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From someone who's been living a home-based lifestyle for ten years.
It’s been 33 days since I started self-isolating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as things currently stand here in Los Angeles, we will continue following Safe at Home practices for another 45 days at the very least. For some parts of the world it’s been longer than others, but we’re all on stand-still indefinitely and struggling to cope as a result. Airwaves are filled with celebrities and talk show hosts remarking at how isolating, mundane, and boring being homebound is. It’s common to hear phrases such as, “We’re alone...together,” and “adjusting to a new normal,” along with tongue-in cheek-conversations questioning which day it is, and remarking on the now irrelevant concept of a “weekend.” When there’s no change in schedule and nowhere to go, it doesn’t really matter what day it is. It’s so weird hearing the whole world talk like this, because those are phrases I’ve heard before. Those are “spoonie” phrases.
A “spoonie” is a person whose mental and/or physical energy has become a finite resource due to disability, chronic illness, pain, and/or a compromised immune system. Healthy people have “buckets” or “oceans” of energy, whereas chronically ill people have “spoonfuls” that we have to learn to count and manage like a precious resource. Over 133 million people struggle with some sort of chronic illness in America, many of whom had to exercise social distancing and a home-based lifestyle long before the current pandemic. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2014 after three years of undiagnosed illness. My symptoms were so severe I had to quit my full-time job and start working from home. For a period of about three years, I was rarely well enough to leave the house, and I still experience flare-ups that keep me home for weeks at a time.
Personally, as an immunocompromised person, I’m grateful to be living in a place that’s taking a sincere and science-based response to the pandemic. I’m proud to be a Los Angelena and commend Newsom and Garcetti for their continued vigilance in the face of so much adversity. Being stuck at home is hard and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but it’s pertinent we continue to follow Safe at Home practices until authorities like the CDC and WHO declare otherwise. I know it seems like it will never end, but fear not, my fellow homebound friends, you can get through this, and there's a lot you can start doing right now to feel better! Over the years, I’ve learned how to cultivate an enriching and rewarding home-based lifestyle, and Tia Nata is here to share her experiences with you. This is a rare opportunity to get to know yourself on a deeper level, learn new skills, and re-establish what's truly important to you. Here’s what I’ve learned over the last decade about staying healthy, happy, and occupied while homebound - and you don’t have to take just my word for it, these are also backed by SCIENCE!
1) Honor Your Grief In Healthy And Personalized Ways
As previously mentioned, learning to create an enriching life during this challenging time is not easy. It requires ingenuity, creativity, and true grit. If you find yourself suddenly unemployed as well, your hardships have been magnified tenfold - and my heart goes out to you! Naturally, we’re all going to experience grief in the midst of this novel pandemic and its accompanying struggles. Grief that continues to be exacerbated by each new headline and update. I experienced extreme periods of grief and isolation as a result of my illness, and it almost destroyed me. It’s pertinent for overall mental health to honor one’s grief in healthy and personalized ways. Should you find yourself struggling, there's no need to do it alone. There’s a ton of listings for free online grief counseling through resources like https://www.mastersincounseling.org/guide/loss-grief-bereavement/.
2) Take Responsibility For Your Mindset
We might not have control over the pandemic, but we do have control over how we respond to it. Mindset is like a filter or colored glass through which we interpret the world around us and our experiences with it. It’s pertinent to mental and physical health that we cultivate a balanced perspective. Our survival instincts tend to skew our attention towards danger before pleasure, so we must be extra diligent when facing a traumatic experience like the pandemic. Treat it like physical exercise, it's that important. When you make calibration of mindset a part of your daily routine, you’ll become happier and more grounded. Spend a few minutes each day writing out all the things you're grateful for - if you're alive and healthy, there's always plenty to be grateful for. Podcasts, lectures, and reading materials on the study of mindset will provide tools you can use to become a master of your perspective. It will take some self-experimentation to find what resonates with you. Personally, I continue to find liberation through: The Tim Ferriss Podcast (and his books), Robert Anton Wilson (Praise Bob!), Meditation, and Taoism/Zen Philosophy (Alan Watts FTW!).
3) Take Frequent Breaks From The News
Another powerful way to manage mindset is by following a regimented “media diet.” I used to spend hours going down rabbit-holes reading about Fibro related stuff. I learned I had to take breaks or else I was constantly stressed out and thinking about illness, which warped my perception and happiness. We must do the same thing with COVID related news, as I had to remind myself recently. I was starting to slip from this rule, and over-consumption was severely exacerbating my stress, and negatively affecting my outlook. It’s important to stay up-to-date, but it’s also important for mental and physical health to exercise moderation.
