5 things keeping me sane right now
Hi friends! How’s the week treating you? I hope you’re doing well and hanging in there with everything going on. I have to admit that it’s been a weird week-ish for me. All of the adrenaline has melted away and I realized that we’re doing a marathon instead of a 10k. (Not that I thought it would be short-lived but the fact that we’re on week 6 has kind of punched the air out of my sails. I literally can’t imagine doing the distance learning thing for another month, but I know we’ll make it happen.)
It’s been devastating to see those who have lost jobs, loved ones, and are experiencing true hardships. There are people who are working to the bone right now, and even though I can’t genuinely feel their struggles, I’m always the empath, and absolutely feel it in my heart. I see the UPS guy driving around and feel like crying. I’m here at my house with our two lovebugs and even though I have to feed them 80 times a day and clean up each time, I know we’re in a good spot.
Even so, I’m a believer in feeling your feelings, and I’ve felt a bit blah with everything. If you feel the same way, just wanted to let you know you’re not alone.
[I’m also at a point where twinning with the dish towel was amusing to me, so there ya go.]
For today’s post, I wanted to share some of the things that are keeping me sane right now:
– Walks, walks, walks. We walk every.single.day, sometimes 2-3 times a day since the girls are obsessed with riding their bikes. The fresh air feels amazing, especially since we’re in the sweet spot in Tucson where it’s not a scorching oven outside, and the vitamin D is good, too. I feel like the walks benefit everyone, especially me. I also realized that I can listen to a podcast or Audible with one headphone while we’re outside, so it gives me something to look forward to in the morning.
(Sabino Canyon was perfection yesterday)
– Watching more TV on a regular basis than I have in probably a decade. By the end of the day, I can’t do much of anything that requires brain power. It feels feels like pure luxury to slump onto the couch and watch TV. (Before this whole situation, it wasn’t uncommon for me to go 2-3 weeks without watching anything on TV. I’d work at night and read for a bit.) There’s SO much good stuff out there! I’ve watched mindless fun (Love is Blind and Tiger King), newer movies (Unorthodox, Knives Out, Parasite), old movies (National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pretty Woman, Groundhog Day), and caught up on shows I used to love (The Voice and Shameless). I’m not sure if my TV habit will stick with me after this is all over, but I’m loving it right now. On the same note, I feel way better when I avoid the news. I stopped scrolling through news articles on my phone so often throughout the day and it’s made a huge difference in how I feel. Instead, I’ll check the news every few days or so.
– Eating sweets and drinking wine. My sweet tooth is in overdrive and I’m back to drinking wine 3-4 times a week (not every night but we’re getting close) because it’s all about survival mode right now. The girls and I have been baking a ton and I’ve just been living my life and eating pure frosting and chocolate chips. This is a season of grace and we all just need to do what we need to do to decrease the pressure on ourselves and cultivate joy however we can. For now, sugar and wine are bringing me joy, so there ya go.
– Zoom calls and phone calls with friends and family and driveway visits at nana’s house. It’s been so nice to get back into the art of the phone call. I gab with my mom for probably an hour a day, call Kyle pretty much every day, and love catching up with girlfriends on the phone or Zoom. We’ve also visited my nana a few times and give her “air hugs” from the driveway. We had a picnic in her driveway yesterday (we took her Chick-Fil-A and she sat away from us in a foldout chair) and it was nice to just sit in the sunshine and visit with her from afar.
– House projects. We figured that it’s the perfect time to sift through some house projects we’ve been wanting to complete. We’re using Havenly to redesign our Master Bedroom – I’ll share some pics of our living room that they did! You can use our link for $20 off a mini package and $50 off a full if you’re looking to spice up any rooms in your house – and we’re also looking at building a pool for the summer. We have a pretty long list of things we want to do to the house, including painting the cabinets, so it’s been nice to crank through them. It’s a good distraction.
New patio furniture and twinkly lights:
So tell me friends: how are you feeling this week?
Anything random that’s helping you stay sane during this insane time?
xoxo
Gina
36 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I feel you for the whole homeschooling puzzle … I would love if you could put up a 2020 spring/summer fashion trends to follow. I feel like fashion/style help me go through this crisis and feel better in my own skin (since our hair is out of control we can at least control our clothes!)…
i would love to do it but i’ve pretty much been in athletic clothes this whole time!! i will absolutely do one towards the end of summer. i’m bummed because i love summer fashion but not really participating in it much this year. i’ve been really trying to focus on skincare during this time since i’m not really getting dressed lol
Yoga with Adriene is keeping me sane. Every morning I wake up extra early go practice for 30min or so. I never did this prior to the whole COVID-19.
