I remember when we first entered quarantine in March, and I thought to myself, just a couple weeks — maybe a month — of this and we will be done and back to normal.

Wishful thinking, huh?

Hey guys — it’s Courtney. Today, I’m talking about the small changes I’ve made since the beginning of quarantine that have helped ease my anxiety. Although the country is slowly opening back up, many of us are still at home way more than normal.

When the whole concept of quarantine, masks, and social distancing was introduced, I remember seeing so much content about how you need to have a stringent schedule and if you don’t come out of quarantine with a new skill or hobby, you’ve failed. That made me incredibly anxious, and for me, it just wasn’t helpful. Do we all really need more pressure placed on us in the midst of global pandemic? No, thank you.

None of us came into this adequately prepared and there is no right way to cope. For some people, sticking to a rigid routine is comforting and helpful. For others, it’s not.

It took a lot of exploring and trial and error to figure out the “routine” (I don’t even think I’d call it that) that gives me the least amount of anxiety. And that will probably continue to evolve, too.

At the beginning of quarantine, I decided to take the pressure off and give myself grace to figure out what worked for me. I worked in my PJs til lunch most days, did the majority of my work from the couch, and constantly scrolled through the news to see what phase we were in and what to expect next. I’ll say this — none of those things helped my anxiety.

More recently, I’ve found a few core things that have helped me personally cope with this crazy world a little bit better.

(I say this all the time, and i’m sure you’re sick of hearing it, but I wanted to reiterate that whatever works for me might not work for you, and that’s totally okay).

5 Things That Have Helped My Anxiety During COVID-19

1. Start the day off with a walk outside

Getting some fresh air first thing in the morning is a total game changer for me. We have a small apartment in Manhattan, so at certain points during quarantine, I’d be in there for three days straight realizing I hadn’t left at all…

Side note: I always want a dog, but during quarantine, I especially wanted one because I felt like it would make me get up in the morning and go outside. We’re waiting until after the wedding (which btw, we postponed a whole year) to have the dog discussion, but in the meantime, I found a few podcasts that I’m excited enough to listen to in the morning that I’ve been walking (or running) outside after my coffee every morning (sometimes a half mile, sometimes four miles). Right now, my fave is Unlocking Us by Brene Brown.

Being out in nature — even the hustle and bustle of the city — energizes me and makes me realize that there’s so much more than my own problems out there.

2. Change into real clothes

This was hard for me, because even before COVID, I was notorious for coming home from the office and switching immediately into my jammies.

I’ve realized that putting on something even slightly nicer than pajamas just makes me feel better about myself.

This doesn't have to be runway ready workwear, either.

Some days, I throw on a comfy sundress and put a sweater on for video calls, and others, I opt for jean shorts and a cute top. Then when it’s actually time to change into my pajamas (before 7pm usually), I feel like I “started” and “ended” my day in a way.

3. Make a real lunch

Lunch has always been the hardest meal for me. My fiancé is excellent at keeping it simple, and he pretty much makes the same lunch every day. I just can’t do it. I get sick of eating the same thing very quickly.

For a while, it bothered me so much that I’d just replace lunch with a few snacks throughout the day. That did not work, either. I’d end up hangry and tired.

Now that we have a gorgeous Whole Foods near us (the 2020 gift we didn’t know we needed), I have been much better about making two different real lunches a week.

Lately, I’ve been switching off between different sandwiches and, one of my faves, banza chickpea pasta with shaved brussels sprouts.

4. Change up my work location

Interestingly enough, I began working from home before the pandemic. I loved my weekly routine of visiting 2-3 new coffee shops each week, exploring different neighborhoods and trying all the NYC hotspots.

Once COVID hit, I worked from home mainly from my couch (even though I have a tiny desk). Even if I had a really productive day, for some reason it just made me feel lazy.

Now, if I’m doing something mindless, I’ll sometimes retreat to the couch, but lately, I’ve been sticking to various tables and desks and it makes me feel more like I am at work.

I start at my desk when I need to be the most productive, head to the couch for less demanding tasks, then to the roof or my fiancé’s desk in the bedroom.

We switch desks at least once a day to change up the scenery, and it’s definitely helped me be more productive.

5. Replace phone time with things I enjoy

I have to admit...I have been an expert doom scroller since the whole pandemic started.

Whenever I had one second of downtime, I’d pick up my phone, open Twitter, and scroll through the headlines. I honestly did this until about a month ago. Most times, it was easier to distract myself by clicking through Instagram stories and reading the depressing news than it was to sit with my own anxious thoughts.

Guys, the world is HEAVY right now. And while there are so many important issues being discussed and it’s important to be an informed citizen, a human can only handle so much before they just break.

We can surely do our part, but we cannot carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.At first, I set screen time limits on my phone, and it didn’t work very well for me. For some reason, it just made me feel guiltier.

My fiancé suggested that instead of saying, “I get one hour a day on social media, that’s it,” I come up with alternative things to do when I get the urge to pick up my phone. My habits have started to shift to doing those things more than going on social media.

For me, that’s reading, baking, drawing, writing, or even watching Netflix. I even started making my own greeting cards.

Trust me, I still log onto social media and see what’s going on with my friends and the world (and still probably more than I should). But once I’ve done it for 5-10 mins, I remember that suspenseful book I’ve been reading or that new recipe I’ve been wanting to try.

I’d love to hear from you about what has worked/not worked in quarantine!

5 Small Changes I've Made Since the Beginning of Quarantine That Have Eased My Anxiety