(Me, in my comfy clothes with no eyeliner on – how I like to be the most)

 

Here it is!

The post you have all been waiting for (maybe?!).

Just how am I keeping myself sane and on track during this imposed working from home/socially distant situation?

First of all I am eternally grateful that I am able to work from home, yes because it means I can pay my bills, but also because it gives me a routine that is so important for my mental health.

I know not everyone is, but I am a massive fan of routine.

There have been so many times in my life where I have been so grateful to have work to go to, to take my mind off other things.

So working from home, in a way has been a challenge, simply because I can be more flexible than I normally am.

So here goes:

*Please note: If you find yourself not able to work from home, but still need a routine for your day, feel free to take some ideas from this too.

Monday – Friday:

• My first alarm goes off at 7am and I will flip onto my back and meditate for 30 minutes (in bed), then get up and do about 30 minutes of Yoga with Adriene.
• Sometimes I start this process at 8am instead if I feel like I need more sleep.
• Sometimes I do the yoga first and then sit in a chair by my window and meditate.

(My ‘by the window’ meditation set up. Tip: sitting on a chair and raising your feet a little is supremely comfortable.)

 

• So after a shower I settle down at my desk sometime between 9am and 10am
• Usually at my desk (naughty I know, but realistic for me) I have breakfast, it will be gluten free porridge or cereal topped with nuts and/or fruit and then gluten-free toast and peanut butter
• I have a desk in the living room and make sure I work at that desk only. (most of the time) This is to keep a definite line between my work day and my personal time.
• I work until 5/6pm. With a one hour lunch break about midday or 1pm and regular short breaks.
• I try to take my lunch away from my computer and in another room. This will be a lunch that I have batched cooked on the weekend. Something like veggie shepherds pie or lentil curry and rice.
• I use breaks to wash dishes, put a wash in the machine, cook..something to get me a little active, and might snack on fruit at this time.
• I drink plenty of warm fluids and water to keep hydrated.
• As soon I finish work for the day I prepare and have dinner. This will usually be something quite light, as my lunch is heavy, so soup, and omelette, something like that.

(Vegetable soup! Sooooo good and wholesome)

 

• I then relocate to my bedroom for the evening, chat to my mum on the phone and maybe one other person.
• I watch Netflix or You Tube/read before lights out about 10/11pm. (I like to get at least 8 hours sleep every night)

 

 

Saturday and Sunday

I throw my weekday routine out the window completely, but begin a weekend routine…

• I wake up whenever I feel like it. This usually means being awake by 8am still but staying in bed reading/watching stuff until about midday.
• I cook a nice brunch of eggs,avocado and toast, or beans and fishfingers. Something of a treat.

(Saturday brekfast…in HD!)

 

• I return to bed with said brunch.
• I read/watch Netflix or You Tube in bed until I get the urge to get out of bed. (!)
• I usually then will do some housework, cleaning tasks.
• I will do 30 minutes at least of meditation and 30 minutes of yoga.
• I might then have a bath, wash my hair, do a little pampering
• I will cook dinner about 5, and usually on Sundays batch cook a meal for my weekday lunches too.
• I then will speak to a couple of people on the phone or Zoom.
• Finally I relax in bed again reading/watching stuff until I am sleepy. Usually the same time as through the week I go to bed about 10/11pm. On Sundays this last bit of the evening is spent planning my week ahead by pulling my weekly Oracle card.

(I have an oracle card leaning against my flowers…having flowers in my room makes me very happy)

 

Now – if you have got through all of that you may have some valid questions…

1. When do you get outside?
2. Why do you spend so much time in bed?
3. Do you socialise with the friend you live with?
4. When do I go food/essential supply shopping?

1. I go outside when I feel the urge for some fresh air. This is not that much. Fun fact, I don’t really like being outside that much. Before working at home I always craved more time at home, so for now I am enjoying that. My home is my sanctuary and needed now more than ever.

2. I love being in bed. If my home is my sanctuary then my bed is my cave. It represents pure safety and relaxation for me. As someone who has suffered from chronic illness, I need regular time lying down and resting. It helps me to function at other times.

3. The friend I live with is also a fan of her own space and so we will have dinner together and hangout once or twice a week. That works for us.

4. So I hate going to the supermarket at the best of times, at this time it is way more stressful so I have been continuing to online shop. I have had to get creative with where and when I shop – receiving a delivery from my local health store the other day! Gratefully I have been able to maintain my once every 2-4 weeks shop. I am someone who always does large shops rather than smaller weekly ones.

(A fruit and veg bonanza from a local health store!)

 

As I write this it dawns on me that my lock-down routine is virtually identical to my regular life routine!

The only differences are that I would usually socialise in person with friends once or twice a week, and that I would be physically going to and from my place of work each day.

I also usually travel back to London to see family and friends about once a month.

Usually every few months I visit friends in other parts of the country.

Apart from that my life is pretty much the same – weird huh?!

I wonder how many of you are seeing the similarities, or is is wildly different?

The importance of routine is something that a lot of us are going to come to value over this next little while, so I have been excited to share mine with you!

I know that I am lucky – most of my free time is completely my own. This is something I am doubly grateful for at this time, though for others the idea of that might feel daunting.

How are you coping at this time?

Much love Txx