I would have loved to create a well researched comprehensive post about this, but like so many people I am home with more kiddos than anticipated. With a toddler and infant at home and no grandparent visitors for the time being, if I get a shower and a 4 hour stretch of sleep I call it a successful day.
As of 2:00pm on 3/19/2020, neither has happened yet, but the day is still young, right?
Luckily, my friend and colleague Dr. Liis Hantsoo posted a great blog post a few days ago about coping with Coronavirus similar to what I would have loved to put together. It’s evidence-based, practical, and you should definitely check it out.
My Personal Update & Tips for Coping
I am still on maternity leave and my husband had paid leave as well, so while he has done a little work this week, he doesn’t officially start remote work until next week. Since we were already home with our son, once the first case in Michigan was confirmed we took our 2.5 year old daughter out of daycare so she is home with us too. None of us have left the house over the past 7 days except a for pediatrician visit to get vaccines, a trip to the grocery story, and few outdoor walks.
Like parenthood, our quarantine has been a roller coaster, with high highs and low lows. Some moments have been super fun and I’ve been able to really appreciate the extra time with our daughter home. However, there have been days where I’ve felt stressed, overwhelmed, and down given everything going on in the world. Oh, and the fact that toddlers are exhausting and our 9 week old appears to really dislike sleep.
That said, today is a good day. Partly because while my daughter is “napping” (sitting in her crib awake yelling for us to come back in and hang out with her), and my son is passed out on my chest, I got to blog! So in addition to Dr. Hantsoo’s post, I typed up a few tips I personally have found useful for coping with the quarantine over the past week.
Shawn’s Tips for Coping with Quarantine
In no particular order, here are the things we have found useful in keeping our spirits up over the past 7 days:
- Using the Marco Polo app. This is a free app where you can send video clips to friends. I’ve been feeling disconnected from people and I needed to fix that, so when I saw this suggested on Facebook I jumped on it. Marco Polo is like having mini FaceTime sessions without needing to catch people in real time. You can record and watch whenever you want and send them to individuals or groups.
- Dance parties! Inspired by my friend who sent a video on Marco Polo of her hilarious sons dancing, my daughter and I danced to several videos and sent a few videos to friends this morning. Songs we jammed out to so far included “You’re Welcome” from Moana and “Brave” by Sara Bareilles.
- YouTube yoga and exercise for kids! There are a million free videos, so go nuts. So far we have liked the Cosmic Kids Frozen Yoga and a Mommy and Me yoga. Claire mostly likes when she gets to jump on my back and act like I’m a horse.
- Getting outside! I know everyone is saying this, but it’s so true. If you live in a congested area, take a drive to a park if you can. Be wary of the equipment as the virus appears to live on some surfaces for up to 72 hours. We are only doing walks and hikes so far, no slides and swings for us right now.
- Projects. If I had time, I would do bigger projects but right now, my projects include doing the dishes, taxes and other small things (like this blog post!) that help me feel accomplished. If I had a bunch of free time, I’d be cleaning and decluttering, or replacing things in our home that we have always meant to do. For us, it’s putting a railing on the staircase leading downstairs.
- Sending some love. Send some support to your people, especially those on the front lines fighting this thing. Send a message or call the healthcare workers in your life, or anyone else putting them at risk for the sake of others. And for the love, stay inside to reduce the burden on them.
- Practicing gratitude. On my birthday last week (1 day before the quarantine started at our house) I started a gratitude and goals journal. Each day I write down 5 things I’m grateful for. There is evidence to support this practice to improve mood and overall well-being and it’s a nice way to start the day. Right now, I sometimes do it in the morning and other times at 9:00pm after both kids are in bed before I pass out. Regardless, it’s been a nice practice and it only takes 5 minutes or so. Highly recommended.
Let me know if you try any of these and post any ideas that have helped you cope during this difficult time. The more we stick together as a community (figuratively, not physically), the better.