It’s free and can be done from the comfort of your isolated home.
Dancing – when is dancing not fun? I dance in my pyjamas around the house. It’s good for the step count.
So that’s how I’m occupying my time, when not working… that’s what I do to avoid thinking about the scariness of the world.
If not, my sanity will suffer and I’ll start talking about the zombie apocalypse.
What have you done to stay sane?