Beat the Coronavirus blues
I know what you’re thinking, not another website talking about the Coronavirus! Fear not, you won’t find me opining about epidemiology on this website. This is just good old fashion advice on how we can all get through this better together, despite being socially isolated from our friends and family.
For most of us, this period of shut down is leading to increased time at home and time with our families. Since when was that a bad thing?! So let’s embrace this opportunity to get closer with our family and be productive. Here’s a few things we’re doing to stay healthy, productive, and engaged as a family.
Plant a garden. We actually did this a few weeks ago before social isolation became a thing, but now would be the perfect time to get started. In fact it’s only been a few weeks and our garden is already returning dividends (well, herbs at least). We just took an unused corner of our lot against the fence and dug up all the turf (even was able to reuse this in an area where grass had died) and added some nutrient rich topsoil. We decided to start with something easy and made an herb garden, but we had so much fun with that we made a second garden on the other side of the house planting tomatoes and even a small citrus tree. It was a fun project the kids have really embraced. Just a few weeks in the dill, basil, rosemary, and parsley are really taking off. We’ve already made pesto, chimichurri sauce, and an amazing “herbaceous coleslaw” with dill (recipe coming soon)! It’s an easy fun project and the skies the limit!
Learn a new skill. You’ve got the time, and The possibilities are literally endless. We set a goal for our four-year-old to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels, and for our seven-year-old to play golf. Just a few days in we are already seeing incredible progress. What a great opportunity this is to embrace new challenges and to try things you’ve always wanted to try and haven’t had the time. Have a home renovation project you want to get started on? Maybe you want to learn how to do something to increase your self-sufficiency, like learn how to hunt or fish? If this goes on for months as it’s predicted, sounds like it would be an optimal time to try and learn a new language so you’ll be ready to travel when that opportunity opens itself up again in the near future. Instead of worrying, focus on what you can do to improve yourself.
Get in better Shape. Yeah, so your gym is closed and you can’t work with your trainer anymore. Fortunately, there are Literally thousands of things you can do at home with little to no equipment and get fit. You could try yoga or dive into a squat challenge that will end with you being able to do 1000 squats in 24hrs. And the best part—you can get the whole family involved! Who wants to challenge me to a push-up contest??
No matter what you do, make sure you’re taking this seriously. If not for you and for those around you, it’s for the immunosuppressed, elderly, or otherwise more susceptible to this virus. Practice social distancing. Eat healthy, but don’t trip over yourself trying to be perfect… we don’t need you putting on the “COVID15.” You’ll be spending a lot more time indoors, but be sure to get adequate sunlight and limit screen time. Take a break from the phone and internet stories that breed panic and fear… after all the stress has been shown to weaken immune function which is the last thing you need right now. Get 8 hrs of sleep and take those vitamins. We’ll get through this together, even if we have to be apart.