• Quarantine, Shortage, Pandemic, OH MY! Ok, I was trying to make you chuckle but in all seriousness, I really want to share these 8 tips with you to help your period of quarantine go as smooth as possible.
• If you try to go to the grocery store, you will likely be met with a bit of chaos mixed with a complete shortage of “normal” groceries. By normal, I’m referring to water bottles, bread, toilet paper, meat, and more! Take note of the vision most of us see the past couple of weeks. On top of a shortage, we are all dealing with quarantine as well! Here’s a picture from my last grocery trip.

Why is there a shortage?

• The obvious answer is…panic. Panic from Coronavirus, or panic from the panic itself. It’s ok to feel uneasy. Take a second and just let yourself feel the fear. Then take another minute, and realize it is going to be ok. Tell yourself that…out loud. Let your mind hear it.
• I know we all may feel out of control but take back your control. Plan for a shortage. Use things like Pinterest for recipe ideas for the groceries you CAN find! While you may not have everything at the grocery store you are used to, there are still options.

Why is a quarantine happening/necessary?

• Depending on location, at this time, quarantine can be different for each of us. Some of us may be in total lockdown and some of us may just be in a social distancing advisory. Either way, this is for your protection. Plan for this to be your current situation for some time.
• Again don’t panic. While this may be necessary, life will still go on. The grocery stores and pharmacies will go on. Our country will make it through this. We will all make it through this. Life is about overcoming situations not avoiding them. This is where we are. This is our period and our challenge. Whether you are already on total lockdown or going to be there soon. Look at this situation as the new challenge that you will get yourself and your family through.

8 Best Tips to Stay Sane During Quarantine?

Now is the time to do what you have always wanted but never had the time. Now is the time to explore different avenues of life, using the resources we have to choose from. Be sure to read all the way to #8 (my favorite).

Tip 1: Stick To A No School/Work Daily Plan

• It could definitely be easy to lose our weekday structure but it’s important to keep one going. Most, if not all of us, are schooling our kids from home. This could get tricky (especially if you’re working from home as well). Keeping some sort of weekday schedule makes the kids feel secure and keeps your sanity.
• You can make your own schedule or you can CLICK HERE now to visit my previous and get your FREE PRINTABLE! I’ve created a no school daily plan you can use over and over again to get through this confusing time.

Tip 2: Don’t drink too much alcohol During Quarantine

• Who doesn’t love to relax with a nice glass of wine? Sometimes it’s the perfect evening to curl up on the couch with a glass and unwind from the stressors of daily life. While I’m not knocking anyone for doing this I do think it could be a good suggestion to refrain from drinking too much or too often. It’s important to be present and not hide from our troubles. It could definitely be tempting to drink a lot more often than normal now that you are home and stuck in the house. Not only will this keep you present but it will give you more time to pick up some other habits you haven’t had the time to do during Pre-Coronavirus times.

Tip 3: Give Your Skin A Break From Makeup

• This may seem unnecessary but I guarantee your skin will thank you. No matter how old you are, we’ve been conditioned to “put our face on” These are unnecessary chemicals we apply to our faces daily. During this time of quarantine, this might be a nice break to give your face a break. Go without makeup on certain days. Maybe on thos days, use a face mask as well. Pamper your skin. Love it more than normal.

Tip 4: Meditate

• Have you often thought of meditating but haven’t really had the time to incorporate it in your already super busy schedule of work, kids, house, etc.? Well…now you’ve got the time! We discussed creating a daily plan for the kids during the week. Maybe 2-3 days (to start) plan to let the kids sleep an extra hour and use that time to practice meditation. You can research meditation techniques on youtube or google for free.

Tip 5: Exercise When and How You Want

• If you are anything like the other millions of working moms, finding the energy and time to workout can be hard. A lot of us suffer from physical or mental exhaustion daily. Adding an exercise routine just never quite gets the option to squeeze in daily plans. Guess what? Now that you are quarantined, you can make your daily schedule however you like. That means you can incorporate an exercise routine at any time that is convenient for you!
• There are many ways to exercise even at home. There are tons of free workout routines on google and YouTube. There are also many apps that will offer routines.
• There is actually so much freedom to take from this quarantine. You get to finally incorporate exercise that works for you.

Tip 6: Try Not To Panic About Groceries

• This is a tough one I know! Every ounce in our body tells us to prepare for trouble and take care of our family. Our instinct is to run straight out to the grocery store and buy enough groceries to feed our family for months. The problem is, pretty much everyone else is doing that as well. Chances are when you get to the grocery store a lot of items are going to be sold out. This will immediately be alarming to you and frighten you. Don’t panic though. While a lot of the staple items are sold out a lot right now, just remain calm and get creative. Look at the items that ARE available. If you want noodles but there is only rice, grab the rice. Grab a little of everything you need for a week, even if it’s a different version. Groceries are going to remain open. Even though a lot of people are panicking, the groceries won’t stop. Try to take solace in that.
• I have an ebook called DUMP & GO RECIPES FOR BARIATRIC MOMS. There are a couple of weeks worth of easy, no-nonsense meals that require very little ingredients (since we don’t have many available anyways haha). CLICK HERE to get your copy!
• (click the link and scroll to the bottom to find my ebook)

Tip 7: Play Boardgames With Family During Quarantine

• This is an oldy but a goody. You are going to have a lot of time on your hands. Use this time to reconnect with your family face to face. We have all gotten so lost on our devices and fell into a daily routine that wasn’t as connected as we’d like. This is your chance to recreate that. There really is a silver lining here. All the extra time you wished you had is now there. Whip out those board games, decks of cards, etc and get busy with your family! Build those memories!!!

Tip 8: Skype or Facetime Friends and Family

• Lastly, even if you a loner like me, and enjoy alone time, our circle of friends and family means a lot. We might not have know quite how much until were impacted with social distancing. The beauty of the time we are in is that we have apps, programs, social media and more to keep us connected. Instead of comparing your wellbeing to others on social media, facetime or skype your loved ones as often as needed. My family is 2 hours away in another state and we can’t see each other right now in person. We skype though and talk often. I still feel very connected to them because of it. Also, think of the elderly who can’t get out and don’t know how to work modern technology as well as us raised with it. Take time to reach out via a phone call as often as possible to help any elders in your family or circle. We are all in this together.

The Last Thing You Need to Know About Getting Through This Emergency

• Find the good in this situation for you and for your kids to build strength off of. You could actually use this time to get more in touch with yourself mentally and physically. Think of this as building memories. Your kids will grow up to tell stories of all of this to their children and so on. Make these memories count. Use this time to rediscover yourself. Explore all the hobbies and interests you always wish you had the time to do.
• What are some hobbies and interests you used to do/have or have always wanted to pursue? What are you going to do with your quarantine time?

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