Here’s the media diet I’ve found works best for me:
- I don’t allow myself to start or end my day with the news or social media
- Limit my mainstream media consumption to 15-30 minutes total per day
- Source my information from low-stress outlets when possible (ex. The Daily [Social Distancing] Show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver)
4) Take Time To Make Yourself Laugh
When taking your all important breaks from the news, immerse yourself in media that has absolutely nothing to do with current events, preferably something that makes you laugh. There’s a reason they say laughter is the best medicine. Not only is laughter good for the body, it’s also good for the mind - akin to deep meditation. Losing yourself in laughter liberates you from thought, and gets your breathe flowing deep from within your diaphram. There’s even laughter meditation practices , and a Laughter Yoga Movement developed by Indian MD, Dr Madan Kataria. I’ve become a big fan of all things humorous, especially stand-up comedy. Specials I revisit repeatedly are Bill Burr’s I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, Jim Carrey’s Unnatural Act, Bill Hicks Revelations, Ellen Degeneres Here and Now, Patton Oswalt’s My Weakness is Strong and Annihilation, and Chris Titus Neverlution.
5) Set Goals To Stay Occupied
Having goals to look forward to each day is excellent for mental health and overall happiness. Your goals are like armor, they will help protect you against listlessness and apathy (the roots of depression and despair). They can be big, serious goals, or silly, little ones. Once you’ve taken some time to brainstorm, it's best to write out the goals you’d like to accomplish. Data has shown repeatedly that writing goals down, or explicitly visualizing them a la vision boards, makes us 150% more likely to accomplish them. Another way to improve your odds is by sharing your goals and progress with a person who will hold you accountable. Be specific with your goals by including quantitative information and setting target dates for completion. For example, if you want to get in shape, write down something like, “Lose 15 pounds by May 31st.” Or, “Be able to hold a 60 second plank by June.” Also, be realistic and set yourself up for success. For example, if you’re not a morning person, don’t try to make yourself run a mile at dawn. Run when you know you’re at your peak of the day for such an activity, and if you haven’t run in years, start with a half or even quarter mile.
Goals I’ve set for myself while Safe at Home are:
- Be able to do a pull-up unassisted in the next 30 days
- Become friends with a neighborhood raven before next winter (What? Corvids are rad!)
- Double my writing income by June
- Learn conversational Japanese and Spanish by the end of the year
(There, now we're accountability buddies!)
6) Establish A Routine For Mental And Physical Health
In case you haven’t noticed, one of the first things that goes to hell when homebound is your schedule. Lack of routine can derail our happiness and sleep quality, which can compromise our overall health. When we’re no longer being structured by the outside world, we must develop the discipline to set and maintain our own sense of routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same general time each day is one of the most powerful ways to add structure to one’s life, as well as maintain sleep health. Another way of reinforcing routine is through the implementation of what Tim Ferriss describes as “bookends.” These are “rituals” of sorts - routines you follow every day after waking, and right before going to sleep. They act like bookends to your waking hours, adding a sense of structure in an otherwise structure-less day. Athletes and people who have survived extended periods trapped in mines understand the power routines i.e. “bookends” have on performance and sanity. We can harness that same science in our own lives by creating our own bookends. They can be as simple as making your bed in the morning, and journaling for 10 minutes before bed.
Here’s what my bookends look like right now:
Morning:
- Make bed
- Water and tend my container garden
- Make green tea and one-minute-miso, serve 16 oz kombucha, take D3 supplement
- Light stretching
- Free-write for at least 20 minutes, before logging into socials or reading the news
Evening:
- Dim lights about an hour before going to sleep
- Stretch
- Drink herbal tea (been into lavender/chamomile lately)
- Take bedtime supplements (homeopathic lithium, melatonin gummies)
- Meditate
7) Keep Business Separate From Pleasure With A Designated Workspace
I’ve been working remotely since 2013, a choice I made as a way to accommodate my failing health. I had this glamorized view of working from home until I started doing it. It’s more challenging than it seems, and I’ve had to figure out how to set myself up for success over the years. Having a designated workspace is one of the best ways to minimize distractions and maximize productivity. It also gives you a sense of separation from work and home life, even when they’re one in the same. It’s really hard to feel like you’re “off work” when you’re unwinding in the same place you worked all day. Keep it separate from where you watch TV and/or sleep, if possible. Even if you live in a studio apartment or rent a single room, designate a specific corner, seat, or space as your work area.
