This is my first quarantine and I feel like I had about ten minutes to prepare for it. Suddenly one day back in March my life as I was living it changed, and I found myself in survival mode. I have found a few ways that have made this period a little more manageable and wanted to take a moment to share them with you.
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Getting Food
In order to maintain social distancing as much as possible – that is, not breath in whatever someone else has just exhaled – I have had success with the following food delivery:
Butcher Box meat and seafood delivery
I get this delivered every two weeks and I’ve found it to not only be higher quality than grocery store meat, it’s actually more affordable to comparable items at my local grocery store. Click here: Butcher Box
Imperfect Produce veggie and fruit delivery
I get this delivered once a week and I love the variety they include. Contents are easily modified to my liking and they have a lot more than just fresh produce to choose from! Click here: Imperfect Produce
Amazon Prime
Check out the subscription feature that Amazon now has for a lot of the staples type items. Getting cat litter delivered automatically every three weeks can go a long way in feeling good during quarantine. Click here: Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Now
This is the app that I can use if I need items delivered quickly, same day for example. I have only used the delivery service of Whole Foods via Amazon Prime Now app so far, but have had very good results and they tend to have my order ready quite quickly. Hopefully it is available via the phone you use; click here for iPhone app: Amazon Prime Now
Other Options
I have also utilized curbside pickup of groceries from my local store, and have found that since this is quite popular I have to reserve a pick up time that is about three days away.
Some of my friends have gotten take out from local restaurants. I haven’t taken advantage of this service yet.
No matter which way I get my food items I always take a moment to wipe them all down with an antibacterial wipe, dispose of any boxes or bags they came in, then thoroughly wash my hands.
If you want some easy and delicious recipes click to see my cooking section:
Staying Calm and Hopeful
I have been happy that life has slowed down, I have been frustrated that my life is so different, I have been angry, sad, hopeful, despondent – sometimes all of them on the same day. This is my first quarantine, this is my first pandemic, I don’t know how to handle it “correctly” and I give myself a break as my emotions are all over the place. I hope you will too.
I reached out to some of my friends and asked them to share some of the ways they have been coping with whatever degree of quarantine they have had to survive.
Please comment below and tell me what YOU’VE been doing to have a better experience during this difficult time….
Here are some activities that might help you find a balance during this period:
Meal planning – knowing what you want and being able to have it because you planned ahead can go a long way in feeling a sense of normality and satisfaction.
If there are multiple people with you, take turns picking what the meals will be so that everyone benefits from the activity.
Eat fun stuff, but not all the time. Having pizza night to look forward to helps stimulate the feelings of hope and movement in the right direction.
Communicate as clearly as possible so that everyone understands what you are feeling. If you need to be alone you need to be able to tell everyone that and have them not take it personally.
Keep a schedule like when you go to bed, when you wake up, etc. so you don’t lose track and will always know what day it is.
Focus more on what you can do than on what you can’t do during quarantine. This is so important to help avoid FOMO (fear of missing out) which can be debilitating.
Take breaks from social media. The chatter of social media increases the odds of exposing yourself to anxiety triggers.
Limit the news. Get in and get out of your favorite news source as quickly as possible. You need time to digest what is happening and you can’t do that without stopping the input.
Don’t beat yourself up because you haven’t learned a new language, or baked sourdough bread from scratch. Survival mode looks different to everyone, and it’s so much better to give yourself a break and realize you are handling all this just fine.
Don’t overindulge in sugary or high caffeine snacks that will get you wound up. You probably aren’t moving as much as usual and all that over excitement will have no outlet.
Keep hand sanitizer where you can easily use it as often as you need to.
Do more activities that stimulate you mentally. Puzzles, reading, chess, crafting, etc help clear your mind and make you feel calmer. The fact that it distracts you away from your electronic devices is a huge plus.
Get outside as safely as you can and get some fresh air and sunshine.
Be sure to shower and get dressed from time to time.
Reach out to your friends because they are stressed too right now.
Try not to judge others with how they are handling the pandemic and quarantine – it’s their first pandemic too and they are doing the best that they can to cope with this new form of stress.
Give yourself a break if you’re not staying focused, or productive, or whatever else you feel you should be doing – take a deep breath and do what you need in that moment.
Take a car tour of your town – search online for historical buildings, drive by them and read about their history from a Google search.
Read a book outside – it feels like you’re on vacation!
Since many gyms and public places are off limits, explore exercise videos on Youtube.
Thank you so much to my friends for their input and suggestions: Jamie, Angela, Pam, April, Amy, Charles, Peter, Kristin, Vickie, Dawn, Debra, Sutton, Mike, Revis, and Sheryl.
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