In light of the trying times we’re all in, we wanted to bring help to you as directly as possible. We’ve asked some of our Marriage & Family Therapist trainees to give us their tips for self-quarantine. Here are suggestions from Annalisa Barrett, a trainee at our sister campus, West Valley Counseling Center (WVCC).
I’m a mother of two children, ages 6 (1st grade) and 9 (3rd grade). I’m also attending a full-time (now online) graduate program as well as serving as a Trainee at WVCC (currently in the form of telehealth and supervision meetings via Zoom). It took a bit of time to find our rhythm as a family once we self-quarantined, but I feel we’ve finally hit our stride, which still includes some unavoidable bumps and bruises.
Here is what is working for us:
SCHEDULE
I decide a few days ahead how my days will be planned. The kids and I decide on their schoolwork schedule it together the evening before. The key with them is to allow for some agency: “Do you want to do math at 11 am or writing?”
MOVEMENT
I’m an active individual. We’re fortunate in today’s technological climate to have access to hundreds of online options for getting a workout in. I rotate through either yoga, dance, or a run through my neighborhood as my first activity of the day. This way. it’s finished and I don’t feel too antsy about staying inside and stagnant for the remainder of the day.
MEALS
I try not to go to the store more than once per week as part of self-quarantine. To do that, I mentally map out the dinner meals for the week and leftovers are eaten for lunch. I make sure to get through the produce first so it doesn’t go bad.
MEDITATION
Every morning, I set my alarm for 6 am so I can have 30 minutes to myself. I enjoy my coffee, meditate, and journal. This sets the tone for the entire day to run “peacefully”. NOT A GUARANTEE! But it does have a cumulative effect on maintaining a calm perspective among the chaos.
ALLOW
Lastly, I remind myself on an ongoing basis that this is a HUGE transition — for myself, for my children, and for people all over the world. I allow myself to feel the internal pain and suffering that arises after a long day of juggling homeschooling the kids with my own schooling and work during self-quarantine.
When I feel anxious, I let myself explore that feeling and feel that feeling while also reminding myself that I am “future-thinking” and I can only really know the present moment. When I get frustrated with the kids because they aren’t staying on task, I remind myself how difficult it must be for them to not know when they will see their friends again and how unsettling it must be to have lost the security and structure of going to school every day.
On Fridays, we have a half-day and throw caution to the wind and do whatever activity we want to do for the remainder of the day rather than keeping a schedule. It keeps us all sane and some frivolity is good for the soul!!
I do find comfort in the fact that I’m not alone in this strange circumstance of self-quarantine. It’s helpful to learn from others about how they’re coping with this drastic change in lifestyle. It’s not forever and we will have normalcy again. In some ways, we may even miss the grounding experience of staying home and being close to our loved ones once the quarantine is lifted.
I hope these ideas are helpful to you. Extract what speaks to you. We all have our own personal needs and creature comforts to consider. Hang in there!
If you want to talk to one of our dedicated therapists like Annalisa, get in touch. Both the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center and West Valley Counseling Center are offering telehealth appointments during this season.