8) Get Your Vitamin D3 To Maintain A Healthy Body, Mood, And Mind
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that plays an important role in most of the body’s processes, including serotonin production, mood, immune health, and sleep quality. One of the main ways our bodies produce D3 is when our skin is exposed to direct sunlight. Many modern cultures are already chronically light deprived, and we’re at risk of becoming even more so while staying Safe at Home. Natural light has also been shown to affect productivity, which is good to keep in mind when working from home. Try to get at least 20 minutes of direct bright light exposure every day. Even cloudy days provide far more bright light than being indoors. Besides sunlight exposure, Vitamin D3 supplements are the best way to maintain healthy levels. I’ve tried many brands over the years, and this spray by Garden of Life is my absolute favorite. I find it absorbs better than pills, tastes great, and it’s sourced from lichens instead of animals. Our bodies naturally produce peak serotonin in the early hours of the day, so it's best to take D3 supplements with breakfast. Unlike other essential nutrients, it’s very difficult to obtain D3 from food sources. Fish, eggs, beef liver, cod liver oil, fortified milk and cereals, and mushrooms that have been allowed to sit in the sun, are foods richest in D3.
9) Start a Garden For Mental Health And To Save Money
Gardening is an excellent way to maintain mental and physical health, and happiness, especially while stuck at home. Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of gardening, including boosting mood, and reducing stress and feelings of loneliness. The plants get you outside/near sources of light, and their daily care adds structure to your day. Nothing will motivate you to get out of bed like having something outside yourself to care for. Plus, a garden can provide much needed substance during times of scarcity. You can easily regrow literally anything you buy from the store, check out sources like this video here to learn how. Growing, eating, and sharing food from your garden is one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. If you’re limited on space or experience, your garden can even be as simple as a few easy to care for indoor plants, or a simple project like starting an avocado seed.
10) Immerse Yourself In Creative Activities, Doctor's Orders
Humanity has an inherent need to express themselves creatively. This drive is poorly understood, but when stifled it can have drastic consequences on mind, body, and soul. Multiple studies have shown the health benefits of engaging in creative activities. Creativity increases happiness by releasing dopamine, boosts the immune system by increasing our CD4+ lymphocyte count, and improves cognitive function by connecting both halves of the brain. Like meditation, engaging in creative activities also calms and focuses the mind and improves mental health. So, now’s the time to get back in the habit of writing, painting, making music, or whatever it is that makes you tick. Even if you don’t identify as an artist, simple acts like listening to music, cooking, origami, or coloring books provide many of these same benefits.
11) Keep Up On Exercise (It Bears Repeating)
The isolation and monotony of being homebound can be very depressing. One of the best weapons in the constant battle against depression is exercise. A regular fitness routine maintains mental and physical health, and extends longevity. It also improves cognitive function and productivity. It also keeps the immune system strong, which is extra important in the midst of a pandemic. Thankfully, there are a gazillion videos and programs accessible remotely via the internet, many of which are free. Some of my favorites are the PopSugar Fitness YouTube channel (they have a TON of videos ranging in style, from gentle recovery to strength and sculpt to kickboxing cardio to HIIT), DDP Yoga (which you can try free for seven days), Tai Chi with David Dorian Ross, and Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease (it gives a good workout, can be modified to your ability level, and makes you feel sexy! Also, the view ain’t bad...).
12) Give Yourself The Best Self-Care Every Day
When you’re not leaving the house or seeing people, it’s easy to wind up wearing the same pair of pj’s for days on end and having beer for breakfast. Maintaining self-care is pertinent to staying happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. When you take care of yourself to the best of your ability, you feel good about yourself, which keeps energy levels, mood, and mindset high. Studies have shown what we wear effects how we think about ourselves. Make sure to shower and change clothes daily. Pamper yourself in your favorite ways, whether that’s painting your nails, soaking in a bath, or wearing super comfy clothes. Another way to keep yourself feeling good is by making sure to drink plenty of clean water and eat nutritious, tasty foods.
13) Make Learning A Daily Habit To Fill The Hours And Stay Happy
Keeping your brain stimulated will also keep you feeling happy and fulfilled, no matter where you are. Learning has also been show to have a correlative relationship on our physical health. There’s too many free apps and other online resources not to be learning new things all the time. Take advantage of this time to learn that language you’ve been meaning to master, learn how to play an instrument, cook new foods, or whatever calls to you. The Great Courses has a killer sign-up deal right now, with classes on just about everything you can think of. I’m especially excited about their photography course taught by a National Geographic photographer. Educational sites like NASA have a bunch of cool stuff up for free. Check out free virtual tours of museums, zoos, aquariums, and theme parks. Listen to well-researched podcasts like Missed in History, TimeSuck!, The Joe Rogan Experience, and The Naked Scientists.
14) Play Video Games, Table Games, And Solve Puzzles
Playing may seem like a frivolous thing to prioritize, but it’s actually a very important activity for intelligent creatures. Intelligence implies play, and visa versa. Watching television is a great way to kill time, but it's a passive activity that doesn’t have any inherent benefits for our minds or bodies. Playing video games, table games, and solving puzzles, on the other hand, is a demanding cognitive experience requiring intense focus, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination. It is easy to lose oneself in the immersive world of games, and you can easily kill several hours or more without realizing it. It’s also good for the mind, and provides another opportunity to interact with people and build a community.
