Well this is a doozy of a first prompt for me to hop on board with, huh? It feels like health is not something anyone is really aiming for at the moment, because we’re all consumed with just getting through this. Many of us are doing so by upping our consumption of pizza/Netflix/alcohol/chocolate/other random unhealthy vices. I am now convinced that chocolate is a legitimate food group, probably the most important one. That said, there are a few things I try to keep up with.
- Taking my medications. There are a lot of them, and some days it feels like a job just to keep track of what to take when, but I know the worst thing I can do is not keep up with them, so I do it. Not so good with my vitamins, though!
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Try to eat wholesome dinners. We get meal kits delivered, so at least the planning is taken out of it. They generally include fresh vegetables, healthy proteins and a variety of flavours and grains. I’m also experimenting with cooking more outside of that, and am getting good at making a half decent pasta out of the veggies my kid has recently learned to cut (broccoli, tomatoes, spinach and celery) and some fresh herbs, garlic and cheese. Notice how I said healthy dinners, though, because the rest of the day is usually whatever I can grab quickly or whatever my kid doesn’t finish eating!
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Get outside. This is not always possible because I have a severe sensitivity to any form of pollution – smoke being the worst. But I’m trying to make getting outside a priority on days when I can, and even purposely went for a walk alone for an hour last week and listened to an audiobook. It was nice!
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Exercises. I have a back injury that is sometimes quite problematic. I’ve got a strict regimen of exercises that I do every day, no matter what, just to keep me more or less functional.
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Mental health. This is a tricky one. It’s the hardest to manage, and the one that causes the most issues. All the things above help with my mental health, as do hugs from my little one, coming here to write, baking, cleaning, reading and watching copious amounts of TV. But there are still bad days.
I don’t consider myself to be a healthy person. It’s hard to have so many things wrong with you and feel anything other than broken. But I know that if I can do more to keep myself healthier, my medical issues with benefit. It’s much harder said than done, but I am trying to work on my mental outlook surrounding my health and be less negative about it!
I’d love to hear what you guys are doing to keep as healthy as possible throughout these hard times! Hopefully you’ve developed some good healthy habits that are helping you keep sane. Is there anything you’ve found particularly helpful? Websites that help you feel good? YouTube channels that provide mental or physical health motivation? Anything else that I haven’t thought of? Feel free to share tips, ideas and links!
If you’re interested in joining in, here’s the list of challenge topics, and the link to find out more and find the weekly post is in the description at the bottom of this post! Thanks to Long and Short Reviews for hosting!
Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is a blog hop hosted every Wednesday by Long and Short Reviews. The weekly prompts range widely, including both book-related and non-book-related topics. The idea is to get bloggers to interact, share a bit about their lives and connect with other bloggers. Visit here to join in the fun!
Oooh, I will have to start linking up for this–I’m trying to get back in the habit of blogging but so often I don’t even know what to talk about! I guess one of the biggest things I’ve been trying to do this past year for my mental health is set up a routine for myself. Working from home means all my work/play lines are blurred, not to mention it feels like time isn’t real! So I have housecleaning on a certain day, a “date day” on the hub’s day off, a “me day” where I can pop on a sheet mask and paint my nails and just binge TV or a book…it does help I think to make me feel less like I’m just floating in a fog. I’m also trying to take a little time each day to unplug from my screens and just sit by the window to look at the sun (or the rain) and meditate or journal. Physically, I moved all my vitamins next to the coffeepot so I will take them everyday, and I make sure to do a little physical activity every day, even if it’s just a little yoga or a walk. Some days it’s such an effort but I know doing the little things to take care of myself will help keep me in a better headspace and feeling better in the long run!