^ I love Yoga with Adriene, too! She has saved my sanity on numerous occasions :). The Les Mills on Demand platform is also amazing, thank you Gina, for the referral link :). Also, I snorted at your ‘twinning with the dish towel’ remark. We’re all at the ‘finding human connection with inanimate objects’ phase of this thrill ride.
Also, I’ve been doing a writing project called The Isolation Journals, that was started by writer Suleika Jaouad – https://www.suleikajaouad.com/the-isolation-journals. Every morning, she emails out a prompt, some that she has created but most are contributed by guest writers. Participants can keep the writing to themselves or share in a project Facebook group or their own social media. It’s been a legit joy and so much more fulfilling than just waking up, staring at a blank page and writing, “I feel sad and have no idea what day it is anymore.”
ohhhh i LOVE this idea. thank you for sharing – i’m going to check that out!
her videos are SO good!
Honestly reading blogs like yours are helping to keep me same. It helps to know that literally everyone is going through this pandemic and trying to find ways to cope every single day. Sometimes forme it’s a real struggle. Fresh air really helps to get me out of a funk.
thank you so much for reading and being here! you’re all helping me stay sane, too 😉
i couldn’t agree more about fresh air. it’s been such a huge help over here
hang in there!
What you said about the adrenaline wearing off and realizing this is a marathon and not a 10K is SPOT. ON. I was feeling pretty ok with everything and feeling thankful that my husband still had his job and that our daily life had not been impacted too much other than ya know, not being able to see anyone or go anywhere. But the past week it has really started to wear on me and I kinda had a hit the wall moment. I feel you on allowing more treats or whatever brings a bit more joy during this time! Thanks for sharing your thoughts—your blog helps to give me a sense of normalcy during this time and adds joy to my day:)
i think everyone is just over it. i hope it starts to ease up a bit soon <3
hang in there and thank you so much for reading. xoxo
We took burgers to have a picnic outside of my Grandma’s apartment yesterday too! She’s 90, so we can’t take any risks. It was nice to have a visit rather than a quick grocery drop off. The kids were good about staying on their blankets & not going too close:)
I’ve been thinking about baking more, we’ve done banana bread a few times, but I think cookies are in order today.
The weather has been perfection in Vancouver lately so we’ve been biking and planting & cleaning up the yard. I started couch to 5k, but probably won’t resume til the sun is back. The rain started today so we will embrace Disney plus for a movie day while I work.
Working f/t at home is no joke with 2 littles, but I’m grateful not to be in the front line & still able to do some online shopping:)
yep we’re due for cookies soon, too, as soon as i can get my hands on more flour 🙂
thank goodness for online shopping, right?
hang in there with everything going on <3
Feeling blah like you. Baking, strolls to the mailbox (still cold here in MI), tv. Forced showers haha. Praying for patience and grace to have over my kiddos. Then I go to work where I’m a nurse and feeling kinda depressed about the situation, and trying to be help and care to them. Hoping it’s over soon!!
Fellow Michigander here and omg this weather needs to SCRAM, lol. Stay warm, friend.
i hope it warms up soon for you!
hang in there and thank you for everything you’re doing <3
hope it's over soon, too.
Good to hear I’m not the only one experiencing a funk lately. Last week and the first few days of this week had me all out of sorts. I’m totally embracing sleeping in a bit later than usual (yay 6:15 instead of 5:20!) and walking a ton. We have also been enjoying more sweets than normal, sometimes you have to do things that bring you little bits of joy :).
I also watched Love is Blind – entertainment gold. The first reality TV I had watched in years. No shame in the game.
i’m right there with you; sleep and walks have helped so much.
and YES to love is blind. it was everything i needed 🙂
Oh thank you so much for sharing! I’m really struggling – had a date with a pan of Kodiak blondies yesterday (oops!) and today made a cocktail at 3:30pm.
I’m grateful to be back in the US, but have intense guilt that I can go for walks and leave my house when I want while my friends and colleagues in Madrid haven’t been able to do any of that for 40+ days. The kids under 14 were just granted permission to go outside to play!
We are all struggling in different ways, but it’s so nice to know that we all are just doing what we need to get by and that’s it!
blondies sound SO GOOD right now.
i’m happy you’re back in the us, too, but so sad to hear what those are going through in other countries. i can’t imagine not being able to go outside because the fresh air has been saving us!
I really love that you mentioned wine and sweets. I see so much stuff online about having ‘healthy’ habits during this time and it’s just not real. Like you said, it’s all about living your best life right now and for most of us that does mean a drink every or most nights and a lot of baking. These things are good for mental health and wellbeing which is so important 🙂
I’m also loving walks every morning with a good podcast and working on my sourdough skills.
