How I’m Dealing With Being Stuck at Home

Thank you all so much for your kind words in response to this post! I heard from many of you and words cannot express how much that means! Thank you! There is something about the notion of us all “being in this together” that makes me feel closer than ever to those of you who read this blog. I picture everyone in their comfy clothes and blue light blocking glasses with a cup of coffee or tea looking into a screen, lol. We’re all home, now what? I know I’ve been glued to a device now more than ever. I check my news apps as well as CDC, scroll through Facebook, and check youtube for updated videos. I’m not obsessing (or maybe I am). It’s just that things change quickly and I’m trying my best to stay informed. Today, I want to share with you some of the things I’ve been doing (when I’m not searching for news updates).

THINGS I DO DAILY THAT HAVE NOT CHANGED

I believe it’s important to have as much normalcy as possible in order to not feel defeated. These are the things that I have always done each day and will continue to do going forward.

• I make the bed as soon as I get up in the morning.
• I walk through my neighborhood for about an hour each day.
• I shower, get dressed (in actual clothes that aren’t sweats or yoga pants), and put on a little makeup (mascara, browflick, and foundation). There is nothing wrong with wearing activewear! I just know that I feel better when I wear a nice top or sweater and jeans or even a dress when it’s not too cold. Makeup makes me feel pulled together too. I would do that even if I were the only one in the house. I know it’s crazy. To each her own.
• I cut fresh flowers from the yard and place them around our home. Flowers are so uplifting to me!
• It doesn’t matter the season, there is always something that needs to be done in our yard. Last week I cleaned up the edge around the hydrangea bed and freshened the pine needles. It was nice to spend the day outside.

THINGS I’M DOING DIFFERENTLY

R and I both work from home. His work requires travel, but he hasn’t been anywhere since we got back from California. And most likely will not be going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Here are a few things we are doing differently.

• We still enjoy happy hour, but instead of going out, we live stream some of our favorite local musicians who are also friends. Many of them do a happy hour show and it’s such a bright spot! We can see other friends who have tuned in and read the comments. It’s like a virtual happy hour with people we know and a few we don’t.
• I face-timed my mother for the first time last week. As much as I would love to see her in person, I know that would be a really bad choice. So for now, we are talking on the phone and hopefully face-timing more. Mom, we need to work on that camera angle though, lol.
• We are eating more carbs, bread specifically. R is on a bread-making kick and I’m gonna pay for it. My friend tells me that these are hurricane/snow storm calories and they don’t really count, haha. Here’s hoping!

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE OF NOW THAT I HAVE TIME

• I would love to read more, but have the hardest time sitting still long enough.
• This is a great time to organize junk drawers, switch out seasonal clothes, and purge.
• Something I’ve been putting off for more than a decade is our photos. It makes me anxious even thinking about opening the cabinet where they are stored!
• Also on my to-do list is cleaning all of the baseboards. I vacuum them regularly, but they need to be washed.

Now it’s your turn. Have you found new ways to get through the day?