Keeping Sane in Quarantine

We’re going on 6 weeks of quarantine. And while last time I mentioned it basically felt like everyday life because I’m a stay-at-home-mom and our life typically revolves in this fashion, I’ll admit I’m starting to feel the affects of the situation.

I’ll be real, I really miss Target. I miss Target and Costco. Yes, I know those stores are still open, but the designated “shopper” (aka the one we’ve voted for tribute) in our household is my husband. More specifically I miss going on shopping dates with my husband to those places, and I miss going to those places by myself even more. I love my children, and I firmly believe this time right now with them is so valuable and precious, BUT this mama needs a mental break. Before all of this, grocery shopping was my mini mental getaway, and now that I haven’t done that in more than five weeks, I’m starting to realize how important that was to my life. Also the few hours they spent in school gave me the chance to focus on myself for a few hours a week, and now I only get those moments if I manage my time well.

If you ask me how I’m doing, my answer will be “I’m doing ok. Just tired from being with the girls 24/7.” Truthfully they’re one piece of the puzzle, and the other piece is the fact that I have a to-do list of things that I can’t seem to check things off of. I’m really trying not to focus on the list and be gracious with myself, but there’s a part of me who is feeling like a failure for not getting things done. I feel like because I can’t manage my time as well as I used to, I can’t work on my list. And mentally it’s hurting me a little.

Luckily I have a husband who keeps me in check.

He reminds me why it’s ok I haven’t gotten as much done as I want to.
He lets me take a nap instead of doing a chore.
He looks at my list and gets something done for me.
He gives me a pass for washing the dishes because all the hand-washing in itself is making my eczema go crazy.
He encourages me to bake often because he knows it’ll make me happy.
He FaceTimes me while he’s at the store so I can at least see Target.
He even encouraged me to start “In the Kitchen With Mama Z” on our YouTube channel because he knows I need a creative outlet to keep me sane.
And the list can really go on and on…

And he does all this while still working full-time from home.

As for my list, I’m learning to just look at my to-do by the week instead of by the day. I’m learning to be ok with pushing things off until tomorrow or even the next week. I’m learning to let go of how I’d normally do things because in reality, we’re all in a new situation. We’re all living a new normal.

But what’s my real secret to keeping sane during this quarantine? It’s having a partner who recognizes what helps me stay sane. When I’m busy managing two little kids all day, it’s nice to have someone who will take care of me.

So to my husband, thank you. There’s no one I’d rather be stuck in quarantine with.