Monday always feels like a good day to restart. It’s spring break around here so kids are off of their distance learning plan and I thought I’d be less strict with the schedule. But after feeling a little out of sorts yesterday myself, I knew it was time to get back to the basics. I got up a did my barn chores early. I took a few extra minutes and looked at the message I have posted in the entrance to my barn. Pray more…worry less. I decided today I would focus on getting done what I could and not spending time on social media which leads me to worry. We held a family meeting and checked in with each other. It was good to talk about things that are working and not working as we begin this week of spring break. We were able to make some agreements about how to work through this week and prepare for the week ahead.
I’ve developed some pretty good habits over the last few years of eating healthy, taking care of myself emotionally and spiritually, and continuing to develop myself as a writer and consultant. I’ve noticed though that when I’m really busy or really stressed, I tend to let go of these practices and slip into some of my old habits. Of course, that’s when I probably need them the most. When we first moved, three years ago I was really worried about slipping into depression. I didn’t have friends yet and I felt isolated and alone in my home. I bet many of you can relate. Here are some of the things that helped me get through that time which I thought might help many of you struggling with quarantine.
One of the first books I read was The Sweet Spot by Christine Carter. This book talks about how to get off of the roller coaster of life and start creating healthy sustaining habits. Shortly after I read the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. This book has a morning habit ritual that will change your life!
The next thing I started doing was making my bed every day. I spent most of my adult life rebelling against the fact that I had to do this as a child so this really was a big thing for me. I started it because of this speech. Here is the YouTube version. I think you’ll find some golden nuggets in this for our season right now.
Then I got dressed. I know we all get dressed right. But when you don’t have anywhere to go, it’s easy to slip into wearing your jammies all day or wearing nothing but yoga pants. That’s great for a day or so but after a while you become what you wear…a lounger. I followed Alison and her Get Your Pretty On Challenges that she created to help mom’s get out of the yoga pants rut. It was a fun way to shop my closet, add a few new items and feel pretty. She’s offering a free spring try so if you need a boost it’s a great time to get your pretty on.
I also started learning and doing. I took an on-line course and fell in love with the learning being presented by A.J. Juliani If you are an educator, you’ve got to check out his work. He has a new book coming out on empathy which I think is going to be great for everyone. His course inspired me and helped me start my blog. And just look how far that’s come.
Finally, I built a community. I went to a ton of crazy things to meet people and get involved. I volunteered as much as I could. Those things made me feel connected. It’s tough now with COVID, but not impossible. Today I had an afternoon “tea” with two of my new found friends and a prayer session in the evening with another group. Zoom is a great tool for this and you can do most stuff with it for free. Larger groups require a fee but right now K-12 schools can access it for free.
One other thing I did was start taking care of myself. I started with a 5-day cleanse with Lori. It was a perfect introduction to how to cook and eat healthy food, mindfully. It was simple doable and has led to much bigger changes. I now cleanse 2x’s a year for 30 days and I’m always reminded how good it feels to eat real food. It’s hard during this time stuck in to eat healthy but do your best. You need the immunity from it.
Not matter how you are feeling right now, know we are all in this together and we can get through it together. Now is a great time to really think about the basic things that keep you at your best. If you don’t have any or need to update a few, feel free to try some of mine. I’d love to hear how they work for you!
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