How to Stay Sane During a Global Pandemic
So you’re stuck at home. Everything’s closed including the schools, so – guess what? – it’s just you (and hubby) and the grandkids with nowhere to go for the foreseeable future. You could panic. (Not good!) You could wring your hands and moan and groan. (Also not good.) You could bury yourself in the couch and watch Netflix all day. (Not very practical – what havoc are the grands up to? Again not good.)
OR – you could view this time as AN OPPORTUNITY! Because what DO you have? TIME!! That’s right – you have your family and time (lots of it). Time to spend with family. Time to tackle projects you never seem to get to when life is “normal”. Time even to work on that big dream you have (that novel!).
First of all, don’t panic. In a world that feels alarmingly out of control right now, focus on controlling what you CAN control. Your attitude and your time. Breathe. Focus on your family. Limit your exposure to the news. I admit I check the stats every day for our particular county and sometimes our state, but I only do this once a day in the afternoon which is when the numbers are posted. To be honest, this helps me feel in control. I check the county site and then move on. The rest of the day, I focus on our activities for the day.
Secondly, stay healthy. I know your usual schedule is completely out the window now (mine is!), but now is not the time to stop your exercise routine. Or increase your consumption of junk food. I admit I’ve done both. But now it’s time to create a new exercise plan. This one can include members of your family! Up until recently I’ve exercised after I’ve put the grand on the bus just before getting ready for work. Now – no school, no work. So I think I’ll schedule a walk just before lunchtime and ask Evie to walk with me. (I’ll let you know how it goes.) And, obviously, I need to reassess my eating habits. Part of it is stress eating, but part of it is just bad habits. Current plan – cutting up fruit and veggies and putting them within easy reach. Got to model for the granddaughter!
Third, make the MOST of your time! Plan family projects. Pull out the board games. Go for a walk together (see above). Can’t go outside? Put on upbeat music and dance together. Cook together. Carve out a campsite in your backyard! (Yup. Hubby and Evie did that.) Read to each other. Color together. Now is an awesome chance for quality AND quantity time!
Tackle a household project you’ve been meaning to get to – that garage that needs organizing, that sewing project that’s been in the back of your mind. Defrost the freezer anyone? This would be a great time to organize a space for the grandkids’ craft shelves. Don’t have craft shelves? Now’s the time to designate a place! Clear off a shelf and load it up with paper. Stuff crayons or colored pencils (or #2 pencils and ballpoint pens, whatever you got) and scissors into cups. Add some glue or tape. Give them a clear space on a flat surface and you’ve got an arts and crafts area!
Start on your dream project. Begin that novel, create that masterpiece, launch that online business. Don’t know where to start? Google it! Check out your library’s online resources. Research. Take notes. Outline a plan. Indentify your first step and then take it! And then the next step and the next. Just think – not only are we going to survive this craziness, we’re going to come out of it ahead of the game.
It’s your choice, you know. The world has slipped sideways and we’re suddenly living in a science fiction movie. Things can feel so out of control. But you can choose. You can choose to stay sane, stay healthy, and make the most of this precious opportunity of time you’ve been given. Let’s do this!