Though it may not seem like it, there are blessings to be discovered during this pandemic. Consider time, a precious commodity of modern living. It’s a little more abundant right now.
But the temptation to squander it is strong. The lure of the bed, of staying in your pajamas, of binge-watching three seasons of Ozark on Netflix is unmistakable. Resist this insidious slippery slope to slothdom. Structure your day. Structure doesn’t have to be sitting behind a desk from 9 to 5. Those working from home while doing double duty as their children’s teachers understand this all too well.
Still, maintaining a semblance of normalcy, albeit a new normal, does wonders for your sanity. So here are 5 simple activities to save your sanity during quarantine when you are not searching for your next home.
- Get outside. Holing up in your house with your equally stressed out spouse (Would it kill him to throw away the empty yogurt container? Does she have to leave every purse she owns in the front foyer for me to trip over?) and juice-fueled children isn’t doing anyone any good. Take a walk. Playgrounds are closed but paths are open. Go for a hike and enjoy nature’s awakening from winter. Bike one of the numerous trails in the city. Pretend you are in the Old Market (or hell, let’s go big, Paris) and dine alfresco. And for those times you have to work, there’s no law that says you have to do it from the dining room table. Grab your computer and a cool drink and head outside.
- Try a new form of exercise. There are countless free yoga videos just a mouse click away – with the added bonus of practicing in your PJs! The same holds true for aerobics, only you’ll have to put on your exercise shoes. Ditto for weight training. Gotta love YouTube! Need a little zen in your life? Try tai chi.
- Get creative in the kitchen. Commit to cooking with the seasons. You know, asparagus and salmon in spring, produce-inspired salads in summer, apple desserts and squash soups come fall, and roasts and yeast breads during winter. Learn how to bake a pie. It’s really a lot easier than it looks. There’s a world of vegetables out there to explore. Try something beyond corn. (Them’s fightin’ words in Nebraska, we know). Breakfast is good any time of the day. Try your hand at quiche, an egg casserole, or mimosas, because, why not!
- Pick up a book. Not a Nook, a Kindle or an iPad. This is radical, but the pleasures of the page are just what we need to counteract all the screen time our poor eyes endure. And ditch dark topics right now. Opt for books that open up your perspective in this hemmed-in world. Travel vicariously to faraway places. Time travel to a different historical period. Become a sleuth in a detective fiction. Or experience romance in the pages of a bodice ripper in a time when actual hugging is verboten.
- Connect in ways you haven’t before. Write a letter to faraway friends or family members, especially ones experiencing the horrors of COVID-19 in their city. Don’t you like it when you open the post and see something other than a bill or a political ad (but not a real estate flyer)? Teach your child to cook a family recipe, like Grandma Violet’s sugar cookies or Aunt Ruby’s chicken soup. Give Yatzee a break and learn a new card game with your kids or challenge them to a Wii bowling match. Host a family dinner party via Zoom and include your siblings in other states. You may not be able to share a bottle of wine with your friends at a local cafe, but you can enjoy a cocktail virtually with your pals. Courtesy of Zoom once again, connect with your kwELITE agent and tour a home virtually.
Who knows? Maybe some of these sanity savers will endure long after the haze called COVID-19 lifts. Because if we’re honest, we can’t blame all our insanity on coronavirus.
