I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m living in a movie. An end-of-times one where zombies pop up from behind the bushes and the only way to protect yourself is to wave toilet paper in front of their faces because they hate the idea of clean bottoms. (And that, my friends, is why all the TP in American is sold out.)
But seriously, we’re living in some crazy, unexpected times with the coronavirus pandemic. While it’s definitely important to take care of our physical health, I hope we’ll all remember to take care of our minds and hearts, too. To help with that, I want to share 9 tips for staying sane during these crazy days.
- Laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine. Look for toilet paper memes—there’s no shortage of them online. Watch funny shows. Google “Dad jokes”. Find things that tickle your funny bone.
- Recognize. Recognize that this is not a normal time. But the feelings you feel—scared, overwhelmed, unsure—are normal. Give yourself time to process those feelings.
- Create. Now’s the time to tap into your creative side. There are so many tutorials online where you can learn now to cook, draw, sing, dance, etc. Did you know there are karaoke apps, too?! Muchkin #2 and I use Karaoke by Yokee.
- Move. Take walks. Have a dance party. Use the bathroom that’s the farthest one away from you in the house. Break out the sidewalk chalk with the kiddos and play hopscotch.
- Connect. Stay in touch with friends and family. With the beauty of modern tech, we can text, call, or video chat with the touch of a button. Call up (or better yet, text) those extrovert friends of yours—you’ll make their day!
- Adjust. Adjust your expectations for what you want to get done vs. what you can get done under the circumstances. Especially if you have “coworkers” (aka. kids) who didn’t get the memo about regular work hours.
- Recharge. If you’re an introvert and especially if you’re highly sensitive and you’re dying with your whole family home sheltering-in-place (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience, lol), you must find some time alone. Get up early or stay up late. Take short breaks in the bathroom during the day. Do what you need to do to recharge.
- Accept. This is probably the hardest, but best thing you can do. Accept that your life has been put on hold indefinitely. Your routine has changed and your schedules and to-do list have gone out the window. This is our new normal … for now, but not for forever.
- Appreciate. I believe every situation, no matter how hard or dire, has its good points. One thing I appreciate about this time is the sense of solidarity people all over the world are experiencing. Regardless of where we live, we’re all going through similar struggles of keeping the kids entertained, finding ways to cook with whatever random foods we have in our freezers, and not going stir crazy at home. We’re learning to be bored again, to enjoy downtime, and to be still. We’re finding out how creative we can be and how resilient we actually are. Most of all, we’re all doing life together—in our own homes and across the internet.
And on that note, I’ll leave you with the perfect song for these interesting times: High School Musical’s “We’re All in This Together”.
What tips do you have for staying sane during these crazy days?
