3 Ways to Get Your Energy Up During Quarantine

So, has anyone else wanted to take a nap every single day of quarantine? Yup, me too. 

I chatted with my therapist a few weeks ago, and I told her that I was relatively ok, but I was just exhausted all the time. From doing nothing but staying at home. And she gave me some fantastic insight as to why my energy levels have been low and I’ve been sleepy 24/7.

First things first, we’re going through a pandemic. I know there’s pressure to complete 10 million home projects right now and get ahead on work, but this whole thing is mentally draining. Give yourself some grace. You’re going to have good days and bad days. If your body is telling you to rest, then take a break. If you get a surge of motivation, run with it. At the end of the day, take care of yourself!

My therapist suggested that I try these four things to help me get more energy throughout the day. I’m not gonna lie: there are some days that I’m still fatigued, but overall, after implementing these things, my days in quarantine have improved!

How to Increase Your Energy Levels

Move More Throughout the Day

Before quarantine, we moved a lot more throughout the day. Commuting to work, running errands, meeting up with friends to hang out…we weren’t stationary. Heck, even though I usually work from home anyway, I would try to get out to a co-working space during the day, workout during lunch, go to blog events at night, and etc. Long story short, all of our step counts were higher pre-quarantine, whether we worked from home or commuted to an office every day.

It’s really easy to just sit on the couch all day during quarantine. That alone will drain you of all of your energy. Plan to move at some point during each day. Whether it’s an at-home workout, a solo dance party, or a long, socially distanced walk in your neighborhood, schedule one activity a day where you can get off your couch and get your heart rate up!

Take Vitamin D Supplements

Since we’re not going outside as much during the quarantine, we’re likely all lacking Vitamin D. Plus, if you’re a woman of color like me, you’re more prone to have a Vitamin D deficiency anyway. Individuals with darker skin produce less vitamin D with the same amount of sunlight exposure than individuals with lighter skin color.

Try taking some supplements to help get your Vitamin D levels up to a healthy amount. Here’s a great supplement to try out first. Give it a few weeks for the effects to kick in, and make sure to take it daily!

Give Your Day Some Structure

One trick I love? When I give my day a bit of structure, I feel a lot more awake and motivated.

Yes, sometimes, you’ll have planned Zoom meetings with coworkers or friends scheduled during the day, which will dictate your schedule to a certain extent. However, I like to arrange a few other activities for myself so that I always have something to look forward to. I try to workout sometime between 10 AM – 12 PM, Tom, and I like to eat dinner around 7, and if it’s nice out, I’ll schedule an hour of walking time. It’s been fantastic, because I know I have to finish assignments by a particular time in order to start my workouts or dinner on time!

How are you keeping your energy levels up during quarantine?

Photos by Tom McGovern