How to Get Alone Time While Quarantined with Your Family

Do you find yourself missing sitting in the car or any other alone time you took for granted? Being quarantined in your home has made alone time nearly impossible.  Listen for a quick tip on how to get some time for yourself back.

TRANSCRIPT
Would you have ever believed you could miss sitting in traffic? The COVID-19 quarantine has put us in such a paradoxical reality. We are in our homes all the time, yet we have no time to feel like we’re at home. Why can’t I just take a shower in peace? Why can’t I just put my feet up and watch netflix in peace. Well, I have an answer for you. It is because you have been tasked with doing 3 separate jobs at once: parenting, teaching, and working.

Each of these is its own job that requires its own goals and its own time. Yet right now, because you’re a good parent, and good person really, you are trying to do all 3 at once. Obviously you can’t possibly do all of it but you’re really trying and what you’ve cut out to make more room for these other jobs is your alone time. Your self care time. 

Now, I'm sure you’ve heard it plenty that self care should be a priority but that’s not my quick tip today because I will be the first to admit that making self care a priority doesn’t always feel right so it almost seems counter productive. For example, why would I go take an indulgent bath with candles and a delicious bath bomb when there are still dishes, meal planning for the next day, laundry, overly screen timed kids and a tired husband? And especially in this current reality, there are just SO many other things that need my attention. 

So instead of telling you to prioritize self care, my quick tip is this. Find a realistic way to build self care into your life right now whether it be daily or weekly. If you’re like me and you try to get everyone else in a happy place before tending to yourself, I suggest you start with an intentional alone time every 3 days. It should be at least half an hour and it should be something that you really enjoy with absolutely no distractions. This is where you need to enlist your TV, tablets, and/or spouse to watch the kids. Make sure your family members know this is your time in which you wish to not be disturbed. Also make sure you return the favor to your spouse the next day. 

If you can find a way to get enjoyable and INTENTIONAL alone time daily even if for 5 minutes then do it. The benefits of prioritizing self care are clearly evident especially once you've done it. As we wrap up I want to reinforce the fact that it needs to be intentional. If you don’t plan it, it probably won't happen. If you dont know where to start, try by asking your spouse to watch the kids tomorrow for 15 minutes while you go for a walk or take a shower. You’ll see that planning ahead will get you even more excited for that little bit of freedom.

Join us tomorrow for another quick tip on how to maintain your family sanity. I'm your host Naomi Bocaniciu. You can learn more about me and this podcast on instagram @familysanitypodcast. Until next time, whether your family is going insane or you've got it all together, these are definitely times you will always remember.