15) Maintain Your Community Regardless Of Distance
Speaking of community, now is not the time to slack on keeping in touch with friends, comrades, mentors, and loved ones. Maintaining a strong community is directly tied to overall physical and mental health. Strengthen your community at home by reading together or playing games. Thanks to technology like the wonderful world-wide web, it’s easy to stay in touch via email, texts, phone, social media, streaming, video chats, forums, and chat rooms. Host virtual happy hours and dances with apps like Google Hangouts or Zoom, or fun game nights through sites like JackBox. Consider sending good 'ole fashioned snail mail to people, especially those who are living alone or at risk during this challenging time. Physical mail has been shown to elicit stronger emotional responses in recipients, compared to digital communications - along with an increase in desirability and reward processing. In other words, people feel really good when they get something in their mailbox. Plus, it's a great way to support the US Postal Service, which needs all the help it can get right now!
16) Keep Your Household Sane By Respecting Each Other’s Space
Physical and emotional space are an important part of any healthy relationship. It's extra important when you're living on top of each other. You’ll all need to work together to maintain the happiness of your household through healthy space. You don’t want to make each other miserable, that just confounds things even more. Trust me, I used to get miserable from being sick and in pain, and it was not fun for anybody. Remember to refer to item #1 of this list when the sad, overwhelmed feelings come up. Then, focus on maintaining healthy boundaries with the members of your household. Express your need for space before you get annoyed or agitated, and respect this need when expressed by others. Create alone time by going in a separate room, walking outside, or exercising separately. Even if you share a tiny apartment, create some personal space for yourself through individual yet immersive activities like reading, virtual reality, or wearing headphones. Whatever you do, remain respectful of each other, and take responsibility for your mindset. Then, you’ll continue being able to tolerate and enjoy each other, no matter how long this lasts.
17) Spend At Least Two Hours A Week In Nature To Boost Health And Mood
Studies have shown that spending at least two hours in natural settings offers a host of benefits for the human body, mind, and spirit. Mother nature improves short term memory, reduces stress and inflammation, increases Vitamin D3 levels, and regulates sleep patterns. It’s also been shown to increase happiness, improve vision, inspire creativity, and develop a deeper sense of spiritual connection to the world around us. With trails, beaches, and parks closed, it can be difficult to access certain aspects of nature right now. However, you can still exercise outside, and open your doors and windows when it's safe to do so. Even if you live deep in the city or can’t safely access physical nature, spending time viewing nature related images and videos can provide some of the same benefits as physical interaction. Thank goodness for all those awesome nature and animal videos on YouTube!
18) Maintain Healthy Indoor Air Quality While Stuck Inside
The quality of your indoor air can have significant effects on physical and respiratory health. When spending time Safe at Home due to an airborne pandemic, it's extra important to keep your indoor air clean and healthy. This is especially true if you share air with neighbors in an apartment or other complex-like setting. One of the best ways to do this is by purchasing a HEPA rated indoor air purifier. Be sure to check its space rating so you get the right equipment for the size of your home. You may need more than one depending on how big your space is. Another way to keep your building air clean is with potted plants. Many are simple to maintain, and the addition of plants brings elements of nature and gardening into your home, thus making this list item a three-in-one.
19) Boost Physical And Mental Health With A Companion Animal
I put this one last, because I don’t want people to just bring pets home without considering the long-term ramifications. Bringing home a young cat or dog is easily a ten year commitment, and I fear many of the animals that have been recently adopted will get “returned” when all this is over. That’s just mean to the animal. Too many of those poor souls rotate through animal shelters like kids in and out of foster care, and it traumatizes them just as profoundly. That being said, getting a pet is one of the most powerful and effective ways to combat the boredom, loneliness, and depression that comes with being homebound. If you’re not up for a ten year or more commitment, consider adopting a shorter lived animal, such as a mouse, guinea pig, or small bird. Older cats and dogs also make excellent companions while providing a shorter time commitment. They tend to be very sweet, mellow creatures who just want to chill out and snuggle - and the best part is, you don’t have to potty-train them. Even just a fish in a bowl will add companionship to a space. Plus, it gives you something to care about and get out of bed for. Getting my cat when I was struggling to cope with my illness saved my life. Her need for attention, exercise, companionship, and play truly added to my days and motivated me to care for myself when I needed it most. And taking care of ourselves is one of the best things we can do right now.
I hope this list is a helpful resource for you while continuing to practice a Safe at Home lifestyle. We'll get through this together, no matter how long it takes!
