The importance of structure during a crisis

So it has been over a week now since the Corona Virus really started to impact on my life.

Yes, things were a bit scary before that, but it was a week ago that I started homeschooling my 7-year-old Rose.

And until yesterday it was much longer than a week of no running…a cancelled marathon will do that to a girl.

Last week we excitedly put together a structure together for our first week of homeschooling, ambitious as it was….hoping that if we both knew what we were supposed to do we would do it.

I realised now we just needed a week off from timetables, a week to readjust, a week of no additional pressure. To sit on our balcony and eat lunch together, to make a window display together, to watch Disney movies together.

It was the right thing to do for us.

So there were no real lessons, no structured fitness sessions, some arts and crafts projects, some bike rides, and a lot of screen time and cuddles.

This week though I know we both need structure.

We don’t need a time table, but we do need some things to hook our lives around.

I am missing my Crossfit sessions, I am missing taking Rose to swimming on a Monday and Gymnastics on a Wednesday…so we will indeed be bringing some weekly activities into our lives again.

I am committing to running 5K per week, even if that has to be round and round in circles in our underground car park (oooh just thought of that). I managed to do a whole 5K outdoors yesterday and it was as strange as it was good.

So here are 5 reasons to think about reintroducing some kind of plan this week.

Routine helps

Routine can be an anchor when we feel a bit wobbly. No matter what’s going on in our day, knowing that we do yoga on a Monday morning, or go for a run on a Sunday can settle us. The certainty of our routine can help us to manage the uncertainty that life can throw at us.

Reduces Stress

Decision fatigue is a thing. Having to make millions of decisions every day is exhausting. A schedule can help you to only have to make the decision once. If you live with other people it can help with their stress levels too, knowing who is doing what when.

Time Management

Even though for some of us we may have more time on our hands, there still seems like there is a lot to get done. Having a plan ensures some of the important but not urgent stuff gets done….along with the stuff that feels more like firefighting.

Ensures a bit of self care

A schedule can help us remember self-care. We can include things like sleep, meal prep, our daily exercise, bath night, date night, movie night. It might feel weird putting this stuff down on paper, but it shows it is important to you. Treat it like an appointment.

Gives us hope

A plan can help us work towards a goal. We can set challenges like daily yoga, or 50 miles of walking this month. It also helps us to think about things in the future, maintaining our fitness levels for when we can return to the sports we love.

I for one have had to let go of some of the control I normally like to have. I think that will probably be the biggest lesson in all of this.

To take things day by day.

To be more mindful of our privileges. To take the opportunities while we have them.

If you’d like to get more involved in what we are doing to keep our fitness and morale up during these challenging times (gosh how many times have we read that the last fortnight?

Head over to www.facebook.com/groups/toofattorun

We are running something called Thrive Inside which starts this week, we kick off with an online summit on Wednesday. You can also download a FREE monthly planner to pin to your fridge.

Our only job at the moment is to stay well.

To stay safe, to stay strong, to stay sane.

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