Hi everyone! Even though my area isn’t on a full-lockdown yet, I’ve been practicing social distancing and limiting the time I spend outside of my house (which you should be doing too). However, all this time inside has caused me to build up some bad habits which are negatively affecting my mental health. It’s showing me how difficult it would be for me in a lockdown situation (which Japan could decide to do eventually). So, I’m treating this time in the house as an experiment and have given myself some rules to follow for the future. Check them out! Maybe you’ll see something you like!
- Establish a routine
I think this one might be the most important. Since we’ve been on spring break for about a week now, I’ve been going to work less and less. However, that means that my normal routine is gone; everyday is now a weekend. I stay up late and I get up late. I sit around the house and do nothing, then complain when it’s midnight and I haven’t done anything. Then I promise tomorrow will be different, go to sleep, and repeat everything all over again.
To stop these endless weekend blues, I’ve decided I need a new routine for multiple days spent at home without the possibility of going outside. Go to bed early, wake up early, work on the blog, study some Japanese, read; anything. I’ve got time in there for watching Netflix and playing Animal Crossing, but with the productive stuff in there, it won’t feel like my day was a complete waste.
I know this isn’t exactly new news or anything, but this time away from work has helped me realize for myself just how important having a routine is.
- Take some time to clean your house
Going off of number 1, it’s easy to just sit around all day and fall into the slump. I do it all the time. Dishes and laundry pile up, the floor is a mess, but I can’t bring myself to clean. So, put it in the routine. Spend a little time everyday cleaning. It could be the dishes or a load of laundry, anything to keep things tidy. I get stressed out when the house is dirty so this is a big one for me. For those of you in Japan, open up your windows once a day. Get that air circulating!
- Exercise
Doesn’t matter what you do, but do something! Jumping jacks, sit-ups, planks, random dancing, whatever floats your boat. Or, check out Youtube; there’re plenty of people out there with exercise-at-home-type videos just for you. Get those limbs and heart moving!
- Get some sun
Linking to exercise, go outside and take a walk! I’m in a very rural part of Japan, so I can safely take a walk without coming into close contact with anyone — just rice paddies and mountains. If you don’t feel safe leaving your house, stand on your balcony (if you have one) or just stand by a window. Heck, be a cat and take a nap in the sunlight!
- Limit your junk food intake
This one’s hard for me. Sitting at home all day, doing nothing. I don’t even feel hungry most of time, so I eat bad. Popcorn, soda, chocolate, and konbini meals. This just adds to my slump and makes me lethargic. To combat this, Hunter and I went to the grocery store and got stuff for salads. Now, we can snack on carrots and eat a big salad for dinner instead of junk food. Yay!
- Limit your news intake
Seriously. Do it. There is so much nonsense and stupidity out there it’s hard to know what’s even real anymore. I would sit at my computer and scroll through the news constantly, just looking at death and case counts and what countries are doing (or not doing) in response to Covid-19. It made me so stressed and depressed — so I stopped. I only scroll news websites once a day, looking for things that might effect my life personally, then I exit and don’t look again until the next day. If something major happens, someone will probably post something on social media and I’ll see it there. Doing this has definitely had a positive effect on my mood!
- Unfollow people on social media.
This one brought me a lot of calm. I have a handful of friends who post multiple things AN HOUR about Covid and complain about the situation. That excessive posting really a) clogged up my newsfeed, and b) did nothing for my mental state. I’m not saying that people can’t complain, but when it’s all they do, it only serves to cast a cloud over everyone around them. So I unfollowed that handful (we’re still friends so I can still go to their profiles and read everything if I really wanted to) and my life is much sunnier now.
- Video chat with friends and family
Just because you can’t go hang out with friends doesn’t mean you’re cut off completely! We have so much technology at our fingertips and my favorite is the ability to video chat with people half-a-world away. This one has been a mainstay for me since I live in Japan, but set up times with friends and family and talk to them! It’s always nice to hear their voices and be able to see their faces; it’s like they’re there with you for a little bit. It also gives you a chance to complain, air out your concerns, and get feedback from other people. Don’t stress and panic by yourself; reach out to others! We’re all going through this together!
- Do things that make you happy
This one is kind of a ‘duh’, but do it anyway! Listen to music, read a book, play video games, watch Youtube, whatever it is, do it! I like to do those things in small doses so they’re still enjoyable days later. No point in overdoing something and becoming tired of it!
- Try something new
Trying something new is always an option. I recommend checking out places like Udemy that have classes online; I bought a computer coding one a while back, and it has helped me a lot with my blog! Maybe I’ll get to finish it if we do get put under lockdown.
It doesn’t have to be anything crazy though! Just something small. Hunter and I bought apples today, and we attempted to make apple bunnies. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be! Turns out I’ve never actually peeled an apple before, so I about cut my hand a few times. Hunter ended up doing most of them haha.
Last thoughts..
As I mentioned earlier, don’t stress and worry by yourself! We are literally all going through this together. Reach out to those around you! Don’t forget to give yourself some slack too. These are strange, confusing times; you can’t be expected to know everything or to get everything right the first time! Be patient with yourself and breathe. We can do this!
Are you currently facing a lockdown situation? What are some things you’re doing to keep yourself sane? Let me know in the comments!
