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If there was ever a time to develop a slew of self-care ideas its during COVID-19. Self-care doesn’t have to break the bank; Corona is doing a pretty good job of that all on its own. I prefer to keep it simple and free.

Before you know it, I’ll be back to complaining about traffic, slow internet, and people who complain. 😬

Self-Care 101

When times get tough, I fall back on the basics: air, shelter, water, and food.

Mediation is all about air. Well, meditation is about thoughts, but one technique is observing breathing patterns. Focusing on the sensations instead of random thoughts is how my mind focus on the present instead of getting pitched into the past.

There are many tutorials and guided mediations conveniently located on the interweb, but as a science nerd I like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn the mindfulness OG.

I meditate by leaning into the drift. After getting into a comfortable seated position, I close my eyes, and focus on my breath. The cool air that gets sucked into my body, the rise of my chest, and the rush of warmth that leaves my lungs. Like a fast car that can’t be contained, my mind easily pulls away from this. When it does, I don’t try to change or judge what’s happening. I do try to bring my focus back to where it belongs.

Occasionally. leads to sleep. Wellllll, more than occasionally it ends up a nap. It’s fine, the Dalai Lama falls asleep during meditation too and he says, “Sleep is the best meditation.” Love that guy!

Declutter-In-Place

I’m on a constant staycation. I have an intimate relationship with my shelter, and I use quality time to take our relationship to a higher level by leveling up decluttering.

Decluttering is important for my mental wellbeing and occasionally generates income when I sell decluttered items.

I love decluttering, probably too much. I love having less! Less to clean, spend on storage, and insure.

I started easy and small with one room. I narrowed that down even more to one area, a shelf in my closet. I would go through each small area slowly, which helped prevent a panicky overwhelmed feeling. After cleaning out a small area, I felt energized to do more. Soon open space began to spread like wind in a prairie.

When I needed a kick of motivation I visited with the decluttering goddess, Marie Kondo. She dishes out warm and fuzzy feelings about saying buh-bye to stuff that doesn’t spark joy. When my motivation needed more of push, like off a cliff, I watch an episode of Hoarders.

It’s a self-induced scare tactic that works every time.

Drug of Choice: Water

Since my body is made up of mostly water it makes sense that when I am lacking water, I feel…. icky. I do little life hacks to ensure I get my water fix. I drink a glass of water when I wake up, during my meals, and I carry around a reusable water bottle.

Convenience is still king. If its handy and cheap, chances are I’ll be taking advantage of it!

Fabulous Food

Self-care ideas during Covid includes food. Self-care is all about supporting a healthy lifestyle which includes what I put into my body. Good energy in means good energy out. McDonalds in means questionable energy out. After a round at McDonalds, I usually feel like a bloated, uncoordinated walrus.

Mr. BuLL and I craft home-cooked meals 99% of the time, even in the before times. It’s a huge money saver and ensures we are loading up on vegetables and fruits.

At some point, I have to brave the pandemic induced wild and go out for groceries. I decrease some of that anxiety by saving money. It’s tough to get groceries for free, it is easy to get discounted groceries because paying full price is so 2019!   

*Air* Hug

During times of hardship, future generations will define how I reacted. I am voting to react with love and gratitude towards others and myself by using self-care.

When I am not feeling “the love” and I feel angry and frustrated about the unknown and all it’s ails, I funnel that energy towards aggressively saving. When I feel uncertain and full of doubt, I make plans to use trepidation as a guide towards a better future or, better yet, a nap.

Your number one priority is not to make as much money as you possibly can. Your number one priority is to protect your life so you have the time to build wealth.

Filled With Money

The only I can ensure that I am getting the care I deserve making self-care a priority especially during a pandemic.