Coping with social distancing

Me and my boy

As any mum out there knows, we all need to find a way to cope now we have children. Something to rely on when we've been up half the night for no obvious reason (though everyone will guess the reason for you just to make it that much more painful) or we're bored of telling the kids to stop playing with toilet paper (it's valuable now don't you know).

For me, my coping mechanism is simply getting out of the house. Yes I know there's wine, I have been known to require the odd glass.

I never expected this, I mean, I used to live alone (well, with my cat) and I loved it. Having lots of people around or friends to hang out with was never a top priority. But now there's a little person taking every bit of patience I have, having the goal of getting ready on time is everything. Dare I say, it's better than having a shower in peace for me.

But what now? What does that mean now we're on lockdown and I can only go out for my exercise once a day (which is of course stolen by my toddler who only sleeps if I take him for a walk in his pushchair) or get essential supplies in the supermarket? The answer is, I really don't know, I mean I barely had it all sorted out before lockdown, I was still trying to get out and meet other mums.

But let's focus on what I do know. Thinking too far ahead just feels impossible, so if you are like me and worry about not getting out, just take it all one day at a time. You don't need to plan activities for the week because everyone else is, it's not a competition. Just wake up and plan the day ahead, there's so many online classes and things to watch if you are stuck for inspiration. Make sure people around you know that you are taking things one day at a time too, if they are going to have chats about how long we might be in lockdown, they can do this elsewhere in the house.

Limit the amount of time watching, reading, or listening to the news, as long as you know the latest guidance there's nothing more to know. I'm sure the graphs comparing the number of deaths took lots of time and effort for people to prepare, but I'm sorry, it really doesn't help. Maybe even have a clear out of your social media channels and find some positive things to follow instead like the amazing CaenhillCC and the wonderful animals there. Yeah, I know I am probably bias, but this mashable article agrees and has some other ideas too > https://mashable.com/article/best-instagram-accounts/

Lastly, friends are everything, so if you know me, please keep in touch, haha. But honestly, the random messages, chats and just checking in is such a help, especially for mums like me who spend all day with little people who can say limited things back. Ok, so my son might talk a bit but telling me what is gone and what needs cutting isn't really a stimulating conversation. So please check in with those you know and care for from time to time, whoever you are, we're all in this together and we need to stick together.

While that's all I know for now, I'll hopefully find other ways to cope (and not just different alcoholic drink) which I'll be sure to share if I have any revelations.

Until next time, take care