My wellness routines have changed quite a bit since we began staying at home about 2 months ago. My normal routine included going to a class at my yoga studio about 4 times a week, taking the time to walk between classes, dinners and nights in with friends and roommates, and taking time to stop in all the local shops by my house every few weeks. All of these things kept me in a positive headspace. I’ve had to adapt my wellness routine to be contained at home. Here are a few ways that I’ve adapted my routine to be a quarantine wellness routine.

Mirror Your Normal Routine As Much As Possible

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to do a virtual yoga class with my studio at least once a week and utilizing YouTube for more intense workouts that I can do most days. This has helped me feel not so sedentary and get my blood moving every day. Taking walks around the block or the neighborhood is also a good way to make sure I’m still getting my Vitamin D (20 minutes of hands and face exposure is a good rule to follow for this!). But, when the days are cold and rainy I tend to favor yoga even if all I can get myself to do is a 15 minute flow. Find ways to continue weekly engagements through FaceTime, an online fitness class, or making a nice breakfast every Sunday morning. This can help create a new schedule that you’re excited about.

Take Note of What Feels Good and What Doesn’t

For me, I notice that I often really, really want to just lay down and watch Gilmore Girls for a few hours but this is one thing I’ve noticed brings my mood down. I always feel a bit blue and groggy when I’ve spent a lot of time watching TV. It helps to try to hold off until about 8pm to watch anything. Instead, I’ll listen to a podcast while walking or watch a YouTube video while I do my skincare. Pay attention for a few days and notice: what lifts your mood and what brings it down? Sometimes what we think we need can really make us feel worse later. Learning to give yourself what you need instead of what you want is an important skill to develop.

Find Something You Can Control

This one is rooted in a lot of psychology research I did for an essay last year. Finding something small that you feel in charge of can be incredibly helpful for lifting your mental state. For me, that’s been cooking what I want to eat for lunch each day. I’ll take an extra long time to cook something healthy that sounds good to me in the moment. Maybe it’s making a dinner you love, getting a plant to care for, or waking up early for a workout. Anything that gives you a sense of “this is my choice”, “I’m in charge of _____ today” will improve your mood. Finding the smallest things that I can be in control of is key to my quarantine wellness routine.

Spend Time on Things You Enjoy

I often find that when I’m bored I’ll just scroll through social media or emails until I get so sick of my phone I want to turn it off for a few days. It takes some conscious effort to get started but I find turning to hobbies that you used to love can be really fulfilling right now when you have nothing but nights in ahead of you. For me, that’s painting with my watercolors, reading, cooking, and exercising. I try to spend 30-60 minutes a day being active in some capacity and doing something else “fun” each day like making dinner or painting greeting cards to send to family.

I hope you’re all hanging in there and found some value in my tips for your quarantine wellness routine!