We know there’s a lot of information circulating online about how to care for your wellbeing during this pandemic. Although we’re sensitive to the fact that everyone is handling the stress of unknowns differently, we wanted to share some of the ways we’re finding peace during this time.

We’ve always believed that your home should be a haven. A place to find tranquility and ease – but what if your peaceful home has turned into a place of work, school, or jungle gym now that the whole family is together each and every day for the unforeseeable future?

We know that home feels different right now and one of the ways we’re trying to reconfigure our surroundings to a refuge once more is through routine and intentionality. We’ve gathered a few of our tried and true ways of finding calm during this time to share with you.

Tips For Routine

We understand that not everything works for everyone, but setting a routine and schedule has helped our family immensely during this time.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.

This has been key for our family. Although the days tend to blur together, we’ve found that a bedtime routine is essential for helping us find a sense of normal. Especially for the younger members of our family.

Eat three meals a day.

Yes, obvious. But it’s so easy to fall out of practice when our days are no longer carved out like they used to be. We’ve been trying to gather our family around the table three times a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to help mark the day and keep us feeling energized and nourished. (And to help avoid all-day snacking!)

Get dressed.

A controversial topic certainly. The debate on social media about pyjamas versus jeans is very real. We find that getting dressed helps us to switch gears into a more productive frame of mind and helps the evening, when we change back into them, to feel more relaxing and marked.

Set allotted work/school hours.

Write them on a white board or post them on the fridge if you have to. It’s so hard to find motivation if your day doesn’t have set working/resting hours.

Set relaxation/rest hours.

On the opposite side of things, it’s very difficult to relax – both body and mind – if there aren’t set times during the day that you’ve chosen to stop and switch gears.

Tips for Intentionality

While routine gives us space to work, rest, and carry out our day-to-day tasks, we also recognize how important it is to care for the emotional side of things as these tend to be heightened during times of uncertainty.

Read.

Allow yourself to be caught up in a story or narrative that can give your mind a break from worry or stress. Practice focusing (which tends to be so hard when our phones are always in reach) and set aside time without your device nearby to really lose yourself in the pages of a good book (or audiobook).

Write.

This isn’t for everyone, certainly, but we’ve found that keeping a journal allows us to track our emotions and consider what’s going on in our minds – things we may not have realized if we hadn’t taken the time to put pen to paper.

Pray or Meditate.

Prayer is something that we practice always – in times of crisis or not. Whatever helps you to stop and focus on your mind is helpful to slow worried thoughts and focus on the present.

Do something you enjoy.

Take a bath, light a candle, cook a new recipe. Find something that brings you joy and make time for it.

Move.

Another obvious, but vitally important way to be intentional. Your body needs movement to think better, regulate emotions, and generally feel invigorated and refreshed. A walk, an online fitness class – anything that you enjoy is worth investing time into.

For every single person, this time in our history is unprecedented and all reactions and feelings that we are experiencing both collectively and individually are valid. While your routines and practices may look different, we encourage you to explore making time to examine your thoughts, and treat yourself with care.