Don't Stay in Your Pajamas All Day During Lockdown
Confinement has forced us to change our habits practically overnight. Our minds aren’t prepared to face an experience like this and, therefore, it can be very difficult to know just how to adjust to our new reality. But one thing is certain: staying in your pajamas all day isn’t a good idea. Today we’ll tell you why.
It’s easy to associate staying at home with a lack of routine… especially since our usual routines of working, going to school, going out to eat, etc, have all but disappeared. Just the same, in our current circumstances, it’s important to maintain whatever habits we can. Doing so will help you feel calm, safe, and secure.
Why is staying in your pajamas all day counterproductive?
Staying in your pajamas all day isn’t bad in and of itself. If you stay home one day during your normal routine and allow yourself to lounge around the house, it’s no big deal. The next day you’ll get back to your normal routine with no major consequences.
However, the confinement situation we’re currently going through is anything but habitual. Staying in your pajamas all day for weeks on end can have a negative impact on the brain. It’s like telling your brain that it’s time to sleep or not doing anything at all, day after day.
Therefore, it’s important during quarantine that we force ourselves to follow a set of habits. These routine habits will help us distinguish between different moments of the day. That way, you’ll have time to work or study, eat, exercise, rest, and also time to tend to your hygiene and physical appearance.
Dedicating time to your appearance can seem like something completely secondary during times like this. But doing so will contribute to feeling better about yourself, and that’s a very important detail.
Read also: Relaxation Techniques During the Lockdown
What routines should we maintain during lockdown to feel better about ourselves?
The routines you decide to follow during lockdown will depend greatly on what your day looks like. In any case, we should all follow the basic guidelines below:
- Shower on a daily basis. Daily washing activates our metabolism and keeps our skin and hair clear. What’s more, it helps you wake up and get going in the morning. If you prefer to shower at night, it’s also a helpful way to relax before going to sleep.
- Change your clothes. Rather than staying in your pajamas all day, it’s important to use proper clothing for each occasion, even if you’re at home. That way, you’ll send a specific message to your brain. It’s time to get to work… It’s time to exercise… Now, it’s time to rest, etc.
- Brush your hair and groom yourself. Just exactly what you do will depend on what makes you feel good. A new hairstyle, painting your nails, putting on lotion, wearing makeup, shaving… Feeling good about your physical appearance will help you feel better about things overall.
- Brush your teeth after every meal. This isn’t just a key habit when it comes to your physical health. Dental hygiene sends the message that we’re taking care of ourselves, which also boosts our mental well-being.
Keep reading: Tips for Getting Along as a Family During Lockdown
Final recommendations for the confinement period
While specific circumstances vary from place to place, we’ll all have been spending most of our time at home for about a month now. At some point, the measures will be more flexible. However, for the time being, we can expect to spend several more weeks in relative confinement.
Therefore, we need to establish new routines that are as close as possible to our normal day to day life. While there are plenty of things we can’t do, we need to take whatever steps we can to maintain normality. Self-care is extremely important, and both your body and your mind will thank you for it.
Paying attention to your physical appearance and what you wear may seem very frivolous and superficial at times like these. However, it’s a simple and effective way to practice self-love and feel good in your own skin. And, during this quarantine period, that’s one of the best messages you can send to yourself–and others.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Diener, E. & Suh, E. M. (2002). Culture and subjective wellbeing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Gómez Lillo, S. (2006). Equilibrio y organización de la rutina diaria. Revista Chilena de Terapia Ocupacional, (6), Pág. 47 – 54. doi:10.5354/0719-5346.2010.111
- Schwartzmann, L. (2003). Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud: aspectos conceptuales. Ciencia y enfermería, 9 (2), 09-21. doi: 10.4067/S0717-95532003000200002
