As most of the nation and other parts of the world lock themselves into their homes to avoid the spread of Coronavirus I want to remind everyone this is not a time to fall out of routine and lose any progress you have made. Here are 5 tips to help you stay on track.

1. Keep your normal routine. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. I understand, you don’t have to wake the kids up to get on the bus, or you no longer have to wake up an hour early to fight the rush-hour commute, so it is tempting to use that extra time to catch up on sleep. Or worse you are using this time to stay up late to binge watch that new series on Netflix! My advice DON’T DO IT! Eventually we will have a treatment and vaccine for this, and we will all be returning to work and school. Make it easy on yourself: stay in your normal routine.

2. Take advantage of the extra time you do have. Now that you are not sitting in rush-hour traffic take the time to read, meditate, catch up on devotions or squeeze in a quick home workout before the rest of the household wakes up or you need to log into work. If you have a journal that has been sitting blank or a book of devotions, you have been hoping to start now is the time.

3. Practice stress relieving exercises. Let’s be honest: this is a very stressful time. If you are like me, you have an underlying medical condition and the thought of getting the virus has you stressed. Or maybe you just lost your job or had to close your small business and you are not sure how to pay the bills this month. Start by making a gratitude journal. Reminding yourself of all the great things you do still have can provide relief and uplift your spirits. We need to stay positive during this time. You can also start mediation. There are many apps that can give you guidance. I use an app called Breethe which has many guided meditations that they update frequently. There is even a special coronavirus guided meditation through the app.

4. Try new recipes. I am quite upset to see that the fresh produce section is overflowing during this time, but the frozen pizza and ice cream section is completely empty. Look, I am all for sweets; I am a stress/boredom eater. I get it. But keep the easy to make foods for when life gets busy again. We are all locked in our homes so why not take advantage of the extra time and try out some new recipes with fresh produce. Try things you don’t normally have time to cook and make it a family event. Get the kids to help you! This could be anything from trying to re-create grandmas’ casserole, making your own fresh bread, or making your own pizza. You might find something you really like, and you might even be surprised with how easy it was to make.

5. Reconnect with family and friends. Don’t just log into Netflix and get lost. If you are like me trying to find times when I and my best friend were available was difficult. Between my work schedule, their work schedule, my kids, their kids, connecting and scheduling time together was a chore. Well now we are both locked inside with nowhere to go. Set up a virtual meeting with a group of friends or family, call friends and family members you haven’t talked to in a long time. Use this time to play board games and do crafts with kids at home. Its also a great time for you and your spouse to reconnect.

You have two options during this quarantine. You can sit at home, pout and get fat on ice cream. Or you can make the most out of it, learn something new, try new things and connect with loved ones. If you are looking for ideas feel free to reach out to me at megan@wollertonwellness.com, and check out my Facebook page for more articles, recipes and workouts.

WOLLERTON WELLNESS