FRESH AIR & MOVEMENT
Even during quarantine and isolation, you need to feel the morning breeze, the afternoon sun or a stroll under starlight. We’ve been reading the articles and news posts that sunshine is a big fighter against viruses as well as keeping your mental health in check. Make sure you’re up and moving, even if it’s just a jog around the neighborhood.
If you have the means to get out onto a trail, do it! But first, make sure you check in with the safety guidelines of your area and be well-educated in avalanche safety. If that trailhead is full of cars, move onto the next one. Please stick to the less challenging hiking trails. Just because you have the skills to do something bigger, now is not the time to be showing off. Do not put yourself in a situation where you will then put a strain on our health care and first responders.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU NEED TO BE RESCUED DURING A PANDEMIC
Be responsible to yourself and your community. Don’t hang out at the trailhead before or after your outdoor adventure, leave plenty of space between cars and keep AT LEAST a six foot distance from other people. Also remember, getting outside is for you. Please keep social media away from your excursions and check your privilege at the door.
MENTAL STIMULATION
(away from your screen)
VNTRbirds has been getting through this time by adding a lot of variety to the day. We’re staying home to save lives and by following the rules, we can flatten the curve and hopefully get back to life as we know it sooner. But during the ‘down time’ find a few things to occupy your time rather than just one.
Get Creative & Crafty – bust out those old paints that have been collecting dust since that one art class you took in college. Find inspiration to doodle in a notebook. Make a hand drawn card for a friend and brighten up their quarantine. Personally, since we can’t travel or go on big adventures, I’ve been working on a cartoon strip of an adventure of my day dreams (I promise to share once it’s completed)!
Read a New Book or Magazine – Right now Outside Magazine has their yearly subscription on super sale so you can dive into adventures through each page. Or if you have the means support another women’s small business then subscribe to Sisu Magazine, from the women of Coalition Snow. Recently, VNTRbirds has devoured two novels that we would highly recommend: CIRCE and THE GENIUS OF BIRDS. Give them a try.
Morning Mantra & Daily Routine – This is probably the most difficult part about quarantine. It’s so easy to lounge in pajamas all day long countlessly clicking ‘I’m Still Watching’ on the Netflix screen, but don’t give in! Well, at least not everyday. VNTRbirds has been starting the day with our own morning mantra STAY INSPIRED. Through this we find the motivation to dress for the day, get our bodies and minds moving. We’re reading something educational, watching something humorous and making sure we aren’t in a rut.
STAY CONNECTED
Staying connected is the most important! Remember, it is no longer ‘me’ and now it’s time to focus on ‘we’. Everyone is in this together while staying six feet apart. You’ve heard the slogans, but now it’s time for some real talk. Seriously, make a list, who have you not reached out to in a while? Was it an old college friend, a co-worker who moved to a new state or extended family? Give them a call, or better yet, set up a virtual date, happy hour or yoga session. Seeing people away from whom you’re quarantined with will do both parties a lot of good. Especially, if the person you’re calling is currently in quarantine alone.
There’s also other virtual meetings you can join in on as well. On Saturday, April 4th, VNTRbirds & RMU Breck will be hosting a virtual wine and wax night with a tutorial on how to tune your gear and how to properly store it until next season. Join us!
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Now it’s time to put these new activities to use. Start now, step away from the computer or phone and go walk around the block, or pick up that novel you got for Christmas two years ago. You have some time, use it well!