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay happy everyone!
It’s been 33 days since I started self-isolating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as things currently stand here in Los Angeles, we will continue following Safe at Home practices for another 45 days at the very least. For some parts of the world it’s been longer than others, but we’re all on stand-still indefinitely and struggling to cope as a result. Airwaves are filled with celebrities and talk show hosts remarking at how isolating, mundane, and boring being homebound is. It’s common to hear phrases such as, “We’re alone...together,” and “adjusting to a new normal,” along with tongue-in cheek-conversations questioning which day it is, and remarking on the now irrelevant concept of a “weekend.” When there’s no change in schedule and nowhere to go, it doesn’t really matter what day it is. It’s so weird hearing the whole world talk like this, because those are phrases I’ve heard before. Those are “spoonie” phrases.
A “spoonie” is a person whose mental and/or physical energy has become a finite resource due to disability, chronic illness, pain, and/or a compromised immune system. Healthy people have “buckets” or “oceans” of energy, whereas chronically ill people have “spoonfuls” that we have to learn to count and manage like a precious resource. Over 133 million people struggle with some sort of chronic illness in America, many of whom had to exercise social distancing and a home-based lifestyle long before the current pandemic. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2014 after three years of undiagnosed illness. My symptoms were so severe I had to quit my full-time job and start working from home. For a period of about three years, I was rarely well enough to leave the house, and I still experience flare-ups that keep me home for weeks at a time.
Personally, as an immunocompromised person, I’m grateful to be living in a place that’s taking a sincere and science-based response to the pandemic. I’m proud to be a Los Angelena and commend Newsom and Garcetti for their continued vigilance in the face of so much adversity. Being stuck at home is hard and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but it’s pertinent we continue to follow Safe at Home practices until authorities like the CDC and WHO declare otherwise. I know it seems like it will never end, but fear not, my fellow homebound friends, you can get through this, and there's a lot you can start doing right now to feel better! Over the years, I’ve learned how to cultivate an enriching and rewarding home-based lifestyle, and Tia Nata is here to share her experiences with you. This is a rare opportunity to get to know yourself on a deeper level, learn new skills, and re-establish what's truly important to you. Here’s what I’ve learned over the last decade about staying healthy, happy, and occupied while homebound - and you don’t have to take just my word for it, these are also backed by SCIENCE!1) Honor Your Grief In Healthy And Personalized Ways
As previously mentioned, learning to create an enriching life during this challenging time is not easy. It requires ingenuity, creativity, and true grit. If you find yourself suddenly unemployed as well, your hardships have been magnified tenfold - and my heart goes out to you! Naturally, we’re all going to experience grief in the midst of this novel pandemic and its accompanying struggles. Grief that continues to be exacerbated by each new headline and update. I experienced extreme periods of grief and isolation as a result of my illness, and it almost destroyed me. It’s pertinent for overall mental health to honor one’s grief in healthy and personalized ways. Should you find yourself struggling, there's no need to do it alone. There’s a ton of listings for free online grief counseling through resources like https://www.mastersincounseling.org/guide/loss-grief-bereavement/.
2) Take Responsibility For Your Mindset
We might not have control over the pandemic, but we do have control over how we respond to it. Mindset is like a filter or colored glass through which we interpret the world around us and our experiences with it. It’s pertinent to mental and physical health that we cultivate a balanced perspective. Our survival instincts tend to skew our attention towards danger before pleasure, so we must be extra diligent when facing a traumatic experience like the pandemic. Treat it like physical exercise, it's that important. When you make calibration of mindset a part of your daily routine, you’ll become happier and more grounded. Spend a few minutes each day writing out all the things you're grateful for - if you're alive and healthy, there's always plenty to be grateful for. Podcasts, lectures, and reading materials on the study of mindset will provide tools you can use to become a master of your perspective. It will take some self-experimentation to find what resonates with you. Personally, I continue to find liberation through: The Tim Ferriss Podcast (and his books), Robert Anton Wilson (Praise Bob!), Meditation, and Taoism/Zen Philosophy (Alan Watts FTW!).
3) Take Frequent Breaks From The News
Another powerful way to manage mindset is by following a regimented “media diet.” I used to spend hours going down rabbit-holes reading about Fibro related stuff. I learned I had to take breaks or else I was constantly stressed out and thinking about illness, which warped my perception and happiness. We must do the same thing with COVID related news, as I had to remind myself recently. I was starting to slip from this rule, and over-consumption was severely exacerbating my stress, and negatively affecting my outlook. It’s important to stay up-to-date, but it’s also important for mental and physical health to exercise moderation.
