HOW TO THRIVE WHILE SHELTER IN PLACE
by Marianne Vernacchia on 04/09/20
Our world has shut down, and day to day activities and routines have changed if not disappeared. As creatures of habit, we thrive when we have a sense of purpose, routine and control. Here is a list of tips to help you establish new equilibrium and make the most of sheltering in place.
ROUTINE AND STRUCTURE: The normal rhythms of our day are now disrupted. It is time to get creative, as we restructure our day. Structure and routine are essential. It is possible to still maintain an order and purpose to our days by building in exercise, socializing (online or via phone), work, entertainment, and household chores. Divide your days into time periods for each activity. Shower/bathe, get dressed in fresh clothing, interact with others via internet or phone, and walk/exercise every day.
GET PRODUCTIVE AT HOME: Having a goal each day, tasks to focus on, and feeling productive are all ways to help build a sense of purpose and normalcy to families or individuals during “sheltering-in-place”. For those of you who like to feel productive in a tangible way or those who like to complete tasks – here is a list of possibilities:
Organize – tackle organizing one room at a time, or clean/organize a garage, shed or workspace
Clean – Now is a great time to do a deep cleaning of your home. Tackle the garage or basement or attic and sheds. Get on top of your finances by creating a budget – start a spreadsheet or use a template and make a financial plan.
Paint– Touch up dirty walls, stored paint in the garage can even work for an accent wall
Garden – work a little bit every day, loosening soil, creating new beds, divide indoor or outdoor plants and replant in places you’d like, weed, or clean up and prepare patio or outdoor gardens for a beautiful, enjoyable spring that you can enjoy at home.
Redecorate – rearrange furniture, redecorate a bedroom, move things around. Create a pleasant work space if you’re working from home.
Get crafty – sketch or paint objects in your home (meditative and focused and occupies your brain), paint downloaded pics from internet or whatever comes to mind. Sew – whether you have a machine or by hand (fix holes in your favorite clothing, try your hand at hand-stitching or embroidery. Try cutting out and sewing together old pieces of clothing or sheets to make a quilt. Knit/crochet – lots of tutorials online. Learn how to build or work with wood – whittling, carving or building also keeps your mind occupied and is a tangible challenge. Resurfacing/painting furniture, give small items in your home a face-lift.
Learn something new – Many museums like the Louvre in France have online tours. Monterey Aquarium and the San Diego Zoo have zoo cams and tours available online too. Visit Groupon for virtual classes like interior design. There are literally thousands of brief online tutorials and full, comprehensive classes like coding classes, computer programming and even the Master’s series by celebrities are all available for purchase online. PBS and PBS online has many activities and classes online as well. Yellowstone has a wonderful virtual tour and not only teaches you about the environment, but is amazingly beautiful!
Games – Teach your family a new card game, order a puzzle, practice Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Apps like “elevate” can offer brain exercises to keep your brain tuned up. Adult coloring books can be meditative and calming.
Baking and Cooking – Bake your own bread, can vegetables or fruit, make and freeze soups and sauces. Involve children in making dinner each night.
Exercise – Yoga, Zumba, Dance classes (line dancing anyone?) or HIT workouts are all available via apps or online video/Netflix. Set a time for this each day. Invite family to dance together. Have a dance contest. Orange Theory and Planet Fitness online are offering daily classes. Take a break from working at home and try a new way of getting active.
Other ideas – Learn a new instrument. Order a recorder or ukulele online and begin teaching yourself using tutorials. Scrapbook or Shutterfly offer great projects for organizing and making photo albums with pictures.
©2020, Marianne T. Vernacchia MA
MFT#35980
www.sanjosetherapyworks.com
