SOCIAL DISTANCING & CORONA CHAOS: How to keep a healthy mindset and stay on top of your goals

The coronavirus continues to spread a lot of fear and anxiety in the world with new regulations being announced almost daily and several countries cracking down on social distancing.

I know this uncertainty feels uncomfortable, but the idea of social distancing is not such a bad one. It's a great opportunity to not only do your part in keeping others safe and healthy but spending time at home can be time spent wisely.

Make the best of this time by taking care of your mental health and staying productive with your goals.

And by the way, once we get past this coronavirus pandemic and social distancing season, don't dump these healthy habits - keep using them to bring long-lasting balance in your life!

The Bright Side Of Social Distancing

A LITTLE ADVICE FOR REMOTE WORKING

Welcome to my world - I work from home. I work alone. And thankfully, I’ve found the balance between work priorities and home life.

So if this remote work experience is new to you and bringing some angst, I want to help calm those nerves, friend.

Yes, you’ll be tempted to do the laundry that’s sitting on your bed. Or the dishes you can see from your dining room table. But let me assure you, there’s a time and place for everything.

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Work in one hour time chunks. Every hour we should be getting up to move and get our blood circulating anyways, that’s when you can move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Or take the trash out. Empty the dishwasher. Prep for dinner. Or any other loose end chore that seems hard to ignore.

Also, take advantage of evening work hours. After the kids go to bed. This time is kind of complicated because not only are many employers asking their people to work remotely, but with schools closed that means all the kiddos are home also.

If your kids go to bed at a decent hour, then you can still clock a couple of hours of uninterrupted work time.

During the day it might be a little more difficult, but don’t stress about it. Just do the best you can. Come up with a plan or a ‘soft’ schedule together as a family.

If you have a partner, switch off every hour being on kid-duty so you each get uninterrupted work time.

If you’re a single parent like me and don’t have someone to shoulder the responsibility with, then you may have to rely a little more on screen time during the day.

Side note: DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP about this societal judgment. Your kids will be fine if they are watching old school movies or playing learning games on the tablet. Hours of Fortnite or other violent non-constructive games are probably not the best choices. But there are a ton of other options that can be encouraged.

And for all parents, if you live in a warm-weather state, even better!

Take that laptop outside and get some work done while the kids play. They can dig in the dirt, play with the water hose, draw chalk art on the sidewalk. Shoot, let them explore the bugs and draw pictures about what they see. Their imagination will take the lead.

Remember when you were bored as a kid? What did your parents say?

Go play. Read a book. Go outside. Ride your bike.

Haha, they knew we could handle boredom! And so can your littles.

I remember I used to feel so guilty when my son was home and I still had to work. But let me tell you something, kids are so creative and their little imaginations are limitless when we let them just play.

My little guy would play in the dirt with his cars, and then want to wash them off with a hose. He’d collect rocks or use sticks to build a fort for his little army men.

And while he’s in his world, I can work guilt-free knowing that he’s perfectly fine.

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DAY BY DAY

Hang in there, friend. Meet all uncertainty moment by moment and try not to get caught up in the what if's or the panic. It's not healthy, it's not productive, and it will bring no good.

Trust me, for your sanity's sake, take it one day at a time.

Yes, these are stressful times, I won't deny that. But they can be less problematic if you focus on life one moment at a time.

Stay safe, wash those hands, and I'll see you back here next week!

Big love,

Karen