Here’s the media diet I’ve found works best for me:
- I don’t allow myself to start or end my day with the news or social media
- Limit my mainstream media consumption to 15-30 minutes total per day
- Source my information from low-stress outlets when possible (ex. The Daily [Social Distancing] Show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver)
4) Take Time To Make Yourself Laugh
When taking your all important breaks from the news, immerse yourself in media that has absolutely nothing to do with current events, preferably something that makes you laugh. There’s a reason they say laughter is the best medicine. Not only is laughter good for the body, it’s also good for the mind - akin to deep meditation. Losing yourself in laughter liberates you from thought, and gets your breathe flowing deep from within your diaphram. There’s even laughter meditation practices , and a Laughter Yoga Movement developed by Indian MD, Dr Madan Kataria. I’ve become a big fan of all things humorous, especially stand-up comedy. Specials I revisit repeatedly are Bill Burr’s I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, Jim Carrey’s Unnatural Act, Bill Hicks Revelations, Ellen Degeneres Here and Now, Patton Oswalt’s My Weakness is Strong and Annihilation, and Chris Titus Neverlution.
5) Set Goals To Stay Occupied
Having goals to look forward to each day is excellent for mental health and overall happiness. Your goals are like armor, they will help protect you against listlessness and apathy (the roots of depression and despair). They can be big, serious goals, or silly, little ones. Once you’ve taken some time to brainstorm, it's best to write out the goals you’d like to accomplish. Data has shown repeatedly that writing goals down, or explicitly visualizing them a la vision boards, makes us 150% more likely to accomplish them. Another way to improve your odds is by sharing your goals and progress with a person who will hold you accountable. Be specific with your goals by including quantitative information and setting target dates for completion. For example, if you want to get in shape, write down something like, “Lose 15 pounds by May 31st.” Or, “Be able to hold a 60 second plank by June.” Also, be realistic and set yourself up for success. For example, if you’re not a morning person, don’t try to make yourself run a mile at dawn. Run when you know you’re at your peak of the day for such an activity, and if you haven’t run in years, start with a half or even quarter mile.
Goals I’ve set for myself while Safe at Home are:
- Be able to do a pull-up unassisted in the next 30 days
- Become friends with a neighborhood raven before next winter (What? Corvids are rad!)
- Double my writing income by June
- Learn conversational Japanese and Spanish by the end of the year
(There, now we're accountability buddies!)
6) Establish A Routine For Mental And Physical Health
In case you haven’t noticed, one of the first things that goes to hell when homebound is your schedule. Lack of routine can derail our happiness and sleep quality, which can compromise our overall health. When we’re no longer being structured by the outside world, we must develop the discipline to set and maintain our own sense of routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same general time each day is one of the most powerful ways to add structure to one’s life, as well as maintain sleep health. Another way of reinforcing routine is through the implementation of what Tim Ferriss describes as “bookends.” These are “rituals” of sorts - routines you follow every day after waking, and right before going to sleep. They act like bookends to your waking hours, adding a sense of structure in an otherwise structure-less day. Athletes and people who have survived extended periods trapped in mines understand the power routines i.e. “bookends” have on performance and sanity. We can harness that same science in our own lives by creating our own bookends. They can be as simple as making your bed in the morning, and journaling for 10 minutes before bed.
Here’s what my bookends look like right now:
Morning:
- Make bed
- Water and tend my container garden
- Make green tea and one-minute-miso, serve 16 oz kombucha, take D3 supplement
- Light stretching
- Free-write for at least 20 minutes, before logging into socials or reading the news
Evening:
- Dim lights about an hour before going to sleep
- Stretch
- Drink herbal tea (been into lavender/chamomile lately)
- Take bedtime supplements (homeopathic lithium, melatonin gummies)
- Meditate
7) Keep Business Separate From Pleasure With A Designated Workspace
I’ve been working remotely since 2013, a choice I made as a way to accommodate my failing health. I had this glamorized view of working from home until I started doing it. It’s more challenging than it seems, and I’ve had to figure out how to set myself up for success over the years. Having a designated workspace is one of the best ways to minimize distractions and maximize productivity. It also gives you a sense of separation from work and home life, even when they’re one in the same. It’s really hard to feel like you’re “off work” when you’re unwinding in the same place you worked all day. Keep it separate from where you watch TV and/or sleep, if possible. Even if you live in a studio apartment or rent a single room, designate a specific corner, seat, or space as your work area.
