How to Feed your Soul while under COVID-19 Quarantine

I write a lot about eating out, but being forced to be home all the time brings with it a lot of introspection about what’s going on inside. Here are few ways to feed your soul while under COVID-19 quarantine and how we can all come out of this thing a little fuller.

Make time to Meditate

I know many of us are probably juggling full-time jobs or mourning the loss of jobs, and taking care of children, but as little as 5 minutes a day of meditation just might save your sanity. Best of all there are tons of FREE resources to get the job done if you can’t motivate yourself.

• Oprah & Deepak Chopra 21-Day Meditation Series: This is a great app that comes out with quarterly free 21-day guided meditations complete with daily email prompts so you don’t forget to login. The one going on right now is Hope in Uncertain Times.
• The Headspace App: This app is perfect if you want to explore all levels of meditation and really get a step-by-step beginner’s guide to mindfulness. It’s FREE for the first two weeks and then $69.99 a year.
• Your local Guru: No matter where you live there is probably a meditation studio near you. Chances are they might be providing an online meditation class that you can log into. If not I’ve included my favorite local spot right here, and she’s adding new group meditations daily.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Metta Meditation Studio (@mettameditationstudio) on Apr 7, 2020 at 2:03pm PDT

Takeout for Good

When choosing a restaurant for your takeout, try and find those doing the most good in the community. That way you’re not only feeding yourself, but you’re also doing charity (without doing anything at all)!

Right now in Los Angeles restaurants like Redbird in Downtown Los Angeles are working with LA Family Housing to provide more than 1300 boxed meals to the homeless community living in supportive housing or motels. This also provides more work for Redbird employees and the restaurant is able to keep them on staff.

How can you help?

Keep the restaurant open by ordering your own family meal through Tock (starting at $42) or consider donating to LA Family Housing directly.

On the Westside of Los Angeles, a collective of restaurants have founded Help Feed the Frontline LA to feed over 5000 healthcare workers daily at 13 nearby medical facilities in conjunction with and World Central Kitchen. The restaurants involved include Playa Provisions; Bacari PDR; and M Cafe among others.

How can you help?

Contribute to the cause on the Go Fund Me and feed two healthcare workers for $25 a day. Also, keep ordering from all your favorite restaurants so they can keep those kitchens fired up!

Replace the bad habits you’ve picked up with your biggest dreams

If you’ve managed to stay on a well-balanced eating plan during this time then I commend you! But if you’re anything like me you might be finishing your endless days with far too much alcohol, sugar, and fill in the blank!

While wearing sweat pants all the time certainly helps hide the indiscretions, after a while, we will all have to go back to society and face the mirror once again. Will you like what you see? Here is a tested, step-by-step way to make sure you do!

And if all else fails!

Do something physical! When those cravings for that bottle of Jack hit and it’s only 10 a.m. just get down and do 10 pushups! If you’re finishing off a bag of chips and reaching for your second, put on a 10-minute yoga practice (Amazon and YouTube have awesome freebies). Lastly, if the cravings are so loud that you can’t silence them, lock yourself in a closet and do some deep breathing and meditation.

Take a Class

One of the best things I’ve done in the last few weeks has been to sign up for a course that I can log into every day. I try to do it around the same time so without meaning to I’ve added a dose of regulation to the monotony. Here are a few of my favorite resources:

• Udemy: This is an online platform with over 100,000 courses created by “professionals” who are willing to take the time to share what they know. I use quotations because you don’t need any credentials to create a course, but you can trust user ratings if you’re on the fence about a particular class. It’s a great place to learn something new without spending too much money and until April 14th most of the courses are $10.99!
• Masterclass: This App offers the chance to learn from the masters in their craft and the average lesson is less than 20 minutes! Lessons include Storytelling with David Sedaris; Interior Design with Kelly Wearstler (great for those of us not leaving the house); Cooking with Thomas Keller; and many more. Right now they are offering a special $180 price for the year for 2 people, so grab a study buddy and get learning.
• Hayhouse: Anyone interested in doing some soul work should check out Hayhouse for an array of spiritual development classes like Learning to Love Yourself; Reiki; Feng Shui made Easy; and more. Sign up for their emails and you’ll have access to FREE class offers as well.
• The Library: Although the library might be closed, online school is still in session. All you need is a library card to sign up for FREE classes like Business; Writing; Foreign Languages; and Brain-Building Techniques. You might just emerge with a brand new career focus.

Closing Thoughts

It might sound “Pollyanna” of me, but I do believe with a little extra focus that we could all actually come out this COVID-19 quarantine better humans. It’s forcing our entire society to take a huge collective pause. So after we’re all done holding our breath together, maybe we can exhale as one.

Did you find some calm with these Feed your Soul while under COVID-19 Quarantine tips? Spread the love and pin the images below.