Quarantine Life & Beautiful State of Mind

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Happy April! It's been such a crazy couple of months especially during the Coronavirus and this new quarantine life. I've been dealing with so many emotions as I'm sure many of you are going through the same mindset. When is this going to end? When can I return back to my normal life? When can I see my family & friends and not have to worry about social distancing? When do the kids go back to school? These are all "normal" feelings that most of  us our feeling and struggling with. I can definitely empathize with these feelings & emotions right now. It is so challenging having to work full time & also homeschool your child if your a parent. I'm a teacher by trade and I am still struggling homeschooling my own two kids. Therefore, I've been keeping track of when I have good days and bad days. I've been mentally making a list of what helps me when I'm having an off day. During this difficult time that we are ALL facing, I wanted to share some tips that I have been incorporating in my daily routine. These are things that I have done that has helped me get out of a funk or when I am feeling anxious. There are definitely days that are easier than others. At this time, I have learned to just take it day by day.

• Go for walk/hike 

Hiking has definitely been a life saver for me during this time when we are forced to stay inside. I've been trying to go on hikes and as many hikes as I can especially since we will be hitting 100 degrees this weekend. Living in AZ in the summer is definitely challenging with the extreme heat. I also learn to appreciate the beauty of nature. It is absolutely gorgeous in the desert. I'm so obsessed with the Saguaro cacti and just the quietness of nature. Bonus: Hiking/walking also helps get my kids out and moving and tires them out. It also a great way to incorporate P.E. in our daily life. We try to do a daily walk at least once a day to help them get their wiggles out as well as help me reset when I am feeling frustrated.

• Biking

Nothing feels more nostalgic, than riding your bicycle. Until this pandemic, I can't remember the last when I was on a bicycle. But once I got on my bike, I remember how much I loved riding it. Not only are getting your exercise in, but the wind and breeze you feel when you ride your bike instantly puts you in a better mood. I also am able to explore parts of my neighborhood that I normally would not venture out too. I've also took my kids to different trails around AZ.  The added bonus is my boys love riding their bicycles. It also gives us time to bond as a family and create wonderful memories. I'm hoping that when this pandemic is over, they remember the times we went out and rode our bicycles.

• Cooking

Cooking can definitely be tricky during this time since the grocery stores have limited stock on certain items. Because of this, it also makes cooking so much more fun. You really have to be creative on what you have at hand. Now is the time to experiment with flavors that you've been wanting to try. Cooking has been a distraction for me and has helped reduce my anxiety as I'm focusing on the task at hand (also know as not trying to burn the house down) than focus on the pandemic or things I cannot control. I highly suggest cooking and finding ingredients that you have to make your favorite dish. There are so many recipes online and that I have found on Instagram that has helped me with cooking. Cooking is another way to bond with your family. My kids love cooking and has helped me with breakfast.

• Breath, Breath, Breath (Taking it Day by Day)

When my anxiety start to increase, I instantly take a deep breath and remind myself this is not FOREVER, but temporary. When I start to think too much in the future, I start to get a panic attack. I've been taking it day by day and sometimes hour by hour. With the challenges of working from home, homeschooling, meltdowns & so much more it is so easy to throw in the towel. Trust me, there are so many days that I feel so overwhelmed. When I start to feel this way, I take a step back, breathe and redirect my mind to see all the positives in life. Sometimes it helps to write it down on a post it so that you can see it and it serves a daily reminder that you can handle anything!

• Staying Active

Staying active has also been a game changer for my mood and mindset. When I am feeling in a funk, I immediately get up and move to change my mood. Staying active could mean turning on your favorite music or playlist to dance to, doing jumping jacks in your living room, yoga, or just moving to keep your heart rate up. I promise if you just do 15 minutes to get up and move it will instantly put yo in a better mood.

• FaceTime/Talking to Friends & Family 

I highly encourage talking to your family and friends via FaceTime, Zoom or any other app to see that personal connection that you have been missing. I immediately start to see my mood change after FaceTiming my nephew, talking to my best friend. Social distancing doesn't mean social disconnect. It's so important to reach out to our family and friends during this pandemic. Just a simple phone call can really cheer someone up. It also lets them know that you care.

• Create a Beautiful & Positive Mindset (Tony Robins)

Yesterday, my really good friend invited me to a zoom webinar of Tony Robins. If you have not heard of Tony Robins, I highly suggest you check him out. He is absolutely amazing and a positive motivational speaker. During the webinar they talked about a beautiful mindset and ending suffering. Suffering is a vicious cycle that we all endure and it is a choice. Being happy is also a  choice. Instead of focusing on the trauma of an event and choosing to suffer, he challenges you to change that mindset and not to be a victim of trauma. So what does that mean? What does that look like? One of the audience member in Tony Robins' presentation shared a story about her surviving a terrible terrorist attack and how much trauma it brought to her life. She talked about having nightmares, going through therapy and it controlling her life and how she wanted to release the suffering.  Tony suggested that we end this suffering by shifting our mindset. When you feel love, joy, gratitude, playfulness, caring, or appreciation you're in a beautiful state. In this state, you know exactly what to do & you do the right thing. In this sate, your heart and spirit is alive. You feel no fear or frustration. You are at ease. On the contrary, when you're feeling stressed out, worried, frustrated, angry, depressed, resentful, you're in a suffering state. You are angry, in a bad mood, make irrational decisions, and very unhappy. So, how do you change this? How do you live in a beautiful state ALL  the time? The secret is practice makes perfect. YOU have to train your mind to shift and not be a victim of your past. YOU have to live in the PRESENT! Not the PAST or FUTURE. Happiness is what you make NOW. We also did an exercise after the webinar that has really helped me. It's from the Hawaiian Forgiveness Ritual: 

The HO'OPONONOPONO:

I love you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you. 

For the exercise, we were asked to say this phrase aloud and repeat several times when we felt fearful, anxiety fear, frustration, depressed, unhappy in essence in a negative mind set. Then we were asked to close our eyes and repeat the phrase a few more times. After doing that, we were asked to close our eyes and picture our heart contracting as we say the words. This exercise has helped instantly decrease my anxiety levels from a 10 to about a 4 just repeating these words. I highly suggest this exercise when you are feeling anxious, negative, or just not yourself. Give yourself grace and repeat these words. I LOVE YOU. I'M SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. THANK YOU. You are amazing and BEAUTIFUL!

 I hope you find these tips helpful and I would love to hear how you are doing during this quarantine period.  What has been helping you keep afloat and sane? Remember, we are all in this together. It's okay to have bad days and to cry.  We all do!  It's okay to miss your old life and wish things will go back to normal. But I challenge you to think about what was "normal" when this pandemic and quarantine life is over. Also to stop and enjoy the little things in life that you can do. Don't forget to stay home and be safe. I also wanted to thank all the medical workers, grocery store workers and others on the frontline that are keeping us safe so that I can stay home and be with my family! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week ahead! Xo