The entire world is united right now, but sadly, not for a good reason:
We’re united in efforts to stop the spread of CoronaVirus, or COVID-19.
This is a life-or-death situation that is touching each and every one of us, in different ways, but one thing is the same for all of us:
Human contact is dangerous. We are all advised to practice what is now called, “social distancing”.
What was once social time, either at work or with family and friends, is now time spent in isolation for many of us. We’re on our own, in our homes, away from crowds and public places. So, whether we like it or not, we have time – time we didn’t expect to have – time we often WISH we had, but now that we have it, for this unexpected reason at this unexpected time, it can be so jarring that we actually don’t know what in the world to do with ourselves.
All of this is normal and it IS to be expected. Whenever our lives are suddenly derailed, it’s difficult to find our footing again. It takes some time to catch our breath and think clearly about what to do next.
In such a situation, it’s often helpful to have some guidance — some help in identifying the possibilities so that we can more easily decide on our next steps.
To that end, here’s a list of some things you can do with this extra and unexpected time:
Appreciate – express your gratitude!
Now is the time to look at all our blessings.
- Look around you in a detailed way, really noticing all you have in your life.
- Express thanks for everything from the roof over your head, to your fridge, to your loved ones to your pets. Expressing gratitude for the little, mundane, obvious, and things we usually take for granted often helps us to realize that, however uncomfortable, uncertain and/or inconvenient life can sometimes be, we ALL have so much to be thankful for.
Connect — with family, friends, and yourself!
- Reach out to your long-lost friends who live far away, your distant family, or your closest friends. We may not be able to be with them, but we still have our devices, and we can contact them in so many ways and enjoy deep and meaningful conversations.
- Revive the fine “old” art of letter-writing! In the past, letter writing truly was an art, and people not only wrote beautifully (in terms of their penmanship), but they would sometimes decorate their letters beautifully, creating special cherished keepsakes.
- Get re-acquainted with yourself! Use the moment to do some meditations. Perhaps it’s time to get started on that goal of spending 5 minutes a day turning it all off and tuning inward. So many scholars and super successful people claim that this is the root of all that’s good in their lives. And a longer guided meditation can be a wonderful way to not only refresh you but also to help diffuse the stress you may be experiencing from this situation.
Create – get your craft capacity going!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got no shortage of projects hanging around the house just waiting to be picked back up.
- Maybe you started knitting a winter scarf but ran out of yarn?
- Did you start writing your life story only to get distracted by a new job?
- Do you have things sitting in your sewing basket, waiting to be mended or transformed?
- Maybe you have clothes you might like better if they were a different color? Get that Rit dye out!
- Are you due for a new Vision Board? Now’s the time to create it!
Learn – things you’ve been wondering about!
This is a great opportunity for…
- Starting a course or finishing the one you purchased but never got completely through.
- Reading or listening to that book you know will help you to start your dream business or to take your existing business or side hustle to a new level.
- Discovering some podcasts that speak to you and the things you’re needing right now in your life.
- Finally learning that language that’s been on your bucket list for years.
Organize – your closets, your cupboards, your drawers, your desk!
- Cleaning out your home brings a sense of accomplishment and comfort.
- Some people are more harshly affected by our current conditions than others. Take this opportunity to gather things to donate to those who need them.
- Clearing clutter opens up energy for bringing new, positive things into your life.
- Finding lost items is one more perk of this process.
Plan – something to look forward to!
- Travel WILL come back. Why not be ready? Figure out where you want to go and how. Leave the “when” part as loose as possible.
- Think about your future. How do you want it to look? You may have addressed this with your Vision Board (see “create”) but if not, take this moment to at least put some mental pictures to work for you. Then let the “Law of Attraction” do all the work!
- Is there something you have been wanting for a long time? Perhaps a pricey item? Use this time to figure out a plan for getting it!
Watch – all you’ve been wishing you had time to!
- Maybe a new season of a favorite show has just become available.
- Your friends have all been telling you about a film they know you’ll love, and now it’s on Netflix!
- Check out a documentary or two on the subject you’ve been learning about.
If we keep busy and use this time wisely, it’ll go much more quickly and before we realize it, things will be back to “normal” – hopefully! For now, the future remains uncertain, but these simple activities can help keep the tension of that uncertainty at bay.
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