Finding Simple Pleasures While Staying Home

If you are hunkering down during this coronavirus outbreak, you are probably looking for ways to pass the time while staying home. On top of the many worries and uncertainty of the situation, it can be overwhelming to have a routine evaporate, leaving you with long days of unstructured time. When a crisis strikes, returning to basic, familiar rituals and creative outlets can help you feel empowered and in control. Here are a few ways to make the most of being temporarily homebound.

Sift Through Your Old Recipes

Do you have family recipes from the pre-digital age, when your mom, a friend or you jotted them down by hand? If so, this is a great time to go through them and give them a place of honor. Put them in a binder, make an old fashioned scrapbook or scan them to preserve them. If your pantry is well-stocked, try recreating a few old favorites while you have some time on your hands. If you’re missing a few ingredients, research substitutions or make a mental note to cook or bake them in the near future.

Read a Book

Just because you’re staying home does not mean you need to be glued to the television. Turn off Netflix, HBO or Hulu and find a good book. Reading is good for the brain and you probably have at least a few half-read books on your shelf to choose from. Audiobooks count too, so find a great one to listen to as you putter around the house or soak in the bath. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Reading can take you places you have never been before.”

Picture This

Spend some time looking through old family photo albums. This is especially fun to do with kids (bonus: they will enjoy laughing at your clothes and hair). Better yet, locate your most recent pictures from iCloud and organize them into an album. Many services will create prints from your uploaded photos and send them right to your mailbox (or even turn them into a digital scrapbook that you create online). Photos are energizing mood-boosters and great reminders of special times. Chronicle your current adventures by taking a few pictures of this recent experience and how you are all spending your days. One day you will look back at this moment and remember the happy memories you made with the kids despite the unfortunate circumstances which forced you to shelter together.

Journal

You probably have at least one journal lying around that you started with good intentions but abandoned. Find one with plenty of blank pages. Journals are a place for everything from daily entries to doodling, meal plans, listing goals, capturing favorite quotes and making to-do lists. There are so many great journaling resources online to inspire you and best of all, the act of collecting thoughts is therapeutic.

Get Creative

People often make big plans to embark on a craft project or learn something new like how to crochet or play the guitar—and then just as quickly forget them when real life interferes. If this is you, dig up the pieces of your ambitious dreams and look up a YouTube video for beginners. Spend some time cultivating a new hobby. Creativity is a balm for the soul, and creating something – anything – makes you feel alive.

If you’re already a cook, challenge yourself to come up with meals using ingredients you have on hand. If you’re an aspiring cook, look online to find pantry-friendly meals using items you probably have in your cupboard or freezer. Plan out your next few days of meals and make a list for the next time you venture out to the store.

Organize Your Life

While many people dread the task of going through an overstuffed, out-of-control closet, there’s nothing like the satisfaction of taming clutter. If nothing else, you’ll gain a sense of control over your own destiny. Creating order and clearing space for yourself is a spirit elevator. This is the time to tackle projects you seem to have put off for several years. How many cans have expired in your cabinet? How many shoes need to be shined or re-souled? Do you really need all of those old sheets and linens? Clean and purge. You will feel lighter.

Travel in Your Dreams

Get online and take a few virtual tours. Travel from the comfort of your living room. Experience the sights and sounds of some of your favorite places or those you have always wanted to visit. Research customs, cultures and native foods. Learn the language and broaden your views while you have time to spare.

Reconnect

Go through your old address book or your current contact list and make a note of who you have lost touch, and with whom you would like to reconnect. Find your old friends online or surprise them by mailing a hand-written note. Look them up on Facebook or follow them on Instagram. In today’s world, it’s not difficult to locate a lost connection.

Finally, remember this hiatus will not last forever. While we are all practicing social separation for the safety of self and others, take time to nurture yourself and those you are sharing space with during this time.

You may also like Staying Connected While Social Distancing. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on The Huffington Post, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest,  Instagram and Twitter.