Quarantine Day # …

Colorado issued a stay at home order effective March 26 – April 26, requiring residents to stay at home with the exception of essential functions. Prior to this, Travis and I were working from home and practicing social distancing for a few weeks, but the order cut most of our hiking range. Although the order is set to lift in a few weeks, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I am expecting it will only be extended. I wanted to take a side step from my usual post and instead write about what is keeping me sane during quarantine. Leave me a comment with what you’re doing and how it’s helped you!

Be (responsibly) Active

Exercise is just as important for your mental health as it is your physical health. The stay at home order lists physical activity as an essential function, but prohibits travel to do so outside of your neighborhood or region. Additionally, essential functions still need to follow social distancing guidelines (staying 6ft away from people). These guidelines limit certain activities and definitely require that you are more mindful of your physical space.

I have been focusing on getting at least 30 min of outdoor exercise a day (although these late spring snows have intruded). We live near three big parks in Denver, so we have been walking / biking to a park in the afternoon. One of the unintended positive results of the virus is that the downtown streets are completely empty, making it really nice for biking.

Per usual, I have also been using AllTrails Pro to find local hikes, by using the map feature when searching based on my location at home. When I can’t get outside, there are a lot of free online resources for work outs at home. I’m not diligent about home workouts, but I do like the Nike Training Club app for free, quick routines.

Learn Something New

Lots of down time seemed like the best opportunity to learn something new that would take lots of practice. I have been interested in learning the ukulele for a long time, so Travis encouraged me to buy a basic one and some online lessons. It’s been fun to focus on a new hobby; Travis has been teaching be the basics he knows, and we have been learning the harder chords together.

Other things on my list to try this quarantine season— baking sourdough bread from scratch, learning more blog hacks on WordPress, and making beeswax candles (I usually just make soy wax candles). I’ve also been trying to get back into meditation— seems like a great time to learn some new mindfulness techniques.

Practice Some Hygge

This past January, I read The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. Hygge is a danish concept that promotes indulgence, coziness and wellness. The book is an easy quick read and has great tips for creating your own hygge routine. I practice it by lighting homemade candles, drinking an obscene amount of strong coffee out of my favorite mugs, and wearing lots of face masks. I like to use it as justification for eating my leftover birthday cake for breakfast.

Stay (virtually) Social

It’s definitely no surprise that I’m an extrovert! I also have a very social job, where I meet with anywhere from 5 to 40+ students in a day. Quarantine has dramatically altered my in-person interactions, but it can’t squash my need for connection. I’ve stayed virtually connected with my friends and family through Google Hangouts, where we chat throughout the day, get together for happy hour or play games through Jackbox Games. Some of my friends organized a virtual trivia night last week where we texted him our team answer— at the end there was even a virtual prize!