We’ve all made it through a couple of extended Covid-19 lockdowns in the past few years, but the new isolation rules are much stricter. If you or a household contact gets a positive Covid-19 result and needs to isolate for 7 days, you can’t run to the shops for last-minute essentials, you can’t leave your home for exercise… and meanwhile you have to watch everyone go about their daily lives on social media. It’s tough! Here are three self-care tips to help you through a week in isolation…
We’ve pretty much all dealt with the dynamics of lockdown by now, and with a few under our belt, we could even be considered pros. But the end of 2021 brought with it the unexpected Christmas gift of 7 day isolation periods for people testing positive with COVID-19, as well as their household contacts.
The difference between lockdown and isolation is that with the former you typically have warning so you can prep, and even in the thick of it you can leave home to exercise or run to the shops for essentials. But with the latter, you really are locked up tight, isolated to the point of zero contact so as not to spread the virus to anyone else in the home, or outside of it.
With this in mind, here are three self-care tips to support you through spending 7 days at home in isolation.
1. Take time out for relaxation exercises
Take some time out to find some peace and calm
Finding a sense of peace and calm in our busy day-to-day lives is important. Finding it in isolation is absolutely essential. In fact, maybe the upside of being ‘benched’ in this way is the opportunity to really rest and reset.
Sitting quietly with ourselves and taking stock of where we’re at, where we want to be, and how we’re planning to get ourselves there. So, what better exercise is there to accompany this stream of meditative thoughts than conscious relaxation.
Certain techniques can help to relax the mind and body, plus they’re great for managing stress and anxiety. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga and Tai Chi moves all work really well in small spaces and all have tutorials freely available on YouTube making them super easy to do in isolation.
2. Try Mindfulness Activities
Journaling is a great way to reduce stress
Mention mindfulness to the right friend and she’ll rummage through her notes and find you her top tips to include in your daily efforts. One is probably going to be a guided meditation (if it’s Yoga Nidra save it for bedtime and enjoy the deepest, most restful sleep of your life).
Another is sure to be the art of journaling, which is “great for achieving goals, tracking intentions, progress and growth, gaining self-confidence, improving writing and communication skills, reducing stress and anxiety, strengthening memory and finding inspiration”.
The most important tip you could get here though is the nudge to arrange a Telehealth therapy appointment, even if it’s simply to check-in, offload, reassess and tick the box that you’ve proactively nurtured your mental health at this time. With Telehealth services extended throughout the pandemic, 7 days of isolation could be the perfect time to make an appointment and get some useful tips on self-care from a professional.
3. Nourish your body with healthy food
Food St’s Chicken and Veg Mexican Enchiladas
Based on the fact that we feel better when we eat better, eating good food needs to be on the iso self-care list. It means resisting the urge to chow down on sweet treats and junk food as a reward for making it through each day, and instead consciously choosing healthy options.
There’s no need to compromise on taste here either – check out a home-cooked food delivery service like FoodSt, where founder Lorraine is passionate about connecting communities through food.
Lorraine started FoodSt 6 years ago to connect people through the goodness of home cooking. At FoodSt, home cooks are empowered to share their authentic, home-cooked meals with others whilst making delicious home food available to busy households.
Every meal is handmade from scratch using authentic family recipes and fresh, quality ingredients – and this month they’ve carefully curated ‘Iso Explorer Bundle’ meal packs (which are currently 15% OFF). Enjoy meals like curry from Sri Lanka, handmade gnocchi from Italy, and vegan bowls from Mexico delivered to your door, so if you or someone you know is isolating you can eat like a tourist and enjoy a welcome hit of escapism at the simple touch of a button.
Offer: FoodSt Iso Meals Explorer Bundle
Feed your soul with minimal effort, thanks to FoodSt! With their special Iso Meals Explorer Bundle, you can save 15%. It’s usually $102, but now just $89.93 (discount applied at checkout).
Enjoy a selection of easy to serve meals, that will take your tastebuds across three continents and eight countries, from the quiet comfort of your own home. There’s a classic and a vegetarian option too!
