These days it feels as if you’re surrounded by chaos, especially when it comes to your daily routine. For years you worked to perfect and find balance with your day-to-day schedule. In fact, you may have read a lot of blog posts and articles about how to find structure and balance in your life!
How things have changed.
Due to COVID-19, now everything seems like it has been turned upside down. And that has been causing a lot of daily stress. Living at home full-time with your partner, children, and other family members isn’t easy. Plus there is the anxiety of what’s going on with the world in general.
However, this is a moment you can not just survive, but you can learn to thrive even amidst chaos!
Here’s how.
1. Start with Nutrition
One place to start with finding structure again is with your diet and nutrition. Of course, you are going to want to indulge occasionally. A sweet treat after dinner or a glass of wine in the evening. However, how you eat is also a great way to create a routine.
For example:
- Eat at consistent times throughout the day
- Keep portion sizes reasonable
- Include in each meal protein, fruit, vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates
2. Add Physical Activity
The human body is designed to move. In fact, it needs to move! You can find structure in your daily life by incorporating physical movement. But make sure you go for a combination of activities.
For instance:
- Walking the dog every day (or going by yourself if you don’t have a pet)
- Taking breaks from work to get up, stretch, walk around, etc.
- Adding more intensive physical activity, such as running, biking, or lifting weights
- Playing games at home, like a backyard soccer game
Need help with getting active? Sign up for an online workout class. Many gyms and programs are now offering fitness classes online. This allows you to add additional structure to your day.
3. Practice Mindfulness Whenever You Can
Mindfulness allows you to slow down and be more present in the moment. Why is that important during these challenging times?
Because in the search to find structure, there is a tendency to overdo things. You feel obligated to be a part of every streaming meeting or to do tons of tasks and chores around the house. Or you are being pulled in a dozen different directions between work, coaching the kids with their school lessons, tending to the house, paying bills, etc.
You need to build some time into your schedule to stop for a moment and pause. For example, waking up a little earlier to drink coffee, watch the sun rise on the horizon, and just breathe.
4. Stay Connected
Relationships are just as critical now than they were before. Yes, there’s your immediate family, or simply your partner if it’s just the two of you right now. But there are so many opportunities to stay connected with others too, which allows you to find and build structure in your life.
For example:
- As mentioned above, group exercise classes not only get you in shape but allow you to interact with others
- Get together with friends for a virtual “happy hour”
- Play cards or a board game through online video chat
- Take an online class for personal enrichment
When dealing with daily stress it also helps to talk to someone who understands and is willing to listen. This includes chatting with a therapist about your issues (many offer online sessions now). It really helps! And a therapist will be able to work with you to find the structure you need to thrive.
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To find structure, the answers are similar as they were before the pandemic. When surrounded by chaos, it helps to get back to basics, especially when coping with daily stress. If you want to learn how to thrive, even in these challenging times, contact me today for support.
