We are all in this together. Isolation isn’t for the faint of heart. There are certain people that are rocking this, and some who are struggling. What some think of as isolation, others think of as down time. Introverts, and ambiverts alike are going to find this much, much easier, than extroverts, who need people in their lives. We all need that face to face time with our friends and loved ones, but some need it more than others. In the mean time, though, we can take a leaf out the book of introverts, and use our quarantine time to better ourselves. Here’s a few ideas to help you get started:
Stay Connected.
Video chatting is the best way to feel as though you’ve actually spent time with the people that you miss. There’s so many ways to do this, from the camera on your phone to Zoom, Facetime, and even all the way back to Skype. Any of these will enable you to chat with people in a face to face manner, that will keep you connected to those who matter. It helps immensely that the schools have gone online, to helps kids and parents stay connected to their school families and friends. Props to all of the teachers who have pulled this together out of thin air. Homeschooling is hard. Fun, but hard. Some are going to love it, and some are going to hate it. The key to excelling at it, is to stay connected, and thankfully that it easy to do with the various apps available today.
Do Something You Suck At.
No, seriously. Revisit something that you have tried and failed at, this time without the idea of mastery in your head. Just shoot for gradual improvement, without judging yourself, along the way. I really, really suck at painting. I wish I didn’t, but I do. I enjoy dabbling with it, anyway, and learning how to improve. Take a course online, if you can afford it, and learn from someone new. This helps you improve your craft, while helping someone working from home make a little extra cash to get through this difficult period. If you cannot afford a class, find a new You-tuber to follow, who will teach you a little bit about your subject, for free. You are still supporting work from homers, while improving your self. Everybody wins.
Drink Less Coffee.
If you are feeling anxious through this quarantine, too much coffee is only going to exacerbate the problem. Try herbal tea instead. You can grow your own herbs, make your own blends, forage for them, whatever. I buy my dried herbs for teamaking through mountainroseherbs.com. Try switching out two cups of coffee a day for herbal teas or green tea. You will come out of this quarantine with a stronger constitution, and super glowy skin.
Grow Something.
With all of this uncertainty surrounding our food supply, right now, it just makes good sense to start taking responsibility for some of your own food. Even if your don’t have tons of space to work with you can still help out your own kitchen by planting some greens and tomatoes in pots, and filling your windowsills with fresh herbs. You can get your supplies delivered through amazon.com and start small, at first. If you have the extra space and funds, start a few flowers as well. As these weeks drag on, a splash color indoors might be just what you need to stay positive through it all.
Smudge Your Home
No, really. Hear me out. I know, you might think it’s woo-woo, but the benefits of smudging your home are proven. Cleansing the air with sage, lavender, palo santo, will improve the feel of your home, ridding the air of negativity, leaving a feeling of well-being in it’s place. If you are feeling stressed out, and anxious, or stuck in a place of unknowing, try smudging your space to help you move forward with a positive mental attitude. (Be prepared for a few 420 jokes from your kids though.) You can make your own smudge sticks with sage, lavender, even pine; or you can purchase them on etsy.com.
This is how we store ours at home:
Order Wine Delivery
You can get $20 off your first box of wine at Winc.com right now. They will tailor your wine choices to your taste preferences, and ship it straight to your door. Who doesn’t need that in these trying times? There are plenty of other wine delivery services and wine clubs to choose from, as well, such as Firstleaf, Martha Stewart Wines and revel.com If you don’t want to risk braving the stores for wine, this is a great option.
Plan a Small Easter Dinner With Your Quarantine Crew.
Everybody’s Easter plans are probably going to look different this year. We usually have dinner with my parents, and my sister’s family if we are in the same city. This year it’s just us. We have a big family, so the food won’t look that different for us. Ham, potatoes, corn, pea salad. and dessert, of course. We will have really small baskets this year, and much of what they get will be made, courtesy of yours truly, not the typical mass of store bought candy. We haven’t done much of that since the boys were small. We usually get experience tickets for the kids. We won’t be doing that right now, so how are we going to make it fun? I have no idea. Egg hunt? Maybe. Decorate a bit? Definitely. We’ll try to keep it festive without being over the top. If you know me, you know that this is my struggle. Wish me luck.
Plan your Post Quarantine Vacation.
When we all bust outta here, we are going to have to go somewhere. At least for a few days. But many of us could be in dire straits, financially speaking. If you can budget in travel, keep it reasonable. Now is not the time to book a 2 week trip to Bora Bora. (Unless you can afford it… Lucky.) A camping trip, somewhere close. A run to the nearest beach. Whatever makes you feel like you had a break. Plan it now. Don’t set dates yet, just everything else. Pick the spot. Figure out how to pay for it.. Plan what to take, wear, etc. As soon as travel is possible book your trip and go. It will give you something to look forward to, and work on, instead of feeling trapped you will feel anticipation, and excitement. It could make a huge difference.
I hope these ideas helped you out, even a little. If you have great ideas to help people through this quarantine, we would love to hear them. Feel free to leave them in the comments or on instagram. Thanks for reading!
