5 Ways To Waste Your Quarantine

I think we are all at a bit of a loss as to how to handle so much time at home! It seems as though there is a huge difference between getting to spend time at home and having to spend time at home. Speaking for myself, I feel somewhat trapped, unable to get a break from the mundane and just like that, my motivation to accomplish much of anything seems to fly out the window.

BUT, seeing as we have at least another 30 days of this. Here is a glorious opportunity to do better! Here is a chance to take advantage of a time as such we will likely never experience again and do something worthwhile with it! But rather than give all kinds of helpful, fun activities to try, I thought maybe I’d list a few habits that are often a stumbling block for being productive. I’ve seen most of these things listed below in myself and maybe you’ll see them in yourself as well. I’m not saying you need to quit all these things cold turkey (everything in moderation!) But it wouldn’t hurt to look and see if there might be better ways to spend your time.

So here we go. Here are the five habits I would suggest AVOIDING during quarantine:

1.) Sleeping In

Hey, let’s just start off with the first part of our day, shall we? And please don’t hate me. I’m not saying not to enjoy extra rest, or an occasional morning with no alarm. (This is not a thing for me as I have a four year old alarm clock with no snooze button that goes off at 7:00 every morning without fail). But, still, rest is a good thing. Yet, when we begin to allow our mornings to start later and later each day, it throws off any hope of a routine and tends to drain energy. Meals get thrown off, time is wasted, and things we often would have accomplished by a certain time under a normal schedule go to the wayside.

If you give it a try, the early morning hours, especially when ya grab a cup of coffee and throw open a window, can be absolutely invigorating! Even if you just sit and read or pray for a bit. Especially for mamas, when the early morning may be one of the only times of quiet we have in a day! Not to mention, it’s going to be way harder to go back to getting up for work, school, etc., if your body gets used to two or three (or more!) extra hours of sleep. If you want this time to be productive, don’t waste hours of it in bed!

2. A Lack of Routine

Once again, it’s good to be balanced. This doesn’t mean you have to have some strict regimen every day. It’s kind of beautiful to have a little extra freedom in that way right now! I think often our schedules are so packed we forget to stop and enjoy life!

But maybe don’t take it too far. Especially if you have children. Routine is good for them! Even if it’s a different routine than normal, or a more relaxed routine than the usual. That can be good too! By all means, mix it up a bit! But perhaps it isn’t best to simply wander around the house all day, every day, with no plan whatsoever. With nothing to look forward to. With nothing to plan for. With no guideline to follow. This leads to boredom. And boredom is extremely unproductive! Try making something of a plan, even if it’s simple, and do your best to stick with it! (Preaching to the choir here!)

3. A Lack of Activity

You may or may not know this, but a lack of activity tends to lead to a lack of activity. Even when I’m not quarantined, when I go through phases in life where I’m less active, it takes sooooo much for me to want to GET active! The less active I am, the more tired I am. The less I get up and go the less energy I have. Kind of funny that it works that way. You might think doing more will tire you out, but that’s generally not the way of it.

For example, I love working out and it’s my habit to make it to the gym at least three days a week. My boys love the kids area and run off so much energy while mama does too! Well, that option isn’t currently on the table and I honestly hadn’t replaced it with anything. It’s really hit me the last couple mornings though, because all I’ve wanted to do is nap and lay around. I’m not pregnant. I’m not sick. So in my mind, this is unacceptable. So, despite really not wanting to, I flipped on my computer, pulled up a YouTube Zumba video and got my behind off the couch! Pretty soon my boys heard the music and came running. They grabbed their tennis shoes (which they insisted they needed although my younger dude was wearing nothing but a pull up) and let me tell ya, if you think doing Zumba is hard by yourself, try doing it while avoiding tripping over two and four year old little people bouncing around in front of you. It’s quite the workout! And no, it wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t the most productive workout I’ve ever done, but ya know what? It worked! It was better than nothing and I have so much energy today! And not just physical energy but mental and emotional energy as well. I don’t feel as tired, as foggy, or as irritable. The last couple days have been rough in that area. After just one morning of getting moving, I already feel better.

The problem is, it takes convincing yourself to move past that lack of energy to do what it takes to get the energy you need. So no matter what it is: go for a walk, a run, or a hike, watch and follow a YouTube video, do a FaceTime workout with friends, go run around the yard with the kids. Just do something. I guarantee, you’ll feel better!

4. Junking It

Oh, this is such a big one! Now, I’m not judging here. See, even as a stay at home mom, I’ve struggled with this the past few weeks. Because, although I am quite used to being home, I’m also accustomed to being able to go out for a few hours at a time. And when I’m out, I think less about food. But right now, as is the case with many people, we are stuck home ALL THE TIME, and the refrigerator just seems to be calling, doesn’t it? And it ain’t carrots calling your name is it?

See, many of us tend to eat when we’re bored. Many of us also eat when we’re anxious. And since there’s plenty for people to be anxious about, there’s plenty of reasons for people to binge. And we don’t tend to binge on healthy choices. Everything sweet and salty calls to us, and it’s so hard to resist! Now, going back to moderation, I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy junking it every now and then. It’s my personal opinion that no global crisis is complete without the occasional bowl of ice cream. It wouldn’t be right to exclude such helpful delicacies all together! But, as I keep mentioning. Balance is key. Don’t let boredom, anxiety, and having no one to impress guide the food choices you’re making. We all like to joke about “rolling” out of the house after quarantine, and having a little extra padding heading into summer. But, be honest, is that really what you want? Do you want to come out of this whole thing with less energy and wellness than you entered it? Which leads to another point: Junk food doesn’t give you the energy to accomplish any of the above goals we’ve just talked about. Simple choices to go with healthier food options can take you such a long way. And hey, you have plenty of time to google all sorts of ideas and try lots of new recipes! So, next time you spray down with lysol and head out to your local grocery store, try making a purposeful plan to buy the kind of foods that are more likely to build your immunities and keep you and your family well and energized through this uncertain time. I guarantee you won’t regret it!

5. Too Much Media

There’s nothing wrong with catching your favorite show, or watching that movie you’ve been meaning to for such a long time, or checking the news now and then, or being interested in how all your friends on social media are spending their time on lock down. But please, please, please, don’t spend every moment of your day this way! It will depress you, oppress you, confuse you, bog you down, steal your energy and fog your brain! It’s hard to sort through the truth and the lies, what will help and what will hurt, what’s wholesome and what’s deadly. I say this from experience! I have spent way too much of our current situation with my eyes glued to a screen! I let it steal time that could be so much better spent!

There is beautiful spring weather to be soaked up, so get out and enjoy it! There are projects to be done, so get up and do them! There are experiments to be tried, so go and try them! There are children waiting for you to play with them, teach them and enjoy them! There are marriages that need attention and you have the time to give it! There are just so many ways to spend this time and media is stealing it away for so many people, including me. So just to be practical, maybe just set yourself a limit of how long or how much time you’ll give to media in a day, and let that be it.

In Closing…

I don’t write this to discourage anyone! Even if you feel you’ve been wasting time, that doesn’t have to continue! I for one would like to start now making a few changes to how I’ve been spending these days! It’s never too late and there are so many amazing opportunities for us to grab hold of. Our current situation is not something we’ve experienced before…and I know that can be scary. But it can also be beautiful. It’s a beautiful chance to do the things that are often out of reach. It’s an amazing opportunity. So don’t waste it. It may never come again.