Sanity During Coronavirus Covid-19

Sanity During Coronavirus Covid-19

We’re all living in the age of bathing in hand sanitizer and daily notices from our counties right now.  If your anxiety is skyrocketing you aren’t alone.  Here are a few things to think about to help bring peace to your mind, calm your nerves and let you keep taking care of your family like the super-parent you are.

If you’ve been Googling more than you’ve been sleeping lately, let me assure you that you are not the only one.  Despite all the hand sanitizer, replacing toothbrush heads and forcing vitamins and probiotics down my family’s throats, when someone complains about a headache around here I instantly have to push down the “oh my gosh we have THE virus.”

However, despite how much technology we have at our disposal, we still feel isolated and maybe just want to curl up in the corner and want to cry.  We are fearful of germ laden shopping carts, irresponsible neighbors and homeschooling.  It’s all everyone is talking about.  And with all the daily news alerts, it’s so easy to panic that a fever or cough is actually Coronavirus Covid-19.

Of course our new normal stress level right now is higher than it was when 2020 started.  Here’s a few thoughts on trying to keep our sanity during Coronavirus Covid-19.

Worrying Doesn’t Help

You may feel that this will never get better and that Coronavirus will be eternally be passed back and froth like a baton in a relay race.  Social Media and Google can accelerate your anxiety.   Think about it, right now do you feel less anxiety after you go online… or more?  Stick to reliable resources like the CDC or https://www.coronavirus.gov/, rather than that shared Facebook post that Aunt Sally made.

Be Flexible and Creative

Beyond the health fears, currently we’re also dealing with financial storm issues such as not having work or someone to look after our children if we are essential workers.  There are ‘loopholes’ in many of the county declarations right now that allow for outside interaction for childcare.  If you haven’t been called up yet for work in an essential service but may have to, or if you are looking for a new job because your previous one has furloughed you, consider trustworthy friends you could call for backup on childcare if necessary.  When you know that you’ll have a safe place for your kids to be at if you have to work, that helps ease many of the worries that consume in the corners of our minds.

Don’t worry about what you CAN’T get at the grocery store.  Be flexible and creative.  I usually only buy boneless, skinless chicken breast, but these are unusual times and I’m putting preferences aside to what I CAN find when shopping.  There’s a bag of frozen chicken thighs in my freezer instead and I’m going to have to be creative on cooking them.  The family is going to learn to eat new things and be thankful that we have food 😉 When you choose to focus on the fact that you have what you have and not what you don’t, anxiety gets kicked to the curb.

Find Your Calm

Remember even if you are exposed to Covid-19 it doesn’t mean you’re going to get sick. 

Keep the news cycle in short bursts.  Yes information is changing all the time, but we don’t need to watch it 24/7 to find out what’s going on either.  Consider what your children are taking in by watching how you are reacting to the news as you receive it and how you manage your daily tasks. 

This time that we have with our families is precious.  Yes that may sound all ‘pie-in-the-sky,’ but it truly is precious.  Honestly, this is the thing that helps me keep my calm the most.  Having the people I love most with me, because I know when the world goes back to normal and all the activities start back up these extra moments will be as scarce as they were before Coronavirus interrupted us.

Stay-Healthy Tips

So our sanity during Coronavirus Covid-19 is definitely a real thing we have to guard, but here as a reminder are some physical stay-healthy tips as well.

Clean Your Hands with Zeal

Use all the water and soap and make long hand washing sessions a thing.  Come home from anywhere and make sure everyone goes right to the sink.  Before and after eating, after using the facilities (obviously!) and after touching another person.  For those still working outside the home, wash up before leaving work and then when you arrive home.  They say soap and water is best, so I’ve been carrying along a reusable travel bottle filled with liquid soap and a water bottle in my car.  As soon as I’m done at the store I wash my hands in the parking lot.  If that’s not a possibility for you this is where you use the hand sanitizer.  Little kids in the home who don’t have the patience to wash properly?  Have them listen to this while washing up!

Level Up Your Cleaning Routine

Focus more attention on bathrooms and the kitchen.  Disinfect or sanitize faucets, doorknobs, fridge/freezer/microwave handles and light switches.

Feeling Under the Weather?  Have a Dedicated Spot.

Even if it’s not Coronavirus if someone in your home is feeling ill, let them claim a spot in the home and let them stay there until it’s passed.  That way there is less cross contamination and spread even within the home.  If you have some spray disinfectant, be sure to spray that area down when the sick person is not in it (beds, chairs, pillows etc.)

What tips or things are you doing that is helping to save your sanity during Coronavirus Covid-19 ?