8) Get Your Vitamin D3 To Maintain A Healthy Body, Mood, And Mind
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that plays an important role in most of the body’s processes, including serotonin production, mood, immune health, and sleep quality. One of the main ways our bodies produce D3 is when our skin is exposed to direct sunlight. Many modern cultures are already chronically light deprived, and we’re at risk of becoming even more so while staying Safe at Home. Natural light has also been shown to affect productivity, which is good to keep in mind when working from home. Try to get at least 20 minutes of direct bright light exposure every day. Even cloudy days provide far more bright light than being indoors. Besides sunlight exposure, Vitamin D3 supplements are the best way to maintain healthy levels. I’ve tried many brands over the years, and this spray by Garden of Life is my absolute favorite. I find it absorbs better than pills, tastes great, and it’s sourced from lichens instead of animals. Our bodies naturally produce peak serotonin in the early hours of the day, so it's best to take D3 supplements with breakfast. Unlike other essential nutrients, it’s very difficult to obtain D3 from food sources. Fish, eggs, beef liver, cod liver oil, fortified milk and cereals, and mushrooms that have been allowed to sit in the sun, are foods richest in D3.
9) Start a Garden For Mental Health And To Save Money
Gardening is an excellent way to maintain mental and physical health, and happiness, especially while stuck at home. Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of gardening, including boosting mood, and reducing stress and feelings of loneliness. The plants get you outside/near sources of light, and their daily care adds structure to your day. Nothing will motivate you to get out of bed like having something outside yourself to care for. Plus, a garden can provide much needed substance during times of scarcity. You can easily regrow literally anything you buy from the store, check out sources like this video here to learn how. Growing, eating, and sharing food from your garden is one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. If you’re limited on space or experience, your garden can even be as simple as a few easy to care for indoor plants, or a simple project like starting an avocado seed.
10) Immerse Yourself In Creative Activities, Doctor's Orders
Humanity has an inherent need to express themselves creatively. This drive is poorly understood, but when stifled it can have drastic consequences on mind, body, and soul. Multiple studies have shown the health benefits of engaging in creative activities. Creativity increases happiness by releasing dopamine, boosts the immune system by increasing our CD4+ lymphocyte count, and improves cognitive function by connecting both halves of the brain. Like meditation, engaging in creative activities also calms and focuses the mind and improves mental health. So, now’s the time to get back in the habit of writing, painting, making music, or whatever it is that makes you tick. Even if you don’t identify as an artist, simple acts like listening to music, cooking, origami, or coloring books provide many of these same benefits.
11) Keep Up On Exercise (It Bears Repeating)
The isolation and monotony of being homebound can be very depressing. One of the best weapons in the constant battle against depression is exercise. A regular fitness routine maintains mental and physical health, and extends longevity. It also improves cognitive function and productivity. It also keeps the immune system strong, which is extra important in the midst of a pandemic. Thankfully, there are a gazillion videos and programs accessible remotely via the internet, many of which are free. Some of my favorites are the PopSugar Fitness YouTube channel (they have a TON of videos ranging in style, from gentle recovery to strength and sculpt to kickboxing cardio to HIIT), DDP Yoga (which you can try free for seven days), Tai Chi with David Dorian Ross, and Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease (it gives a good workout, can be modified to your ability level, and makes you feel sexy! Also, the view ain’t bad...).
12) Give Yourself The Best Self-Care Every Day
When you’re not leaving the house or seeing people, it’s easy to wind up wearing the same pair of pj’s for days on end and having beer for breakfast. Maintaining self-care is pertinent to staying happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. When you take care of yourself to the best of your ability, you feel good about yourself, which keeps energy levels, mood, and mindset high. Studies have shown what we wear effects how we think about ourselves. Make sure to shower and change clothes daily. Pamper yourself in your favorite ways, whether that’s painting your nails, soaking in a bath, or wearing super comfy clothes. Another way to keep yourself feeling good is by making sure to drink plenty of clean water and eat nutritious, tasty foods.
13) Make Learning A Daily Habit To Fill The Hours And Stay Happy
Keeping your brain stimulated will also keep you feeling happy and fulfilled, no matter where you are. Learning has also been show to have a correlative relationship on our physical health. There’s too many free apps and other online resources not to be learning new things all the time. Take advantage of this time to learn that language you’ve been meaning to master, learn how to play an instrument, cook new foods, or whatever calls to you. The Great Courses has a killer sign-up deal right now, with classes on just about everything you can think of. I’m especially excited about their photography course taught by a National Geographic photographer. Educational sites like NASA have a bunch of cool stuff up for free. Check out free virtual tours of museums, zoos, aquariums, and theme parks. Listen to well-researched podcasts like Missed in History, TimeSuck!, The Joe Rogan Experience, and The Naked Scientists.
14) Play Video Games, Table Games, And Solve Puzzles
Playing may seem like a frivolous thing to prioritize, but it’s actually a very important activity for intelligent creatures. Intelligence implies play, and visa versa. Watching television is a great way to kill time, but it's a passive activity that doesn’t have any inherent benefits for our minds or bodies. Playing video games, table games, and solving puzzles, on the other hand, is a demanding cognitive experience requiring intense focus, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination. It is easy to lose oneself in the immersive world of games, and you can easily kill several hours or more without realizing it. It’s also good for the mind, and provides another opportunity to interact with people and build a community.
