How to stay healthy and sane during the coronavirus lockdown

The world is in crisis right now, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be in crisis as well.

Most of us are stuck at home, which may be a real change.

We cannot go out except for a local food store in some places. And even if you do get to the supermarket, many departments are usually empty, including the egg department and the meat department.

When you finally get out of the house and wait in line to enter the supermarket, you can feel the tension there. People are afraid of close contact with each other, and everyone is wearing masks and gloves. 

These are certainly different times from what we are used to.

So we are stuck at home during this crisis, now we each have a choice… 

How are we going to spend this time?

Most of us fall into three categories:

The Three Categories For Dealing With Crisis

1. The first category is one of fear:

You stock up on food and toilet paper and medications, you find yourself complaining a lot, and you feel frustrated and angry most of the time. If you are in this category, you are usually consuming too much food and watching too much news.

2. The second category is one of learning:

You understand that most people are doing their best, and you know that you can’t control everything. You are watching some news and taking away from it only what you can use in your day to day life. You are more in control of your food consumption as you are spending more time doing other things apart from fear-based activities.

3. The third category is one of growing:

You are empathetic towards yourself and others

You are living in the now and planning for the future

You are seeking ways to help others, you are happy and optimistic.

So which category do you fall under?

If you fall into the first category, no need to worry about this as well. There are many things you can do to move to the second, better feeling category. 

Moving Into The Second Category

  1. Firstly, you can visit my recent article with 7 tips to help you control your eating while in lockdown here
  2. Next, you want to turn off your television at times or use it to put on some music you can enjoy while doing other tasks around the house. 
  3. You may start to clean up the house and make order in your closets. Do you really need so many clothes or can you pack some bags of clothes and set them aside for donation? 
  4. You can make order in all of the cupboards around the house and throw away stuff that you haven’t used in a while. 
  5. You can also go out to your car and place the donation bags with clothes there, but not before you try to throw away and clean some of the stuff you’ve hoarded in your car for such a long time. 
  6. Afterward, you may wish to start cleaning the refrigerator and the kitchen cabinets. You may even learn that you have a lot of food there that you forgot about. Now go and find recipes online to use the products that you have in abundance in your kitchen. 
  7. Once you have made some order around the house and you have kids, you will probably have found some nice games or puzzles to do together. Enjoy them with the family.
  8. If you have a garden or terrace, you can do some weeding or even planting if your supermarket stocks plants or seeds. In no time your garden or terrace garden will be blooming. 
  9. You can also write to friends you haven’t seen in a while and even meet them via Whatsapp or Zoom applications. 
  10. You can also do some exercise for 15-30 minutes a day. If you are not creative enough, there are endless options that can suit your personality on youtube. You may like yoga, or dance, or Zumba. Whatever your nature, you can find something you like. or you can put on music and try to do a daily routine of basic exercises including squats, sit-ups, push-ups, or planks.

Moving Into The third Category

If you are interested in entering the third category, you will need a bit more discipline, and this is definitely not for everyone and certainly not easy when the days are blending in together.

If you want to use this time for growth and introspection, which I highly recommend, here are some things you can do to begin. 

  1. Firstly, wake up with an alarm clock. It doesn’t have to ring at 6 am, but you really do not need to wake up after 8 am. After you get up, do not get into your phone yet.
  2. Get yourself on the floor and do the exercises immediately, before excuses start to enter your mind.
  3. After finishing your exercises, lie on the floor for 5-10 minutes with your eyes closed to give thanks for what you have in your life. This will help keep your mood up.
  4. Now it’s time to eat. Prepare a healthy plant-based breakfast. My daughters and I practically prepare these pancakes every day. They are tasty, filling, healthy, and full of fiber.
  • 2 cups of whole wheat spelt flour (or any other 100% whole grain flour)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 tbs aluminum-free baking powder 
  • 1 egg substitute (1 tbs ground chia seeds + 2.5 tbs water left to sit for 5 minutes)
  • 3 tbs coconut oil
  • 1.5 cups sugar-free plant-based milk (you can mix different types of milk together)
  • Mix everything together in a bowl and pour onto a hot frying pan. Serve with natural maple syrup or unsweetened natural jam.
  • You can also eat a sandwich. I recommend buying many loaves of healthy bread or many packs of whole grain pitas and keeping them in the freezer to use when needed. You can then make sandwiches with avocado and raw vegetables, almond butter or sesame seed paste and unsweetened jam, hummus with raw vegetables, or vegan cheese toast.
  • You may also choose to eat oatmeal in any way you desire. It is tasty and nutritious.
  1. After eating breakfast, sit yourself down, and do some introspection. Read books on personal development, or have them read to you on the Audible app if you hate reading. Search for your passion by examining your likes and dislikes. 
  • Figure out what you really love. 
  • What else would you like to enjoy in life that you haven’t yet done (who says we must only do one thing throughout our lives?). 
  • Is there something you still want to do, be or see in this lifetime?
  1. After introspection, you have some free time for your children and for cleaning. 
  2. Then comes lunchtime. Here you can cook some very easy meals that don’t require much thinking such as: 
  • Spaghetti with tomato sauce and peas, 
  • Whole grain rice with lentils or beans
  • Tapioca with coconut milk
  • Potatoes and other vegetables in the oven served with edamame. 
  • Gnocchi with corn
  • Quinoa with chopped parsley and coriander along with seeds and nuts.
  • There are really endless options, you have to just use your imagination a little. 
  1. After lunch, you have time to focus on work. Do you need to take out any loans? Do you need to delay credit card or mortgage payments to get yourself from getting into deep debt because business is out? This is the time to fill out forms and write emails focusing on your future. You may also decide to study something new now. You can search for the many accredited courses available on Udemy or Universities around the world now offering online programs. This is the time of day when you plan for your future.
  1. Now comes dinner time. After washing so many dishes following the previous meals, you may want to make this meal easy. Fruits and nuts are great. You can also make a healthy smoothie with bananas and frozen or fresh fruits and add a few superfoods powders to add nutritional density to the meal. You may also just prepare a hearty salad served with a few pieces of whole-grain bread or crackers and some tahini as a sauce. Anything simple here is great.
  1. Once you finish with dinner and the dishes, head for the television. Watch a few minutes of news to catch up on what is happening in the world (who knows, maybe quarantine is finished already and you don’t know it ;)). Then find a program or a movie that suits your interests on television or Youtube or Netflix. You can also spend this time on any hobby or spend some time reading to your kids.

Remember, there is no need for any rush, everything is fine just as it is. Accepting reality and going with the flow will leave you relaxed, peaceful, and very happy.

These are extraordinary times, we might as well enjoy them and use them for the best of our interests.

To your health and happiness,

Galit Goldfarb

Feel free to comment below and let me know what you liked best about this article.

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Thank You, 🙂

Dr. Galit Goldfarb

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