Distancing~Day 1

Today I woke up feeling groggy from taking 2 Tylenol PM tablets last night to try to alleviate the pain of a toothache. My eyes felt sticky and my head and cheekbones were pounding. Damn sinuses! Luckily I didn't have to go into work today...schools are closed here until April 20th. But as I thought about that, a wave of anxiety passed through my body as I remembered about the virus.
 I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared. Watching the news and talking to friends who are living in different parts of the world has me on edge.
I decided that the best way for me to combat chaos is to implement a little structure. So, my daughters and I  set up a loose homeschool schedule to be sure that we stay productive yet have time to relax and have some fun as well. 

Today is Day 1 of our isolation & it looked something like this...

• Started my day with a cup of coffee, Advil cold & Sinus & writing some morning pages.
• Started the diffuser. Today's blend was Bergamot and lemon. 
• Ran the dishwasher and started on the laundry.
• Took the dogs out back for some exercise while I finished my coffee
• Flipped the laundry and made breakfast- Raspberry diary-free yogurt, fresh raspberries and a handful of chopped walnuts and a big glass of ice water.
• Folded a ton of laundry and put it all away...Which took an obscene amount of time. 
• Dusted the downstairs.
• Made taco soup for lunch and watched about 40 minutes of the documentary "Heal"

My day was going so well until an alert from our local news showed up on my phone.  I found out that my husband and I were shopping at Aldi at the same time as a woman who tested positive for COVID-19. So, Erie County officials are asking people who may have been in specific locations to isolate and monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.  Once that happened, my mind started spinning stories and for a little bit I felt panicked but then I did some meditating, showered, and went outside for a bit until I felt calm.

• Dinner was Vegan Buffalo Chickn' Mac & Cheese

• After dinner my husband and I took the dogs for a walk. 
• After the walk I was still feeling uneasy so I decided to go down to my art space and do a little creating. I decided to just do a little work in my daily mindfulness journal. Something as little as this helps to calm me.

And that about wraps up my first day of isolation. Let's see what tomorrow brings!