This year has been both incredibly short and incredibly long all at once. Social distancing, lack of childcare, and the thought of possibly getting sick has caused me a huge amount of stress and anxiety. At the same time, I can not believe the year is about to come to an end. I feel like we just celebrated my daughter’s third birthday and now she is about to turn four! A return to normal feels so close, yet so far away. Today, I want to share five things you can do to take care of yourself physically and mentally while you wait for normalcy to return to your life.
Declutter Your Home
I don’t know about you, but I am finding cleaning difficult since my daughter is not currently in preschool. I have been working towards getting rid of things that we do not need because it is easier to clean if we have less stuff laying around! Every December, we also do a deep declutter in my daughter’s playroom. This year, I must get rid of more than usual because being stuck at home all these months led to extra online shopping and she’ll require room for all the new toys that she’ll be getting for Christmas and her birthday!
Cut Down on Alcohol and Junk Food
I know this may be a hard one! Making healthy choices boosts your immune system and just overall makes you feel better. I gained way more weight than I want to talk about during the first few months of the pandemic, so now I’m working towards a healthier lifestyle again.
Look for Ways to Assist Others
In a time when it is easy to feel very hopeless, you may find some joy in helping others. I know that I always feel better about a bad situation when I feel useful. Helping others doesn’t have to be expensive either! It could be as simple as donating some things you no longer need or leaving a little hand made gift on someone’s doorstep!
Be Kind to Yourself
When practicing self-care, don’t forget the “self” part. The language you use when thinking about yourself is important. Take time to appreciate how well you are doing in these exceedingly difficult times.
Use Less Social Media
Social media is a great way to connect with friends and family in a safe way. It can also very easily become time consuming. I have had to learn to use social media very intentionally. I have also removed about 50 people that I never speak to in person from my Facebook friends list because the content they shared just didn’t add any value to my timeline.
I hope these tips can help you as we head into 2021. I’d love to hear from you! How are you doing? What are you looking forward to most once all the restrictions are lifted?
