Tips for Staying Healthy at Home

Like many around the world, we’re working from home this week. While sheltering in place is inconvenient and difficult for everybody, we can still take steps to ensure this is a productive and beneficial time. As many countries remain under lockdown, we thought we’d share some tips for staying healthy while you’re stuck at home.

Slow Down
Ordinary life has ground to a halt these last few weeks. As you remain indoors, it can be difficult to keep yourself occupied. Our advice? Lean into the slowness of your day. The immediacy of smartphones and social media clashes with the pace of life at the moment. If you’re not careful, too much time spent staring at a screen will make you increasingly restless. Instead, find activities that match the tempo of your day. Read a book, do a puzzle, or take a walk. You can also choose something more time consuming, like learning a new skill or hobby. Think of a few things you’ve wished you had more time for in the past and see if you can make time for them now.
Plan Your Day
Once you have a clearer sense of how you want to spend your time, you can create more structure for yourself. If sleep is what you need right now, by all means set your alarm a little later, but try to be consistent with your schedule. Waking up at the same time every day is a good way to create a stronger sense of order. From there, you can plan out meals, work, and ways to relax. Eat breakfast at the beginning of your day and make sure you’re getting 3 meals a day. And if you can, give yourself something to look forward to each day. It could be as simple as saving a favorite TV show for the end of the day, but by having something special planned, the hours will pass quicker
Be Creative
It isn’t always easy to stay entertained while you’re stuck at home, but it’s important to try. Once you have your schedule in place, see if you can come up with one thing each day that is unique. Eat lunch outside. Cook something new. Arrange a video call with your extended family. Coming up with fresh ideas will give you a challenge and make each day feel distinct. Even if you aren’t successful every day, this will still help keep you from getting into a rut. And if you discover something you really like, you can make it a part of your daily routine. There might not be as many variables at home as there are out in the world, but by being creative, we can come up with a few more ourselves.

Last But Not Least
Don’t feel guilty. Not every day will be productive or engaging, and that’s okay. Treat each day as a fresh start and see what it brings. It’s also okay to enjoy your time. This is a very serious situation, but that doesn’t mean you should spend all day focused on the news. While some are affected more than others, it’s important to remember that this is something that’s happening to everyone. The best thing you can do right now is stay home and stay sane. So make memories, find ways to grow, and have fun. Whatever this time ends up looking like for you, we hope this post helps you stay occupied long after you finish reading it.