My Quarantined Life, Part II

This past week was rough. As we enter week eight of our new stay-at-home way of life, it’s safe to say that the natives are getting restless here in the Tarr household. I know I am! The novelty has worn off. Schedules have been abandoned, distance learning has becoming a chore, Zoom meetings have become stressful, family time has grown tedious, and everyone is getting on each other’s nerves on an hourly basis. In short, we are over it. All four of us. We need to be socially distant from each other for while, but that’s not an option yet. We are stuck with each other until the governor says otherwise, like it or not. I just hope “otherwise” is sooner rather than later.

Right now, it’s all about survival. And while I am admittedly still losing my shit on a daily basis about something, there are a few strategies I’m relying on to make it through lockdown. For those of you in need, here are my go-tos:

1. Lower expectations. As I said, we are in survival mode now, so “good enough” is the new perfect. That, and “at least,” are my new mantras.
2. Make your bed every morning — even if it’s only your side. This sounds ridiculous, but there’s something about getting into a dressed bed at night that clears away the chaos of a bad day. At least for me.
3. Exercise/move your body daily. It releases tension, increases energy, and counteracts all that baking you’re probably doing. Personally, exercise makes me less bitchy — and it helps me poop. #TMI
4. Drink your water. Hydration = mental clarity, clearer skin, improved sleep, etc. I aim for at least a gallon and a half a day, which makes me pee a ton, but that also means I don’t sit for long periods of time. Double-win.
5. Get outside every day — even if it’s just to retrieve the mail (I have a really long driveway so that helps). I don’t know about you, but I feel better when I breath fresh air. As long as it’s not too cold, or wet, or humid, or dark, or buggy, …
6. Take time for yourself #everydamnday. Whatever works for you, do that. Guilt-free. For me, that means a workout, a walk to see the alpaca, or an audio book while I cook dinner.
7. Invest in a good set of wireless headphones … because if you can’t escape them physically, at least you can tune them out.
8. Create a second office space, even if it means moving furniture around. It’ll save your marriage if there are now two adults working from home (plus kids distance-learning instead of going to school elsewhere). Trust me.
9. I’d say create and keep a daily schedule, but we all know that only works in theory. Try, but know that some days it just won’t happen.
10. Force everyone at home to help around the house. Yes, force. No one wants to do this willingly, so ask first, demand second, threaten third. (Bonus tip: Hide the Xbox controllers and only return them as payment for completing a house chore. Tell them it’s the #quarantinedlife version of an allowance or bartering system.)
11. Use cut-up old t-shirts as cleaning rags to reduce the need for paper towels and buy a (non-electrical) bidet seat to solve the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. Two words: Life changing.
12. Keep your hair in a perpetual top knot and use a wide headband to shield your eyes from the gray hairs that are way beyond just the roots at this point. (Bonus: Keeping your hair in a top knot reduces the need to wash it regularly.)
13. Wear the same clothes for days on end to reduce laundry. Seriously, who’s gonna know? Your kids? They probably won’t even notice — or care if they do. (When was the last time they changed their clothes?!)
14. Get an Instant Pot. A crock pot is great, but you have to plan ahead. The Instant Pot is great for those of us who keep losing track of time and don’t want to order in again.
15. Limit news watching, social media scrolls, and even positive self-help/personal development podcasts. Too much Coronavirus news can be depressing and too much gratitude talk can feel disingenuous (and even stressful).

So there you have it. The top 15 tips and tricks I’m using to make it through what feels like a bad remake of the movie, Groundhog Day. But the biggest tip of all is cutting myself some slack, or “giving myself space and grace,” to use the term all the social media influencers use. The bottom line is this: This new way of living isn’t easy and some days still suck, no matter how low I set the bar. I’m sure I’ll still lose my shit on a weekly daily basis, but my goal now is just not to lose it hourly. #progressnotperfection #goodenough #atleast

-LJDT