Happy April friends!
What a time to be alive. Thankful. But we are all living through a crazy time with a lot of unknowns and uncertainties. It can be scary and unsettling. This is uncharted territory.
We are in the midst of making history. One day we will find these days in history books. And not something seen fondly.
Covid-19🦠: the virus. A pandemic. Another month of quarantine. Trying to “flatten the curve”.
Because of this, I wanted to share tips, tricks, and thoughts to keep us from dwelling on the negatives and to keep us informed and joyful and at peace through this.
✨First some of my favorites during this “Safer at Home”/“Shelter in Place” quarantine:
Favorite go to outfit: Anything Lululemon or Soma!
When I am not in my scrubs and have a day off, I am loving my Lululemon shorts (seen below) with comfy tops! or my Soma black comfy crew top seen in this picture below!
Shop this V-neck and more of my looks here.
Favorite Song: “Peace be Still” by Hope Darst
This song can bring such peace in this crazy time as the title would suggest. My favorite line being, “He is here, all is well”. Though we don’t always feel it, God is still present and in control.
Another favorite is “Graves into Gardens” by Elevation Worship.
Favorite cleaning tool: My Dyson Vacuum: The hype about this thing is REAL! It’s such a great vacuum with wireless freedom that gets the job done easily and efficiently.
You can purchase the one I have here.
Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Clorox wipes
Favorite Instagram filter for some social media fun and games: “Who is More _?”
It’s a game between two people and it says a phrase and you nod your head to the side of “who is more?”
My roomies and I have really enjoyed playing it! Here are some snapshots of us playing, but head over to my instagram highlight “Being silly” to see our full videos!
Favorite Game: Codenames or Headbands
Highly recommend playing games with your quarantine crew during this time. My roommates and I have been playing Codenames and Headbands the most.
Codenames requires the actual game, so since going to the store and buying the game isn’t essential, headbands is a good alternative if you don’t have board games.
All you need is paper, pens, and tape. Every player comes up with a person from a character in a book or movie, to a famous person, to a friend. Then every one puts it on a different person in the circle. You go around asking yes or no questions to try to figure out the person on your forehead.
It is so fun, funny to place a person on each other, and requires focus to figure out who you are.
Good luck from mine to yours!
You can order the board games online here.
Favorite at home workout:
My roomies and I made a quarantine “workout” that is just a small list with low amount of reps that we just have to do everyday either before bed or during the day regardless if we do a full workout to get us moving!
I also love this that was posted by my gym Orange Theory Fitness to incorporate all different exercises.
Also been loving running outside to get fresh air! The other day I hadn’t ran in forever, but I was going stir crazy in the house. I jumped up and ran further than I have in forever! This can be a time where we push ourselves to new heights!
Favorite Quote:
“The God of the Mountains is the God of the valley”. – From the song Graves into Gardens by Elevation Worship
Also the quote by Lysa Terkeurst, “God is very good at being God”. Just a reminder God is good at it, and I am not. Let God be God because He does it better than I.
Favorite Bible Verse:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. —John 16:33 NIV
This has always been a favorite verse of mine, and I really lean on it during hard times in the world. It’s appropriate for right now. The Lord warned and knew from the very beginning of all that would unfold in 2020. He knows of the trouble we will face and states that we would have trouble; however, he reassures that we can still find peace in Him. He has already overcome every trouble we ever endure. Oh what a mighty Savior He is. Thank you Jesus.
Favorite Netflix binge:
So I did jump on the Tiger King bandwagon. I did watch the first couple of episodes, and I wouldn’t say that it is my favorite Netflix show. However, it is an entertaining, random show to watch!
I also have been rewatching Grey’s Anatomy which might be one of my all time favorite shows.
and One Tree Hill.
Also if you’ve never seen Schitt’s Creek — watch that and you won’t stop laughing!
✨Next I have some quarantine tips from a nurse’s perspective:
- Wash your hands: primary prevention is key.
- Be mindful of how you are feeling and if you have symptoms. If you have a fever, cough, and feeling short of breath, do not panic, but you might need to be tested.
- Talk to your doctor if you do start having symptoms and have questions on what actions to take.
- Breathe in through your nose. Your nose is able to clean, warm, and moisten the air where your mouth does not clean the air. It also makes your lungs stronger and burns more calories;)
- Try to stay active: walk, run, do breathing exercises, yoga, etc.
- For those immunocompromised or high risk, take extra precautions! All of us should do this, but especially those high risk or immunocompromised patients need to be extra careful. It is not as easy for them to fight off viruses.
- There is a lot that we do not know about Covid-19. Medical staff are learning new data everyday. Continue to stay informed and precautious. A good resource is the CDC website at www.cdc.gov and specifically this page on their website: click here.
- Stay Hydrated— always important!
✨Finally some quarantine tips and thoughts from your average Christian Nashvillian:
- Pray. Not only for health and for you “not to get Covid-19”. Go bigger, go bolder. Pray for the surrender and faith to place your fear in God’s hands. We can only do so much to try to stay healthy and to try to prevent the virus from infecting us. There is only so much we can control. The rest is in God’s hands, and we can only find peace if we place our fears and surrender to the Lord.
- Trust the Lord. I say this knowing how difficult it is. Just the other day, I tried to take things into my control, and it never seems to turn out well. In the midst of the chaos from coved-19, God is still in control and still at work even when we do not see it. In the words of a great author Lysa Terkeurst, “God is very good at being God”, so let’s let him. I will continue to pray and practice for me and you to have trust He is in control.
- Quarantine. Do keep your distance. Do only come in contact with those you live with. Our goal is to stop the rapid spread, so take the preventative measures to do so.
- Stay informed and aware, BUT don’t scroll or hyper obsess over everything on the news or in articles or on google. You will make yourself panic and overly obsessed on things you don’t have much control of right now. We are treading in uncertain times. Stay informed on the ways you can help stop the spread, but scrolling isn’t going to stop the germs.
- Pull out board games or cards or fun activities to keep from going stir crazy in the house. I shared some of my favorites above that my roomies and I have been playing. It also is a good way to peal away from screens and Netflix. Ha!
- Spend some time outside. Nashville has been having beautiful spring days, and it has been good for the soul to be having some picnics, running, and laying/sitting outside. Fresh air is good for soul and helps keep us sane in quarantine.
- Prep for when quarantine is not happening. There are ways we can be preparing our mind and body and surroundings to be most optimal when this is all over. Though life and routines are different during this time, they will effect our lives after quarantine.
- Enjoy and seize of every moment. There was a long list of places and appointments and goals that I had that have now been put on hold because most were not essential things. It has made me realize to seize and enjoy every moment instead of trying to put off the things you want to do for various reasons/excuses.
- Try new activities in the home. I have started finding more time for painting and different hobbies that I used to do more often. Make a list of new things you want to do. Lists are the best, and then executed trying new things!
- Clean and organize those closets and spaces that you’ve been meaning to for a while now. You have the time to devote to household things you may not have had time to before. I have been putting away winter things and bringing out and organizing spring clothes. I’ve also cleaned out that one closet in my house that I always dreaded cleaning!
This has been a weird time for our world, but as I have had more thoughts, tips, and recent favorites, I wanted to share them with you all! I hope you all are staying safe and well, and my prayers include the health and wellness of you all!
Love always,
Katie Girl
