Do you struggle to get up out of bed, find time to eat, not feeling productive, or just not feeling balanced? Then this article is for you. I too struggled with that, but after establishing a routine, I’ve felt wide awake and ready to face the day. Since we have been in the pandemic, I’ve put together some tips, tricks, and hacks to help you go about your day. Also, with this article I want to help you find a routine to put you back on track. We will be covering a morning, noon, and nightly routine; so buckle up for The Self Help Guide To The Quarantine Life.

1. Getting out of bed and establishing a sleep schedule

    Getting out of bed was the roughest part of my day, BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED. I couldn’t motivate myself to get up and get to my computer. I noticed my friend and I were both struggling with the same thing so we agreed to hold each other accountable to get up, for example we both got up at the same time (with the help of an alarm), then we texted each other to make sure we were both awake. If the other one wasn’t then you would probably have your phone “blown up” by a million messages telling you to wake up. From then on, meditating or freshening your mind; once awake, you could listen to a podcast, listen to music, or just sit and listen to the sound of waves or rain, ect. This is so you can have sharp focus and you are determined to face the morning.

2. Hydration and Vitamin C

    If your skin hasn’t been looking to your standards then chances are you’re not drinking enough water or taking in enough sun. You see, water helps hydrate not only you but your skin (with help of a moisturizer). Sitting in the sun for at least 5 to 10 minutes is shown to help reduce stress, strengthen your immune system, and fight off depression and improve your sleep.

3. Food and Dieting

    If you’re like me, food hasn’t been my number one priority because I haven’t been feeling the need to eat and this is because of lack of sleep and stress. Something you probably have been told is to eat your fruits and vegetables and that has definitely hit home these past couple of months. If you aren’t hungry, maybe you have been binging with sweets or other unhealthy foods. Whenever I would develop a sweet tooth, I would eat a sweet fruit like: strawberries, mangos, apples, ect. Eating a fruit when you crave something sweet tricks your mind into thinking you’re eating some kind of sweet but in reality it’s a natural sugar and helps keep you content.

4. Working out

    When people think of working out, a lot of people tend to think of weight lifting and workout machines but that is not the case since we are stuck at home. Working out 3x a week can change your mindset drastically! For me, I was able to become more determined, lose weight, and channel my boredom into something for exciting. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were my daily starting out days. 10 – 30 minutes of cardio doesn’t necessarily have to be running. It could be jumping jacks, burpee’s, squats, lungs, ect. If you are already feeling like your routine is getting repetitive, try youtube. On youtube there are tons of great workout routine videos you’d love to try. So pop in some headphones, play your favorite songs and get physical!

5. Sleep!

    I had trouble falling asleep but using all these tips helped. But here are some extra tips for trying to fall asleep and trying to keep a consistent sleep pattern. Lighting can affect how fast you fall asleep, when you are exposed to light your brain will stop producing a chemical in your brain known as melatonin. Melatonin is the sleep hormone that works with being awake and asleep. Relaxing your body and brain will help you to free your head from over thinking and falling into a deep slumber, so try: Listening to sounds that will stimulate your brain ( for example; beach waves), stretch, meditate, or journaling. Trying to keep cool will help you fall asleep. When it’s hot and you have your A/C on, you are setting the right temperature to help you doze off into sleep and on top of that, the sound of the A/C creates white noise that will help put your mind at ease.