Feeling a little stressed during quarantine? Here are some tips to brighten up your day!
1. To-Do List
To stay motivated, create a to-do list each day. It doesn’t have to be a long and extravagant list. It doesn't even have to be centered around work! Just make sure to put a few things on the list to keep yourself on your toes for the day!
2. Enjoy a Cup of Coffee or Tea
Teas that soothe the nerves and relax the mind are peppermint, chamomile, and lavender! Add some honey (which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities) to your tea to sweeten it up! Spice up your daily coffee with honey, cinnamon and milk for a sweet, light and natural taste, or blend your cup of joe in with a few ice cubes, 1 ½ banana, 1 cup of Greek yogurt, honey and cinnamon for a coffee smoothie!
3. Read a Book
A couple of great books to check out are Eat Pray Love, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Mountain Beyond Mountains, The Year of Less, Pachinko, The Pact, Leaving Time, The Nightingale, The Alchemist, and All the Light We Cannot See. Maybe even pick up your favorite book for a re-read!
4. Listen to Podcasts
There's a podcast theme for every interest and the options are endless! They can help you get through your daily chores or help you escape to a world far away. A few popular favorites include In the Dark, Crime Junkies, Stuff You Should Know, Why Won’t You Date Me?, My Favorite Murder, Call Your Girlfriend, Adulting, Safe For Work and TedTalks. A great segment to listen to is here!
5. Workout
Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day for three to five days can significantly improve anxiety symptoms. Get a couple of sprints in your backyard or take a walk with your kids and dogs. Get some fresh air, but make sure to maintain 6 feet distance from others! YouTube is another great resource for at-home workouts to get your blood flowing. A simple search for a quick core workout or yoga workout will do the trick. Make sure to try Club Pilates GO for Mat Pilates workouts with Club Pilates! It’s the best way to treat your core-antine blues!
6. Get Creative
With a new adjustment to the new reality, it’s tough to think of things to do for you and your family. Adobe Creative Cloud has two months of Adobe access free for existing Creative Cloud Subscribers. Go through the cancellation process and redeem your offer for this special discount. Online Art Classes has 10 University Art Classes you can take for free! Or learn to fold origami with Learn Origami. You can also print coloring pages for you and coloring pages for the kiddos, and have a blast coloring and drawing together! If you still need some fresh air, get some chalk and get creative on the driveway! Show off your inner Picasso during quarantine.
7. Try New Quarantine Snacks
Try a new recipe! Here is an AMAZING recipe for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. Give it a try! You can find other recipes in our recipe section on the blog!
8. Journal
While cooking and art are fun, one of the best ways to reflect and ease your mind is journaling! You can easily look up journaling prompts from your favorite blogger, or invest in Hayli Nicole’s four weeks of guided journaling.
For $5, you will have access to 100 pages of journaling that you can print out (or if you don’t have a printer, there is a PDF fully editable in Adobe Acrobat to type in your words)! Be the next Virginia Woolf!
9. Virtual Tours
Enjoy the sights around the world from the comfort of your home!
Tour the National Parks of United States
Live Cams of your friends at the San Diego Zoo
Or just all your animal friends across the USA
Virtual Tour of Museums around the World
and 30 Famous World Heritage Sites
While canceling plans with friends and social distancing from your Club Pilates family can be very disappointing, make sure to set some time aside each day to enjoy the little things. Remember to love yourself a little extra during this time. Go and find the little things that you use to love before the hustle and bustle of life got in the way! Enjoy this time to reflect and plan for the future ahead! Be compassionate. Be grateful. Be kind.
Written by Sabrina Chen