Corona Coping

Judging by my social media feed, as it continues well into its second month, the corona-quarantine seems to be negatively impacting the mental health of many I know, particularly my extroverted friends. Last week was a hard week for me--I spent two days huddled and essentially hibernating under an electric blanket because I just couldn't deal. This week, while I've been consistently dropping balls left and right (hello, conference call that I joined an hour late because I wrote down the wrong time not once, but TWICE), at least my mental health is in a better place. The warm weather and sunshine have helped, but I've also taken some steps to improve things as much as I can.

None of what I've done is particularly groundbreaking. You've undoubtedly heard it all before--but there is a reason for that and that reason is that it really does help! 

1. I've made a conscious effort to exercise. Mostly I walk around my neighborhood, but yesterday I did 30 minutes of Zumba over Zoom with a former advisee and took a walk. It was glorious. My fitness goals are not at all unattainable--30 minutes of movement, 250 calories burned daily. That's it. But the difference in how I feel when I spend those 30 minutes moving makes a world of difference to my mental health. At the end of the day, I never regret closing my exercise rings, but if I don't make the effort--I nearly always regret that at the end of the day. Just move. For 30 minutes. Every day.

2. I eat a little bit of dark chocolate every day. Lately my vice is two frozen Samoas and a piece or two of Dove dark chocolate. The key is to let yourself have a reasonable serving a day and not binge on a whole box/bag. If you deprive yourself, you're going to binge. That's why diets don't work over the long haul. 

3. Eat a salad every day. We've got a produce delivery company delivering a box of fresh fruit/veggies every week. (https://stlouisproducedelivery.com this isn't an affiliate link, I've been very happy with what we're getting from the company and I like supporting small, local businesses when I can) I've varied what we've ordered every week, and since I've got apples and oranges and kiwis left from last week, I ordered the salad box this week. 4 heads of lettuce (2 iceberg, 2 romaine), 1 bunch of kale, 1 bag of spinach, 4 bell peppers (I think I'm going to stuff those), 3 cukes (I already peeled and sliced two and put them in vinegar and stevia with 1/2 a thinly sliced onion), 2 onions, celery and a bag of baby carrots. At some point, I will be roasting some carrots, potatoes (also left from last week) and onions for a meatless meal. Today's lunch was a salad with iceberg, carrots and celery topped with leftover steak sliced thin. I am chopping a head of lettuce at a time and keeping what's left in the fridge to make prep easier. I also keep the celery cut into handy stalks to make snacking on good food easier. I had cookies for dessert--I'm not depriving myself, but I consistently feel better when I make the effort to fuel my body with food that grows as a plant instead of food that is made/processed in one. 

4. EXTROVERTS--text, call, Zoom, email, DM, connect with your people however you can connect with your people. My introverted daughter was born for quarantine--she is happy as a clam holed up in her room. The rest of the family is extroverted and struggling. We miss people. And so I am making more of an effort than ever to reach out and connect to people. I'm a huge fan of sending cards in the mail just because--who doesn't love happy mail? I've got a weekly Zoom happy hour with my college besties. It isn't the same as hanging in person, but we're making it work.

5. Give yourself grace. These are extraordinary circumstances. It is okay to not be okay sometimes. I came downstairs after a call this morning, looked at my husband and said, "That 10am conference call started at 9am. I suck at life right now." And he laughed and said, "I hate to tell you this, but you're not perfect. You're HUMAN. Did you get done what you needed to do on the call even if you missed 2/3 of it?" He's right. And I think I did get done what I needed to do. So while I would normally beat myself up for that for, like, ever--I'm mostly over it. Because I made a mistake. Because I am human. It happens. I'm giving myself grace and moving on.

6. I'm a Christian--I always find comfort in the Scriptures. Right now I'm finding comfort in the Babylonian exile. So I read Scripture and I pray. I'm also reading a whole lot books and magazines and not watching the news at all. I read the news, but I don't watch it (sorry, sis). And that has gone a long way in tamping down my anxiety about the circumstances we currently find ourselves in.

7. Vitamin D! I don't mean supplements, if you can get yourself outside for 20-30 minutes daily and soak up some sunshine, I find that improves my mood almost as much as exercise. If you combine the two? So much the better!

Like I said--nothing I've shared is innovative or new. You've likely heard all of my advice more times than you can count, but making a conscious choice to do these things has helped me cope with the corona quarantine and put me in a much better headspace.