That is exactly why I started joining in! I have been wracking my brain trying to think of new topics for Book Thoughts on Thursday and just… crickets. Quiet, sleepy ones. So I figured might as well join in! The other thing I like is that the whole year’s worth of topics are available now, so I can get as far ahead and schedule as much as I want! I agree about routine. As much as quarantine has been hard, I feel like becoming a stay-at-home mom was where I really lost my sense of a place in the world, so at least now I kind of know what I’m doing. We have a set routine every day, we do certain things at the same time and have types of activities we try to do every day. We do some school/learning activities (either online classes or at home learning or workbooks) and we do activities together – everything from building with blocks to painting to baking to reading -and then we either go outside for a walk or to run around blowing bubbles or we do a yoga class (we love Cosmic Kids – great kid-oriented yoga through stories so it’s engaging and fun but gets us moving). We have a set time for TV and then some quiet time separately at the end of the day. It’s not a complicated structure, but it’s one that mostly works for us. Though I do always have some toys or presents or games or puzzles or books stashed to pull out if things just suck one day! Routine definitely helps, having particular things you enjoy that are good for you does too. I’ve taken to cleaning while listening to an audiobook at the end of the day, which makes it something I look forward to rather than dreading! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve developed a rhythm that works for you, particularly as you’re planning for working independently to become a long-term thing. It sounds like you’re doing a great job of getting yourself on a good path!
I’ve been thinking of trying meal kits too.
I think they’re worth a try, particularly if you’re not that into cooking but want a place to start, or if you are just in a bit of a rut!
I’ve heard great thing about those meal kit delivery services! I’m glad they work so well for you.
If your back can handle it, you may want to try yoga. It can be a very low-impact form of exercise and it’s fun, to!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-how-i-take-care-of-my-health/
We have tried a couple and they’re not perfect, but on the balance worth it. Some weeks there aren’t any meals that look that good, but on the other hand we have discovered some fantastic ones, and you get recipe cards to keep so you can try to re-create them on your own if you want to. I’ve learned some new cooking methods and ingredient combos I never would have found otherwise! And it’s nice to know what you’re doing for dinner and that you have everything you need to do it, it removes some of the stress!
I didn’t mention yoga, but I do do it a bit with my kid. The problem is that the type of back injury I have is particularly sensitive to stretching. I can only do a few of the yoga poses (tree, sun salutes, cat, and of course shavasana, which is my fave!) without modifying them, and even then I can’t do them every day. I have to be really careful. I can’t do any that bend from the waist past about 80 degrees, twist at the waist or lift legs. But it is a wonderful practice, and even on days I can’t do many of the movements, just taking the time to focus on breathing and move really slowly and gently through one or two poses has huge benefits! Thanks for adding that suggestion in, it is a brilliant one!
We (generally) take a daily walk (to the library, usually, to turn in books). I also try to plan meals around what is growing in the garden, with frequent kale salads.
Neither my husband nor I take any medicines. I hope to keep it that way.
That sounds so lovely! We aren’t close enough to walk to the library, but I try to at least get outside and move around a bit! My kid loves chasing bubbles, so we’ll often just do that or a while or walk around the block. In spring we spend a lot of time on our patio planting seeds and tending to our plants, which is a lovely part of the year! We have no proper garden beds, just planters, so we can’t grow enough to eat much, but it’s fun as a process anyway! I hope you guys stay healthy and don’t need any medications too. I wouldn’t recommend it! 🙂 It makes me happy to hear such healthy habits that are just part of your day-to-day. It’s inspiring!
I feel your pain, pretty literally — I struggle with chronic pain every day and it’s hard to be motivated. I try to remember how much better I feel when I eat right and exercise. Keeping my body in the best shape I can does lower that daily pain at least some. Do the best you can … mental health is really the biggest struggle these days! Hang in there! I’m here if you want to visit: http://www.mariannearkins.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-how-i-take-care-of-my-health/
Yes, I hear you! One of the things I don’t think people who’ve never experienced chronic pain don’t really understand about it is how the constant awareness of pain affects your mental health and energy. It’s exhausting to have part of your brain constantly engaged with dealing with physical pain, even when you’re asleep. It means you never get proper rest and it takes more energy when you’re awake. It’s horrible, and makes it really hard to do much of anything beyond the unavoidable. I’m sorry you are dealing with that! It’s not something I’d wish on anyone. Thank you for stopping by and sharing!