15) Maintain Your Community Regardless Of Distance
Speaking of community, now is not the time to slack on keeping in touch with friends, comrades, mentors, and loved ones. Maintaining a strong community is directly tied to overall physical and mental health. Strengthen your community at home by reading together or playing games. Thanks to technology like the wonderful world-wide web, it’s easy to stay in touch via email, texts, phone, social media, streaming, video chats, forums, and chat rooms. Host virtual happy hours and dances with apps like Google Hangouts or Zoom, or fun game nights through sites like JackBox. Consider sending good 'ole fashioned snail mail to people, especially those who are living alone or at risk during this challenging time. Physical mail has been shown to elicit stronger emotional responses in recipients, compared to digital communications - along with an increase in desirability and reward processing. In other words, people feel really good when they get something in their mailbox. Plus, it's a great way to support the US Postal Service, which needs all the help it can get right now!
16) Keep Your Household Sane By Respecting Each Other’s Space
Physical and emotional space are an important part of any healthy relationship. It's extra important when you're living on top of each other. You’ll all need to work together to maintain the happiness of your household through healthy space. You don’t want to make each other miserable, that just confounds things even more. Trust me, I used to get miserable from being sick and in pain, and it was not fun for anybody. Remember to refer to item #1 of this list when the sad, overwhelmed feelings come up. Then, focus on maintaining healthy boundaries with the members of your household. Express your need for space before you get annoyed or agitated, and respect this need when expressed by others. Create alone time by going in a separate room, walking outside, or exercising separately. Even if you share a tiny apartment, create some personal space for yourself through individual yet immersive activities like reading, virtual reality, or wearing headphones. Whatever you do, remain respectful of each other, and take responsibility for your mindset. Then, you’ll continue being able to tolerate and enjoy each other, no matter how long this lasts.
17) Spend At Least Two Hours A Week In Nature To Boost Health And Mood
Studies have shown that spending at least two hours in natural settings offers a host of benefits for the human body, mind, and spirit. Mother nature improves short term memory, reduces stress and inflammation, increases Vitamin D3 levels, and regulates sleep patterns. It’s also been shown to increase happiness, improve vision, inspire creativity, and develop a deeper sense of spiritual connection to the world around us. With trails, beaches, and parks closed, it can be difficult to access certain aspects of nature right now. However, you can still exercise outside, and open your doors and windows when it's safe to do so. Even if you live deep in the city or can’t safely access physical nature, spending time viewing nature related images and videos can provide some of the same benefits as physical interaction. Thank goodness for all those awesome nature and animal videos on YouTube!
18) Maintain Healthy Indoor Air Quality While Stuck Inside
The quality of your indoor air can have significant effects on physical and respiratory health. When spending time Safe at Home due to an airborne pandemic, it's extra important to keep your indoor air clean and healthy. This is especially true if you share air with neighbors in an apartment or other complex-like setting. One of the best ways to do this is by purchasing a HEPA rated indoor air purifier. Be sure to check its space rating so you get the right equipment for the size of your home. You may need more than one depending on how big your space is. Another way to keep your building air clean is with potted plants. Many are simple to maintain, and the addition of plants brings elements of nature and gardening into your home, thus making this list item a three-in-one.
19) Boost Physical And Mental Health With A Companion Animal
I put this one last, because I don’t want people to just bring pets home without considering the long-term ramifications. Bringing home a young cat or dog is easily a ten year commitment, and I fear many of the animals that have been recently adopted will get “returned” when all this is over. That’s just mean to the animal. Too many of those poor souls rotate through animal shelters like kids in and out of foster care, and it traumatizes them just as profoundly. That being said, getting a pet is one of the most powerful and effective ways to combat the boredom, loneliness, and depression that comes with being homebound. If you’re not up for a ten year or more commitment, consider adopting a shorter lived animal, such as a mouse, guinea pig, or small bird. Older cats and dogs also make excellent companions while providing a shorter time commitment. They tend to be very sweet, mellow creatures who just want to chill out and snuggle - and the best part is, you don’t have to potty-train them. Even just a fish in a bowl will add companionship to a space. Plus, it gives you something to care about and get out of bed for. Getting my cat when I was struggling to cope with my illness saved my life. Her need for attention, exercise, companionship, and play truly added to my days and motivated me to care for myself when I needed it most. And taking care of ourselves is one of the best things we can do right now.
I hope this list is a helpful resource for you while continuing to practice a Safe at Home lifestyle. We'll get through this together, no matter how long it takes!
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay happy everyone!
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