Yes indeed these are surreal times. I’m going to guess that for most of us it is beyond anything that we could ever imagine.There has been a great deal of information on how to stay physically well. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soapy warm water, many times throughout the day,stay at home if you can and when you can’t stay 6-8 feet away from others,cough into your elbow and avoid gatherings. All of these are very important ways to do our part in slowing the spread of this virus.
It’s also important to take care of our psychological well-being. At Fenwick Wellness we want to do our part by sharing with you evidence based tips that can have a positive impact on your day.
Today’s tip: Start a Routine
Setting a routine is like creating a container to relax into. Predictable enough but not so rigid that it doesn’t allow flexibility. It’s doesn’t have to be regimented and what is placed in the container can vary from day to day but to have the container is necessary for our well-being. With this in mind, see if you can:
- Get up close to the time that you would normally get up if you were going to work, getting ready to get the out the door or going to volunteer.
- Have a shower, get dressed in clothes that you might wear if you were to be seen in public :).
- If you normally shave, shave. If you normally do your hair, do you hair.
- Eat three meals a day.
- Stay hydrated.
- Think about what you might want to accomplish that day and schedule it in. It can be helpful to mirror the hours of a regular work day. If you usually work nights and weekends maybe you can stick with that or switch to a Monday to Friday daytime routine.
- If you used to exercise keep, that routine too. Find some online classes that you like. Maybe FaceTime or Skype with a friend and exercise together. If you haven’t had time in your life to fit in exercise this might be a good time to experiment with what works for you.
- Try to get to bed at a consistent time and aim for 7-9 hours of sleep.
- If you are having a hard time sleeping, try out some Sleep Stories or Sleep Meditations that are widely available online. Use those search terms on Google and you will have many options to choose from.
We may not have a tip of the day every day but stay tuned for more tips, blog posts and perhaps some guided meditation from our very own Lori Parker.
Written By- Lori Parker, Registered Psychologist
