Hi friends! I hope you are doing well wherever you are. We are still in the middle of the COVID_19 crisis and in week 4 of staying at home. I both can’t believe it’s already been four weeks and also feel like it’s been four months since life felt normal. I know for many of us the novelty and newness of this new way of life has worn off and we might be feeling like we’re going to go crazy if things don’t change soon, so on that note, I wanted to talk to you today about ways that we can stay sane and choose joy during this time. 

Here are a few of the things that I’ve been trying to incorporate into my new normal almost every day:

• Getting outdoors 

• Listening to uplifting music (some of my current favorites: Renew Your Mind, Remind Your Soul playlist, Spring Favs playlist, Ellie Holcomb’s Sing Albums - Creation Songs and Remembering Songs for kiddos)

• Doing a lot of laughing listening to funny podcasts and Insta-stories (current favs - That Sounds Fun podcast by Annie Downs and The Made Up Morning Show on Jess Connolly’s Instagram account) 

• Making sure I’m getting enough exercise and sleep 

• Making myself drink more water (not coffee all day) 

• Doing a few things to make the weekend feel different 

I reached out to my followers on Instagram and asked what has been helping them. Here are a few other ideas that they had: 

• Daily walks 

• Listening to uplifting or encouraging podcasts

• Getting dressed every day

• Being intentional with their time/making to-do lists 

• Limiting tv and screen time

• Only checking in on the news 1-2 times per day

• Following a loose schedule for the day 

This season is going to look different for all of us. For some of us, we have tons of time on our hands right now and this could be a perfect opportunity to start something new or take on a project you’ve been putting off. For others of us, life has become extremely full and hectic juggling working from home, caring for kids, cooking multiple meals a day - and it’s probably not the time to start something new. No matter the exact details of our situation, the truth is that all of us will benefit from intentional adding activities or rhythms into our day-to-day that will keep us centered on the right things, help us stay sane, and help us feel the joy that can be found, even in this hard season. 

I hope that this episode has encouraged you to choose some of these ideas to implement into your own life. Hang in there, friends - we will get through this! 

For more healthy living encouragement, mixed with some very real-life moments, follow me on Instagram.

Have a great rest of your day friends! Talk soon!