Nicole had a great column in the Washington Post this week about a technique we’ve developed at Neatnik called the Quarantine Reset. We started talking about it in relation to the highs and lows of the quarantine lifestyle. Some days are productive and positive, some days feel overwhelming and totally unmotivated. While it’s important to listen to your body and take care of yourself when it’s needed, we felt like there were times when we just needed to “turn the page.” And since every. single, day, is just like the last and just like the next, waiting for a natural new beginning like “tomorrow” just wasn’t cutting it. We needed something that could make us feel renewed and give us what I call “Period. New Page. New Paragraph.”
From everyone I’ve talked to over the past few weeks, we’ve all had these moments: we’ve read or watched too much depressing news, we feel like there is no end in sight, our kids or families are driving us crazy leaving us feeling overwhelmed and stuck. The Quaratine Reset is a set of action steps to be taken at any time to help you feel “unstuck,” renewed, and like you’ve turned the page. These steps have been reviewed and vetted by mental health professionals and are backed by studies that show their efficacy. The entire reset shouldn’t take more than about 30 minutes and are designed to be easy and elevating, but without taking a huge amount of energy or time.
Here are the five steps:
Shower
Take a shower and wash your hair. Finish the shower by turning the water all the way to cold, and stand under the cold water for at least a few seconds. The cold water produces a host of positive physical responses, including increased production of endorphins and norepinephrine in your brain and a boost to your immune system.
Change your clothes
Get out of the old sweats and put on some clean clothes. Or try to put actual pants and a casual shirt! If you normally wear make-up, consider applying some lipstick. As Audrey Hepburn once said “On a bad day, there’s always lipstick.”
Make your bed
Making your bed marks a new beginning. Doing this small task not only helps to create a calmer and cleaner bedroom environment, but it also marks one easy accomplishment and sets the tone for you to feel like you can check other things off your list.
Tidy for 10 minutes
Set a timer and spend 10 minutes cleaning up, putting things away, and decluttering. You can get a lot done in 10 minutes, and tidying will make you feel more relaxed once you’re in a less messy environment. Nicole and I always say “inner order = outer calm” and it really is true. The clutter makes you feel unconsciously stressed – it’s a lot of unmade decisions staring you in the face. Focus on tasks that can be completed quickly, such as going through your mail, recycling old newspapers and magazines, cleaning off a counter or throwing in a load of laundry.
Get fresh air
Stepping outside to take a few deep breaths of fresh air can make us feel renewed, and sun on our skin helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which has numerous brain and mental health benefits. And according to the American Heart Association website, a study shows that “nature presents scenes that gently capture your attention instead of suddenly snatching it, calming your nerves instead of frazzling them.”
With so much out of control, the Quarantine Reset provides intentional steps to change your mind-set and change the tone of your day. It gives you a way to focus on your mental health in a way that we hope feels realistic and manageable. Please let us know how it works for you – or if you have steps you like to add for your reset!
Many thanks to @homesweethomenz for use of the fabulous photo!