Humans like routines. Especially during lockdown, when it’s a quarantine routine.
Having a daily rhythm is good for our mental health. This is why having a dog helps us be happier – they love sticking to routines and getting us out for daily walks.
But even if you’re not a dog person, you might find it helpful to wake up at the same time every day and build self-care activities into your daily plan.
Here’s what our quarantine routine looks like during this ongoing coronavirus shutdown. It helps keep us all on the same page and functioning mostly smoothly.
Do you have a quarantine routine? What does it look like?
8 am – Breakfast and 1/2 mile morning walk
We’re up every morning by 7 am, although I’m often up earlier. Most of us do a morning meditation either with the Headspace or Plum Village apps. Then we gather for breakfast at 8 am and go for a short walk around our neighborhood before starting the day. One of our breakfast favorites is these Hawaii oat cakes.
9 am – Home learning fun and snack
If it’s a weekday, the kiddos have some home learning to do. We check in on Google Classroom, get the assignments for the day, and update tasks on the whiteboard in our designated learning area, aka the dining room. They choose what to work on first, and part way through the morning we bring out a small snack. It’s often something fruity and chocolatey, like apples or bananas with nuts and chocolate chips or homemade nutella.
12 pm – Lunch and longer hilly walk
At noon we all break for lunch in the backyard. It feels great to get some fresh air and sunshine after a morning inside. Lunch can either be a salad, some leftovers, or something more creative like these broccoli mashed potatoes. Then we power up for the afternoon with a half hour loop walk that takes us up and down some big hills.
1 pm – Home learning fun and inspiration
After our walk it’s back for another chunk of learning. The parents get some time to either work or learn too – we’ve been exploring courses on Udemy and Coursera recently. During this quiet focus time we often put on the Classical radio station on Apple Music. And when I get overwhelmed, I remind myself of these 13 simple truths for a peaceful mind.
3 pm – Dessert and showers
By 3 pm the kids are ready to be done with assignments, so it’s time to transition to fun and self-care time. We discovered that having dessert in the afternoon, like a British tea time, helps everyone sleep better than eating sweets after dinner. These fudgy cookie brownies are always a hit. Anyone who wants a refreshing shower is free to take one too.
4 pm – Free time and cooking dinner
Next we have a couple hours of play, dance, rest, and time on passion projects. Sometimes there are musical performances being choreographed and composed and rehearsed, or there’s quiet phone/iPad time, or we think up recipes or ideas like how to save the world with Megan right now.
6 pm – Dinner with nature or comedy
I love to get expert help in the kitchen from Megan and Tim, but I enjoy cooking on my own as well. Since we all chat a bunch on our daily walks and have just been sitting at the dining room table all day, we’ll often eat on the couches and put on an inspiring nature show like Our Planet or a funny movie. Dinner is usually something comforting like turkey chili with zucchini, and we pause the show if anyone wants to go back for seconds.
7 pm – Yoga and meditation
For the past several months we’ve been doing a daily wind down of movement, gratitude, and stillness. It’s all with the help of our online yoga teacher Adriene. She releases free monthly schedules to follow for daily yoga and meditation, and it’s a wonderful way to take care of ourselves, together.
8 pm – Get ready for bed and prep for tomorrow. End of quarantine routine!
And another day is done. Kids go off to brush their teeth, we clean up the kitchen and prepare for tomorrow. A super quick and nourishing breakfast to throw together the night before are these easiest overnight oats, for example. Everyone is settled and in bed by 9 pm, with goodnights and hugs and any last reassurances.
Tomorrow is another day. And the sun always rises.
Many blessings from our home to yours for a wonderful weekend and week ahead. I hope you have or find a nourishing daily routine for yourself as well.
Happy cooking!
Maitri Alexandra 🙂