Whether you’re in Colorado, Louisiana, New York or some other part of the country, you’re either in lockdown, slowdown or wind-down and you’re likely trying to cope with a new, temporary normal.
Like most of you, we aren’t getting out much, except for a long walk to the mail box or a once-a-week trip to the grocery store. I mean, when you have to go to the closet to decide what to wear to take the trash to the street, you know you’re in trouble!
So how do you stay sane when cabin fever sets in? Here are a few things that can make your day go better. They aren’t necessarily deeply insightful, but they’ll get you through and help you cope with the stay-at-home antidote for the virus confinement.
- Get up, get dressed, have breakfast and prepare for the day.
Many people stay in their PJs, slippers socks and sweat pants until noon. And, they obviously haven’t looked in a mirror. How do I know? Well, no, I haven’t been to Walmart this week, but I have looked at Facebook once or twice. The things some people post.
Come on folks, perhaps no one else will notice, but get up, enjoy your coffee, read the morning news — whatever you regular morning ritual is — but then, get ready for the day. Indeed, it will make your day.
Consider this video from U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven. There’s truth in it!
2. Do something for someone else.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. You can’t bake a cake and take it to someone’s home and you probably shouldn’t be having folks over to your house for game night. But, you can do something.
Be creative.
Make a phone call to someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Write a letter to someone. )Remember letters? We used to send them in the mail all the time!) Family. Friend. An elderly person who can’t get out even for church or the beauty shop. Check on a co-worker you haven’t seen in several days.
Do something unusual. Elizabeth is making masks for first responders to use because of the shortage. Two of our kids have offered to go grocery shopping for elderly people. Others are putting together Facebook concerts to connect people.
Maybe you can’t sing and maybe you can’t sew, but you can do something. What is it?
Remember:
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
3. Find something productive to do.
Don’t get bogged down on Facebook, with television or other things that will sap your energy, distract or consume you. If you’re not careful, you’ll look at the clock at 2 in the afternoon and wonder where your day went!
Don’t ask time where it went, tell it where to go! Use it to your advantage.
Go for a walk, read a good book, exercise, plant some flowers, clean out the garage. You know, all the things you said you’d do if you just had the time. Guess what?
Honestly, it’s a good time — appropriate time — to do a little Bible reading, perhaps a little journal of your experiences during these unusual times.
In other words, live, don’t just exist. Don’t float and coast through the next several weeks. Do something intentional, with purpose and direction.
To paraphrase the great Mark Twain:
“Two months from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.“
Finally, stay positive. Keep a good thought. Always see the sunshine in the shadows, look for the good and not the bad. Don’t overthink. Don’t dwell on the negative.
And when you run out of rope, tie a knot at the end and hang on!