Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
by Elizabeth Meyer, RD, LRD
Usually a day at home with nothing do to and nowhere to go sounds great, right? It’s starting to feel a little less great here on day “who knows what” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kids are going stir crazy. Parents are trying to work from makeshift offices in their homes while also trying to manage schoolwork and other daily routines that have been stolen from us.
It’s not fun. It feels like we’re playing a game no one wanted to play in the first place, and we were all given a different rule book.
It’s stressful and hard. The only thing that helps me is knowing we’re all in this together. Some seem to be dealing with it better than others, or does it just feel that way? Depends on the day.
This whole pandemic is forcing us to figure out new ways to do things. I’m REALLY hating figuring out how to work out from home. I miss the gym. I miss my gym friends. I miss someone telling me what to do for a workout and that same person kicking my butt for 50 minutes. It’s not the same at home. Not at all. I’m trying, because I think I’ll get voted off my island if I stop working out. My crabbiness level will likely skyrocket. I’ve been forced to use workout apps, look on Pinterest, and just go run outside. (I’m a weirdo who prefers treadmills.) I’d prefer to just not work out, but it’s not an option – for so many reasons.
Eating is different. Eating is now an activity. We had to discuss with the kids that eating is NOT an activity. Meal and snack times must be enforced. I find myself doing a lot of boredom snacking and eating. I’m trying to limit it to veggies and hummus when I’m aware I’m eating just for something to do. But let’s be real – those chips call my name all day long. It’s hard to say no. I’ve honestly been more worried about running out of chips and salsa than toilet paper. But that’s just me!
We don’t know how long we are going to be forced to social distance. I miss my “old, normal life.” It’s scary and unsettling to think about how long this may go on. My friend told me she’s just taking things day by day. That’s all she can do to get through. I keep reminding myself, let’s just focus on today, tomorrow at the most, but that’s all we can do right now. And honestly, it helped me a quite a bit.
I feel bad for people who are alone right now. That’s hard and scary. My mom is one of those people. And she’s fine so far but I make sure to call her more often than normal, text her multiple times a day and my daughter sends her cards, her friends send cards and she has some weekly conference calls with friends too.
Again, none of us asked to be playing this game or be in the situation but we are safer when we stay home. Take this time to reach out to those who are alone, or who are struggling (and we all are at some point). Be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you. Focus on the good, you might need to dig deep to find it sometimes, but it’s there.
Elizabeth Meyer is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.