Second this! Came here to say I appreciate the realness.
thank you so much for reading <3
it’s not real at all. i feel like we all need to embrace whatever it is that can spark a little bit of joy.
loving long walks, too! i really want to make sourdough but i can’t find flour anywhere
THANK YOU for the wine and sugar bullet! I have a glass of wine almost every night and dessert, and it’s just necessary right now. I figure I will never look back years from now and think, “Wow. Wish I didn’t have that glass of wine each night during COVID quarantine.” But I hope I’ll look back and say, “Wow. I’m glad I gave myself grace and focused on things that brought me joy.”
amen to that. i’m right there with you! we all need to cultivate joy and peace however we can
Mental health is really important right now. More people need to hear that there is nothing wrong with doing whatever it is that you need to do to get through this including indulging in sweets. Great post. Thank you so much for sharing.
ps. What podcasts are you listening to right now?
YES! we all need to do whatever it is to make this insane situation as bearable as possible
i have a ton in my library but some faves are the model health show, skinny confidential him and her, and brene brown. also really into audiobooks right now! jessica simpson’s book has been so good
Thank you so much for your suggestions! I will add them to my library straight away 🙂
I love this refreshing and honest post. I can definitely relate to hitting a wall this past week. I find that my energy for tackling this situation comes and goes, so hopefully we will both get another surge of adrenaline to push us through the next chunk of this. “Car picnics” as a family, going through the Starbucks or Krispy Kreme drive thru a few times a week, working out at home, online shopping and finding new TV shows have been getting me through this.
yes, i really hope another adrenaline surge comes soon! i felt like i was doing ok the past few weeks and then it all came crashing down. it’s a lot. i love the car picnics idea! we’ve been getting dunkin drive-thru at least once a week and the girls love it. thank goodness for good tv and online shopping, too
I’m definitely feeling like I am hitting a wall. I know this is necessary but I am so ready for it to be over. I’m sad we’ve had to cancel family visits bc our parents live out of state and we’re coming to stay for a few days at the end of March. We have another visit scheduled at the end of May and had a vacation planned for June 1st. The resort is closed and so that’s cancelled and we aren’t sure we will be able to go anywhere. And I keep telling myself that missing vacations and family visits are such minor inconveniences. Which is true. But man the disappointment hits hard sometimes. And then the guilt. Because I know others have it so much worse. Anyway it’s just a mix of all emotions.
I had to stop a workout plan. It was like my mind couldn’t handle the pressure of completing a workout plan at home and everything else. So for now I’m trying to focus on getting movement in every day but not following a strict 5-6 day workouts every week plan. I think that will help me be able to give myself some grace during this time. We are all just trying to muddle through. Thanks for keeping this post real and honest. It’s good to know I am not alone in this feeling.
you are NOT alone. so many of the people i’ve talked to are in a collective funk. i think everyone has just hit a wall. so so ready for this to be over
i hope you get to make up for those missed vacations <3 hang in there
Gina, I have followed your blog casually since 2011, and it always feels like checking in with a friend when I stop by. Week six (or whatever you call the last week) was a doozy for me and everyone I know. Can’t explain it, since I knew this was a long game. But it was brutal. Working plus kids at home is unmanageable, I’m so worried for others despite being safe and secure myself, etc. So I hear you on that.
But what made me break my “long time listener, first time caller” streak was your pic of twinning with the dish towel. So funny. That shit is why I love this blog still.
Please be safe out there.
hahah i loved this comment! thank you for leaving one because it definitely brightened up my evening
here’s to a better week <3
xoxo
Gina, I just want to send you a heartfelt thank you for keeping it real as always during these crazy times, both on the blog and your podcast. YOU are keeping me sane by acknowledging how hard this is and how you’re coping, but also providing your readers/listeners practical tools and resources for coping as well. Not to compare, but other bloggers seem not to be addressing this crisis at all which just strikes me as..well, incredibly tone-deaf and insensitive. To each their own, but just know I appreciate you. Keep doing you! <3
you with the dish towel made me laugh so hard! i feel like i’m matching my (gray) couch on the daily. #groutfit ftw.
loved this post and your honesty, bc i feel the same, just overall blah! our practice has been closed for over a month now and there is still no definite reopening date. so i read or watch lectures but i want to get back to work! plus, um, $. but more than that in this off/down time, i wish so badly there is more i could do to help those working SO hard on the front lines. it makes me so thankful for what they’re all doing and i just want to shout at them all, THANK YOU! WHAT DO YOU NEED?!
as for making things ok, you nailed it on the head, twin: frosting (yup, straight up daily)/sweets and wine. but walks have been nice too. what has been really awesome is i decided to invest in a spin bike and got the peloton app for the free 90 days. it has changed my outlook most days immensely. when i finally hop on the bike 😉
hope you are all (everyone here!) safe and healthy and lots of virtual hugs.