Quarantine Survival: Three Small Tips That Make a Big Difference

In a matter of days, our entire world has turned upside down. We are all trying to figure out how to cope with living our lives apart from one another. It’s overwhelming, scary, sad, and just plain weird. In our house, we just completed week 1 of home school. Some things went well, and others didn’t. Overall, we survived, we learned a few things, and we are ready to tackle week 2 of quarantine survival. Heading into this week, I am doing three small things that made a big difference during our quarantine.

Quarantine Survival Tip 1

Create a Simple Weekly Plan

I never realized how much I relied upon routine until I no longer had one! Turns out, when I don’t have a set exercise schedule, I just won’t exercise. You know what else doesn’t happen when I don’t plan it? Dinner! Obviously couch surfing and skipping dinner for the indefinite future isn’t a viable option when you’re a fitness instructor and have four children to feed.

A few days ago I pulled out my calendar (it might as well be used for something right now) and decided to schedule my workouts and family meals. Every day I wrote one workout and our dinner menu. I didn’t schedule a time to exercise, because I learned from our first week of homeschooling that flexibility is essential to our quarantine survival. It took me about 2 minutes to plan the week, and it really made a big difference! I regained a little control over my day, and established just that bit of normalcy that I so desperately need.

Quarantine Survival Tip 2

Focus on Something Positive

Halfway through our first week of homeschool I reached a breaking point and had to get out of the house. As I walked down the sidewalk I called a friend to say hello and give her a virtual wave (she lives around the corner). She said “give me minute to change and we can walk 6 feet apart, together!” I immediately started tearing up at the thought of interacting with another human outside of my family. That’s when I realized the drastic impact of social distancing.

So many things are hard right now. If I spend too long thinking about everything I am missing out on or worried about, it will send me into a downward spiral. The only way I’m going to get through this is by flipping a switch and choosing to focus on the positive things coming out of it.

Our family has a little chalkboard hanging by the computer, so I gave it a new purpose. Instead of focusing on all the things COVID-19 has taken away, we are going to document all the gifts it’s given us. The chalkboard says “Because of Quarantine”. Underneath I write one thing each day that we would not have done if life was “normal” right now. Once it’s full, I’ll take a picture and start again! Hopefully it won’t get full, but….

Quarantine Survival Tip 3

Plan One Fun Family Activity

While it may seem overwhelming to plan one more thing with our world in turmoil, I encourage you to do one fun activity every day as a family. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You don’t have to make it Pinterest-worthy or even post it on social media. Just find time to relax and make memories together.

My favorite this week was playing Categories in the pool. Anyone else remember that game from childhood? It’s still just as fun as an adult. One day we rode our bikes to get takeout. Since my husband took the doors off our Jeep he has been taking the kids on daily Jeep safaris on our property.

You could go on a picnic, read outside, play a board game, work on a puzzle, bake cookies, play flashlight tag, or if you’re brave enough, challenge your kids to a game of truth or dare. Having fun is essential to your quarantine survival!

When my kids look back on this time, I don’t want them to remember it as stressful or sad. I hope they forget about the times I yelled and lost my patience, and instead remember the moments of fun we created as a family. How I choose to look at today will impact my tomorrow. I am choosing to focus on the good.