The Mental Diet :: Maintaining Your Sanity During Social Distancing

We are all in the same boat. We have been ordered to socially distance ourselves from others, and stay at home as much as possible.

Why are so many of us losing it? Is it really that difficult to just stay home and be still? For some, yes. For all of us in this situation, I’d like to introduce you to the “Mental Diet.”

It doesn’t have much to do with food, except I feel that right now you should eat what makes you happy (considering any dietary restrictions, of course).

I personally do not have an issue with staying home. I love my house. I love being home with my daughter, even as we test each others’ limits. However, I have fallen into a few moments of humdrum where I did not know what to do next.

In order to maintain my regular level of sanity, here are a few things I am doing to sustain, my mental diet.

I am not obsessively cleaning my house.

I have a busy six-year-old who is apparently making it her business to clutter up as much space as humanly possible. I am washing the dishes often, doing laundry more often (especially if we go out to the store), and wiping down the most used areas with disinfectant. 

I am taking the time to relax.

My relaxing has been binge-watching TV shows that I have been behind on, reading, and coloring. Coloring is a great activity to do with or without kids. It’s a great stress reliever!

I am not beating myself up about snacking.

I’m eating cookies. 

I am turning off the news.

The news can be overwhelming and draining. It can also cause anxiety and stress. Give your brain a break and turn it off. You do not need to watch the news every day to know what is happening. 

I am being mindful to move.

I am stretching, and I am going outside and walking up and down my driveway. I’m working my way up to doing yoga. This wasn’t something I did on a regular day so, I’m not being too hard on myself about this either.

I am reading more books with my daughter.

I think this is her favorite time of the day. She has learned very quickly why we don’t read many Dr. Seuss books (a lot of them are very lengthy).

With all of this, I am also working from home and homeschooling. (Bless you, teachers!)

These times are so uncertain. We don’t know what the coming weeks or months will look like. Remember to be kind to yourself and your family as we adjust to a new (hopefully temporary) normal. Take breaks as you need to, meditate, journal, and/or pray. Find your happy place and get to that place as much as you can. Maintain your mental diet.

What does your mental diet look like?