Have you ever heard of the bear hibernating? During hibernation, the bears go into hiding for prolonged periods of rest, have a slower heart rate, slow metabolism, lower body temperature, and slower breathing.  Basically, the bear lies low for the winters and comes back well-rested with a bang, a big appetite, and a raging metabolism. Consider this quarantine to be like your hibernation.

Unlike bears, human beings do not need to hibernate because of good access to food during the cold winters along with a good shelter to protect them from the harsh winters. But following the principles of hibernation,  we could lie low during this quarantine while still doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work. So, when we are done with this period we can get back into normalcy, very well prepared and with a big bang. 

So, sharing a checklist of a few behind-the-scenes jobs that you can do to prepare yourself for high energy come back post quarantine. 

1. Take ample rest

With too many household chores to finish and many added duties, it is extremely easy to get overburdened with work.  Your mind and body may have been begging for rest for a very long time,  but you couldn’t give it because of your day job and other family responsibilities. This is your TIME! TAKE REST. This is your forced hibernation. A time like this will never come back again so make the best use of it.

2. Sort out your documents

So, has it happened with you too that someone needed an important document and the whole house was looking for it, creating panic? This would invariably lead to stress and possibly an argument trying to search the whereabouts of the documents. Use this time to throw away the unnecessary documents and organize the important ones into different slots like financial, school, medical, receipts, etc. 

3. Declutter your laptop

Do you often think of coming back to your files later when you have the time? Just like me! And, in no time, you have mountains of information lying unorganized. So, don’t let it go out of control. Organize your personal and official data into folders and subfolders on your laptop or on cloud storage. You will thank yourself for this action, once you get back to work and find everything in perfect order.

4. Go Within

If you find it impossible to sit with yourself,  or you always had a desire to spend some time in silence and meditation, then this is the best time. You can do it either with the help of an expert through an online course or through easily available guided meditations available on many online platforms, both free and paid.

5. Learn a new skill

What was it that you long desired to learn? A hobby or a skill, but didn’t have time?  Was it writing a book, learning about social media, photography, creating your very own terrace garden, learning to play the guitar, or learning crochet?  There are thousands of online resources, Youtube videos, webinars, etc. Whatever the desire, the time to fulfill it is right now.

5. Spend quality time with your loved ones

Have you got too busy with #WFH? Doing the daily mundane jobs during this quarantine have you forgotten to put aside time with your family? It could be playing a board game, watching a movie, or cooking something together. This is the time you can rewire your relationships with your spouse and your children.

6. Invigorate your body 

It is very possible to let your body slip into lethargy due to inactivity and minimal movement along with too much eating. So, build in 15- 30 minutes of some activity daily like Pranayam or deep breathing along with yoga or body-weight exercises. You will find many follow-along workouts available on the internet for free. If you like to dance, then you can try out Zumba or any form of aerobics. If you never had an exercise or a physical activity routine earlier,  this is a great time to build one.  You can also try this resource, Home Workouts for Beginners that I put together for you.

                                            Suggested for you - Home workout for beginners. 

7. Build better eating habits 

You can blame the lack of time, too much stress, and lack of motivation for mindless eating during routine days. No more excuses now. Use this time to rebuild your relationship with food. Create your meal plans. Learn the basics of good eating habits, like sitting and eating in one place without distraction and eating only when hungry and to satisfaction. This will help you to stop overeating and building awareness around your eating habits which you can continue to use even after the lockdown. 

8. Organize your recipes

Do you love cooking? What a blessing it would be to have all your recipes organized into different sections for ease of use? You could go old school by using a ring binder to organize all your recipes or you can use a free or paid app to organize all recipes on your phone or laptop. Doing this now will put you in better control of your food and health once you’re are back to the normal routine.

9. Build a winding down routine

Having a bedtime routine that takes15 to 30 minutes can be a boon to anyone. A good bedtime routine can include some kind of relaxation with meditation, journaling, listening to relaxing music, reading a book, or planning the next day. You can take your pick depending on what relaxes you the most. 

And, once you are done with this forced hibernation, you will be back, refreshed, and rejuvenated.

Tell us how did you like the article in the comments.

Also read, 9 Ways To Build Bullet-Proof Immunity Naturally during this quarantine.

Do feel free to contact me for any information and guidance that you need regarding your lifestyle, health, and wellbeing.