Managing Life During COVID-19

I am sure by now you are tired of seeing the words coronavirus, COVID-19, quarantine, and pandemic. Every day we are inundated with numbers of cases, deaths, and mandates for isolation that we have to adjust to while continuing to keep ourselves alive and well. Whether you are working or staying at home we all are adjusting to a new normal. Our houses have become more than shelters. They are now schools, restaurants, offices, daycares, and hair salons. We are no longer able to separate different aspects of our lives, as they are all happening simultaneously in the same space. So how do you balance your new roles and new life during this time? Here are some tips to manage life during COVID-19.

1. Make a schedule: making a schedule every day can seem daunting but how many times have you found yourself at 10 pm thinking of all the things you forgot to do? Jotting down a few “to-do” tasks every morning can help keep you on track and motivated for the day.

2. Keep to a routine: if you are staying at home, the idea of a sleep schedule has no meaning anymore. However, keeping to a sleep and wake routine can help keep some resemblance of normalcy in the day and it never hurts to be well-rested. We can go through the day more effectively when we are rested and not needing 10 cups of coffee.

3. Give yourself credit: our modern-day society has never been through a time like this, so there is no “manual” of how to behave and feel. We are all doing the best we can, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Remember to give yourself credit for the incredible amount of strength and perseverance it takes to live during this time.

4. Make self-care a priority: self-care looks different for every person. There is no “one size fits all” self-care routine. If you do not know what small things in life give you joy, take some time reflecting inward of experiences that made you smile. Our self-care routines will look different now especially if you relied on outside services (i.e. spas, salons, etc) for self-care. Be patient with yourself and continue to adjust and readjust to find a self-care routine that works best for you at this moment in time.

5. Keep in contact with your support system: just because we have to be physically distant from each other, it does not mean we have to be emotionally and socially distant from our support system. While there will not be any Memorial Day cookouts or family gatherings, we can still find ways to feel connected to others. We can connect to others via texting, phone calls, face time, sending letters, etc.