As a crafty/DIY-type of introvert with more unfinished projects than time to do them all, there are some aspects of this “Shelter-In-Place” and Social Distancing-thing that make me want to just say, “Hey, welcome to my world everybody!”
But then there are the overwhelmingly serious aspects of this situation… and then there are The Fears… The Uncertainty... The Isolation... The Horrid Media Coverage... The Stats... UGH. And while I rejoice that some restrictions may be lifting soon, the weirdness will continue for quite some time.
I don't know about you, but I need to focus on positive things to keep my mood from spiraling. Lately that's a real challenge. So, while boredom is not in my vocabulary even in the best of times, I made a list of things to work off of when I do lose focus (or start to focus on the cruddy stuff). Plus making lists calms me.
My Big Fluid List of Possible Things to Do During the Lockdown (in no particular order)
Practice my penmanship
Go for a walk in my neighborhood
Embroider something
Putter in the garden
Re-read a favorite book or two (or three...)
Make a dent in my craft supplies
Start a new art journal/work in my "altered book"
Write “morning pages”
De-clutter a closet/dresser/room
Watch movies and TV shows that make me feel good/laugh
Listen to old radio shows (online/streaming)
Mend stuff
Play board games/card games
Organize/purge my digital photos
Make music playlists (I can kill a ton of time this way)
Rearrange the furniture
Do a real Spring Clean
Make meal plans
Clean out my fountain pens
Write letters and cards to friends/family
Bake and cook (even more) stuff from scratch
Practice “belly breathing”
I've been staying off the internet/TV/social media for the majority of each day. It really only takes a few minutes to get what little important info there is (the rest of it is just a depressing rabbit hole).
The main thing right now is to take care of ourselves: mind, body, and soul. Sometimes that might mean watching cat videos all morning in pajamas and eating ice cream straight from the carton. But only sometimes.
What’s on your list? What have you been doing to keep happy and healthy lately?
—Steph
Amen Sista! I find myself cooking a lot more...and doing dishes a lot more (grrrr). Fortunately, I have my favorite hobby which is genealogy research and my professional dental continuing education classes online (new format and free yay) and then there is always my least favorite game called Grocery Roulette. Finding groceries, good groceries, at a good price and quality is a new challenge and hit or miss. Looking forward to things normalizing a bit again. I need to exercise more...tomorrow maybe ;-) Stay well.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the dishes! With 4 of us in the house I come out of my "office" to find a pile of dishes in the kitchen that was clean just hours before...yet no ones ever around!
ReplyDeleteYes! Piles of dirty dishes are the unfortunate consequence of home cooking that no one ever warns you about :) They're also a sign that you ate pretty well and saved some cash too. How's that for a positive spin?
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