50 Fun Ways To Improve Your Life While Social Distancing At Home During Coronavirus
Don't waste this gift of time.
by ba tik from pexels How many times have you said to yourself, "I wish I lived on a deserted island so I could get things done?" Well, quite possibly, the universe is offering us all that time to slow down during this period of pandemic and quarantine due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
This is a chance to reset your self-care, calm down your stress, and balance your mental health while you're in isolation and enduring social distance.
Time is the most precious commodity you have.
And what you do with it is super important.
Right now, social responsibility means staying put and not being on the go. It’s a perfect time to do those activities you've been meaning to accomplish.
COVID-19 has changed your relationship with the world, at least for a short time. And perhaps some of these changes will give you a chance to slow down a bit and put your social isolation to good use.
Anxiety shows up in huge ways.
Whether the news worries you or your fears about catching COVID-19 do, you're likely creating a narrative of fear.
To be clear, the concern is real and valid. But what you do with your concern makes a difference.
Continue to take time to wash your hands, limit your social exposure, and stay healthy.
But also take the time to reassess how you're viewing things.
What projects have you set to the side that you now have time to accomplish? Quite possibly, it’s time to create a new healthy habit.
I'm not saying don’t honor your concerns or sadness about this pandemic. But do that and add forward direction to your self-talk.
Sitting in the fear or sadness will hardwire it into your mind. Instead, notice your anxiety, breathe through it, and shift your attention to something more beneficial.
Here are 50 fun ways to improve your life while you're practicing social distancing at home due to COVID-19.
1. Get creative.
Do art, refinish furniture, start painting, write poetry, build a chicken coop, develop a new cat toy, or paint tree stumps.
Spend time on Pinterest and see what supplies you have and what you can do with them. Do anything creative that you already enjoy doing.
2. Learn something new.
Language, music, cooking, sewing, knitting.
Learn to draw or paint, groom your dog — whatever that thing is you haven’t had time for, YouTube probably has a video tutorial.
3. Explore online professional development.
There are many options: Coursera, Khan Academy, Udemy, Lynda, or any online learning site (free or free access from your local library).
Maybe pay a small amount and get a certificate at Udacity and learn a skill.
4. Catch up on all those podcast episodes you have on your list.
5. Listen to new music.
Challenge yourself to find one new musician or group each day that you like or love.
6. Learn a new dance that strikes your fancy.
7. Make cards for all the holidays.
8. Write letters to loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you.
9. Read those books you've been waiting to read.
10. Write that book you have been procrastinating on.
11. Develop an online business.
Sit with what you love to do that you could do from home, come up with a name, see what URLs are available, write a business plan, see the gaps in the market, determine your product, create a logo, and get busy.
12. Turn a closet into a workspace or carve out an area for your business.
13. Open an Etsy store to sell your fabulous creations.
14. Make a vision board.
Areas to include are your personal life, family life, career goals, and aspirations.
Take the time to make this board something you want to hang up to remind and guide you.
15. Begin a blog and write some articles.
16. Take a good look at your to-do list and re-organize it for success.
Put the fun activities between the not-so-fun activities.
17. Choose two things off your to-do list, one fun and one you need to do.
Now get them done. Scratch them off your list and go to the next two.
18. Look at your paperwork.
Maybe you have a bunch of financial or other documents that you need to scan or file. Perhaps it’s time to shred all the paperwork you don’t want to trash, but don’t need to keep.
19. Plan and start a garden.
20. Rearrange your furniture.
This is an excellent time to change up your space.
21. Marie Kondo your life.
Let go of everything that doesn’t “spark joy.”
22. Go through your garage or storage areas.
See what old stuff you aren’t using that could be turned into something new or repurpose what you already have.
23. Do that house project.
Hang pictures, refinish your floors, paint your walls, or whatever tickles your fancy.
24. Host a Zoom or Skype dinner party with friends.
25. Spend "virtual" time with friends.
Do art or cook together and connect over your laptop, tablet, or phone.
26. Have a movie night with your friends.
Watch the same movie at the same time with the phone line open so that you can chat.
27. Play online games and connect with folks virtually.
28. Take time to play with your kids.
Build a blanket fort and make it more than a one-night event. Do a puzzle, or teach your kids to cook, or anything else that might be fun.
29. Make up a game to play.
Challenge yourself to draft rules, play, and adjust as you go.
30. Read books as a family.
31. Train your pet to do tricks.
32. Throw an indoor picnic.
33. Find some crafty activities to do with your kids.
Make coasters or do science experiments.
34. Make a movie or direct a cooking show.
You can do this on your smartphone, using your family as actors and participants. Or do it solo!
35. Catch up on all those movies you want to see, or re-watch all the ones you haven’t seen in a long while.
36. Discover your new favorite comedian.
37. Gather and share funny memes.
Laughter is still the best medicine!
38. Figure out how to make your favorite junk food at home.
39. Do a spa day.
Give yourself a facial, mani/pedi, take a bubble bath, etc.
40. Make beauty treatments at home.
Use things like salt, honey, sugar, olive oil, oats, witch hazel, and green tea. Many things you have on hand can make lovely natural beauty treatments. Do a Google search for recipes.
41. Practice your mindfulness tools.
Make sure to take multiple two-minute breathing meditations throughout the day.
42. Take up a meditative hobby.
Learn yoga, Tai Chi, or Qigong, or discover the mindfulness of making bread, knitting, or whatever you already enjoy doing.
43. Develop a personal mantra for self-calming.
44. Sit and observe your mind.
Watch it flit from thought to thought and practice bringing it back to balance.
45. Go for walks outside in open spaces to get fresh air.
If that won’t work, go for a sightseeing drive. Get out of your house in safe ways!
46. Think of one or two new habits you have wanted to create and take the time to practice them.
47. Start a gratitude journal.
48. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep.
49. Craft a bedtime ritual that will help you go to bed easily.
50. Don't squander your gift of time!
In times of turmoil, it's easy to lose focus. Limit your amount of fear focus.
Be smart, stay aware, and slow down how much news you gather and simmer in. Decide what a healthy daily ration of crisis is right for you. You might need 30 minutes a day, or one to two hours.
Decide what you need and stick to that limit. Then shift your attention to things you've been putting off or haven’t had time for.
While this is a challenging time, it’s also a time of opportunity. You get to choose how you navigate it. Life is rarely black and white; with every bad comes the good.
There are opportunities throughout this experience, and you can learn to manage your fears and practice self-care.
At the end of the day, take the time to explore how you want to move forward within this changing world.
Don’t get too wrapped up in all-or-nothing thinking. Look for places you have power and get busy focusing on improving your life.
Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC is a clinical social worker, a Whole Life executive coach, and the author of "StoryJacking: Change Your Inner Dialogue, Transform Your Life." To learn more about how she can help you, visit her website to schedule your complimentary introductory session.