Five Questions for Self-Care During the Quarantine

How has the quarantine and lockdown affected you?

In the last week, I have heard several people reference being “stir crazy.” Restlessness has set in waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. Space comes at a premium. You might have difficulty getting alone time. On the other hand, you might feel alone because you live by yourself.

Tiredness begins to take a toll. The adrenaline of working during this crisis can wear off. Soon we find ourselves depleted and empty.

Many of you have experienced sudden changes like furloughs, cancellations, postponements, job loss, and not have the opportunity to see close family and friends. It seems at times too that anxiety pops out inside of us and with every news feature in our feeds.

A month into this lockdown and quarantine, you have the opportunity to re-evaluate your self-care. Hit the pause button today. Now more than ever, we need to recognize areas of self-care.

1 Kings 19 details the burnout of the prophet Elijah. Following great exploits of representing God, he loses perspective and feels his work does not matter. Yes, God meets him, but through the whole passage, we see his need for rest. He ran on empty.

What about you? I want to offer you five questions for self-care today. Take a moment and reflect on these questions. Perhaps, Jesus has invited you to take more restful and lighter rhythm:

1. How many hours of sleep are you getting each night?

Most professionals recommend getting around eight hours of sleep. My phone now measures how long I sleep between the alarms. If you struggle to get sleep, you might need to consider what you do before bed and eat. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, needed to sleep too. Guess what? Jesus rested also.

2. What are you eating and drinking?

Friends of mine started to embark on having a health coach. He said to me eating and drinking is like a financial budget. You learn where to splurge and where to save. Enrich your body with fruits and vegetables. Monitor how much water you drink.

3. How are you moving throughout the day?

I talked with a chiropractor who encouraged me to use the word movement over exercise. Why? Movement, in many ways, seems more doable. Let’s safely take the walks outside. Identify fun ways to get your body going. Kick the soccer ball and shoot baskets. Take the time to get up from your work.

4. How many hours are you working?

My wife Robyn asked me how much I’m working this season. Like many of you, we’re trying to navigate work while spending extra time with our daughter. Our schedules get shifted. The problem of working at home becomes the availability to finish tasks that might wake. Sit down today and look at how long you work. Four weeks in might be a good time to schedule off time.

5. What is one thing you look forward to each day?

Often, the days can drone through quarantine and lockdown. It feels like groundhog day. Consider one activity a day that could be fun. I have loved taking rides with my daughter while we listen to her favorite music. Find one activity that you can look forward to that helps you disconnect for a little while.

What are you doing for self-care during the quarantine and lockdown? Share in the comment section below.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash