Strategy #1: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide
Create A Schedule. But One That Works For You.
This is a time of uncertainty and many unknowns. Both of which are incredibly stressful. So it makes total and complete sense that you might feel nudged to snack more often than usual right now.
One of the best ways I have found to counter the unsettling feelings that accompany uncertainty, is to purposely and intentionally create certainty where you can.
One super simple way to do this is to establish a quarantine schedule. The main goal is to structure your time while simultaneously soothing feelings of anxiety because you are establishing some order and helping yourself know what to expect. I think this is particularly helpful if you have kids.
The important thing, however, is that the schedule you create is something that works for you and is something you feel like you can realistically implement.
I have two kids - ages 9 and 11 - and we have suddenly been thrown into homeschooling. I am no longer teaching my fitness classes due to the gym closures but I am still running my coaching business and creating wellness content for Hospice employees. It didn’t take long to realize how challenging balancing stir-crazy kids, school, work, meals and the house was going to be all day, every day for the unforeseeable future.
On day one of quarantine, I saw all these amazing mamas post their new homeschool schedules. They were incredible and contained blocks of educational time and fun projects. My first thought was “well shit, that did not even occur to me”. Followed by intense feelings of overwhelm and panic.
I knew I was going to have to do something with the girls to keep them occupied but my main concern to date has been rescheduling workshops and classes, moving in-person sessions to virtual sessions and arranging my schedule so that I can physically be at home all day.
And on day one of quarantine, one thing became astonishingly clear. I am not meant to be a homeschooler. There I said it. I love my little humans with all my heart but homeschooling - not my thing.
I am quickly finding though that having some sort of structure to your day is helpful and makes everyone a little less on edge.
Creating a schedule can be very helpful. But it’s very important to create one that works for YOU.
I knew after day one, that trying to do anything close to real school was not going to work. Nor was trying to do anything close to what my rock-star homeschool mama friends were implementing. I could quickly see that if I tried either, I would end the day exhausted and resentful of not being able to accomplish anything else.
I have enough life experience to know that mama exhaustion + resentment + overwhelm = a terrible combination.
I’m still trying to figure out what our schedule is going to look like and it will likely evolve with time. For now it means not doing anything structured until 10:00. This will give me time to do some work as well as some of the things that put me in a good emotional place. Things like daily meditation, writing and some sort of physical movement.
It also means that our first structured homeschool block will be 45 minutes of independent reading or creative writing. This will give me time to do a few chores (more people in the house equates to messy everything) as well as a few other things to get organized.
I have also decided that our afternoons are going to be spent researching and planning a garden. If the quarantine extends, we will build it. I don’t have time (and, quite honestly, the desire) to think of engaging hands-on projects. Or to try to find fun educational activities online. But I sure would like a garden this year. And it’s close to spring and it would be nice to get outside. I also really, really like vegetables.
The point I am trying to make is try to avoid comparison and do what you know is going to work well for you and the people you are quarantining with. Let go of what you think you should do so that you can be open to the possibilities of what will.
My girls and I sketched out a general schedule and hung it on a big piece of paper. It is very likely to change but we created it together and it helped everyone feel a little more at ease.
My kids are in elementary school. Your kids might be younger or older. Or maybe you don’t have kids. Whatever the case may be, creating a schedule for yourself will likely help.
I encourage you to brainstorm the things that put YOU in a good place emotionally. Make sure to build them into your schedule so that you can avoid exhaustion and potential resentment. If you have small kids, it might mean putting them in front of the TV for a period of time. Please know that this does not make you any less of a parent.
Also know that finding your new groove is likely going to take some trial and error. But remind yourself that we often figure out what works by experiencing what doesn’t. And if you are finding that you feel restless and the pantry is continuously calling your name, try mapping out a schedule and creating some order for yourself. It might be just what you need to help you manage the unknown.
Stay tuned. We are just getting started. More strategies to come!
Miss the intro? You can read it here.
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