Quarantine and social distancing don’t just affect our jobs, families, and the patterns of our lives, but they also have a large impact on our mental health. Self-care practices are more important than ever right now, as they offer up opportunities to check in our own mental health to see how we’re doing.
And while we may not be able to do everything that we enjoy right now, there are some important ways that we can make our lives sweeter and more enjoyable.
Quarantine self-care asks you to consider the ways that your life might have changed from before. After this, try to find ways that you can convert whatever you’re missing to home activities, such as at-home exercising.
Step one is to forgive yourself for needing time to breathe. Just because you’re in quarantine, you don’t have to be perfectly productive all the time. If you need it, give yourself some down-time and take some deep breaths.
After this, here are some key ways to practice self-care in isolation.
1. Give Yourself a Home Spa Day
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”– Etty Hillesum
Self-care isn’t all about baths, but good hygiene does help your self-worth in isolation.
We often associate treating ourselves to spas and relaxation as something that we do before going out. However, it’s worth it to enjoy these small pleasures just to make ourselves happy. There’s a lot we can do at home to treat ourselves to a spa relaxation.
Consider a handheld massager to relax your back and shoulders, particularly if quarantine is forcing you into a more sedentary lifestyle than you might be used to. While in quarantine, keep up with skincare, light some candles, enjoy a foaming bath, and relax into your favorite ways.
2. Get Out of the House and Breathe the Free Air
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Just because you need to social distance doesn’t mean that you can’t get out of the house when you need to. While you should always take precautions around others to make sure to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, there are practical ways of getting away.
One of the best ways to do some local traveling during quarantine is to spend time in the great outdoors. Hit the trails or even take some time away from your home and go camping. A little fresh air can be just what you need to feel rejuvenated.
3. Dive into Your Hobbies
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”– John Steinbeck
If you’re feeling full of pent-up energy, you’re not alone. The more our daily routines are disrupted, the more energy we have that we might not be using. One way to make ourselves feel better is to focus on what we can practically accomplish, such as our favorite hobbies.
Practice your art, read, write, play music, get creative with cooking your daily meals, bake, do projects around your home, craft, exercise, or garden.
Anything that you can focus on or throw yourself into will help to ignite your purpose and take some of that excess energy off your hands.
4. Go Screen-Free or Block Out the Internet
“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”– Bell Hooks
Staying connected is one form of self-care that allows us to reassure ourselves, our friends, and our families that we are not alone. On the other hand, it’s easy to fall into the trappings of being too connected.
Being constantly connected to our phones, screens, social media, and the internet can overload us with information. It’s also difficult to weed out the negativity that might be coming from how others feel about the current situation, news, and quarantine.
Sometimes, these forms of connection can help us feel understood with a sense of solidarity. But too much can actually make us feel even more alone, as we glimpse other people’s lives and feel the distance.
5. Keep a Journal
“When we self-regulate well, we are better able to control the trajectory of our emotional lives and resulting actions based on our values and sense of purpose.”– Amy Leigh Mercree
When we lose track of time, our sense of time feels like something else that we’ve lost in quarantine. One way to help these days feel like they have more meaning is to keep track of time by documenting your life and feelings.
Journals are powerful ways of venting your frustrations and feelings. They also help you keep track of your goals, inspirations, and hopes, while meditating on the important parts of your life.
A written journal isn’t the only way to keep track of the days. There are many ways of keeping a journal, including art and sketching, collage, gratitude journaling, daily to-do lists, or collecting inspirational quotes.
6. Call and Check In with Your Friends
“True friends are always together in spirit.”– L.M. Montgomery
If you’re feeling low during quarantine, it can be very helpful to reach out to your friends and family. Make time to talk with them, since they probably need it right now as much as you do.
There are many ways for you to spend time with your loved ones including video chats, phone calls, watching movies, and playing games together across the distance.
As convenient and enjoyable as virtual hangouts may be for keeping us all connected, technological fatigue can get in the way of these important interpersonal interactions.
If you’re feeling dissatisfied with some of your correspondences, try writing physical letters as well. Much of our quarantine grief comes from technological fatigue. Sometimes more old-fashioned forms of communication can help to alleviate this grief, such as writing a physical letter.
7. Cook Your Favorite Food
No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”– Julia Child
There’s no reason you can’t engage in food tourism in your own home. This is a great time to look up recipes for some of your favorite foods and give it a go with making the very dish you’ve been craving.
Even if you’re not great at cooking now, it’s a skill and you’ll only get better at it the more you do it. Cooking offers something fun to focus on and a sense of accomplishment when it’s finished. Additionally, it can be a fun and satisfying group activity for the whole quarantined family.
8. Limit Your Exposure to the News
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”– Anne Lamott
News updates are important to help us keep up with the world in isolation. And now more than ever, you might be checking and supporting your local news.
However, it’s important to set limits. Watching or reading the news constantly can intensify feelings of helplessness and fear.
The news overwhelms us with problems that we can’t fix on an individual basis. Limit your news exposure to specific times, and be aware to shut off your exposure when you start to feel overwhelmed. There will also be a point when you stop absorbing what you’re reading or watching.