Stay home? Everyone? And for how long?
Let’s face it. If you’re reading this post, you’ve never experienced anything like this 2020 pandemic with all the rules and restrictions, changing information and the 24/7 news cycle. It’s safe to say, you’re in good company with millions of others!
Do Social In A New Way
Diving Into The Stay Home Realities
While you may be suddenly working from home and turned into a homeschool teacher, there are realities that require you to adapt and prepare in some extraordinary ways. We get it and are living through it right there with you.
Why write this post in the midst of all this chaos? We may not be infectious disease experts, have a teaching credential, or have ever been a personal trainer – but we may be able to help.
Learning how to stay home for extended periods as telecommuters and stay-at-home moms is an art that takes time to perfect. Unfortunately, not only do we have too much time on our hands (ironically), we also do not have an adjustment period and thus not enough time to adjust. We were pushed into the deep end without our floaties. It’s okay, we are all flailing and splashing around together.
While we may not be able to anticipate all circumstances, we hope to at least provide a few pointers that may make it just a little easier.
Stay Home, But Reach Out Virtually
Stay in touch with the people you normally interact with. If it is someone is in your neighborhood, do a drive-by via your bicycle. Stay on the sidewalk but keep your distance. It’s an opportunity to trade jokes, ask if anyone needs anything, enjoy a song and a dance “together” (great options with younger kids).
We watch the news and pay attention to all the good things happening. Here are some great ideas I’ve seen for staying in touch. Admittedly, I do not use each and every one of them but the news has been full of interesting and creative ideas lately!
- How amazing is it that virtual happy hours are a thing! Who could have envisioned that? To keep it positive, try not to vent or talk only about the news. Instead of “I can’t deal with ….” perhaps ask the question, “How do you all deal with …”
- Facetime your family or friends instead of texting. Their voice, their face, even their corny jokes or laugh is what is missing these days. Get face to face even if it’s virtual.
- Send little videos for those not into social media. Getting a good morning video of our new little nephew regularly has been SUPER cool!
- If you love yoga and can’t get to class with your buddies, find a class online and do it virtually, together. If you know what you’re doing, take turns leading your own private sessions with a friend or two. This can also apply to any other exercising activities.
Stay Home While Still Reaching Out
- Cruise your immediate neighbors and just check in. You just never know what a smiling face, even from six feet away across the porch, could mean to someone struggling. Also, they may have a need that would be easy for you (or someone you know) to fulfill.
- In our house, we love fresh salsa, so once in awhile, we would make a batch. Nowadays, we are doing it almost every week and share extra with our neighbors. We have a few “spicy” friends that returned the favor and did some baking.
- If restrictions allow, host happy hour, brunch with the girls, or plan a picnic in your driveway. Keep a safe distance and everyone bring their own goodies.
Projects Aren’t Terrible While Home
Start Tackling Projects While You Stay Home
Yes. you can create a ton of to-do lists but realistically, life gets in the way of accomplishing most of them. I have found that some projects are rather mundane and should be done when in the right frame of mind. Prescriptions and that junk drawer come to mind immediately.
Other projects, have an impact on my mood and simply have to be done in the company of family or friends. Photo albums is one of those tasks I try not to do alone. I’ve lost quite a few family over the years so it can be hard. For others, it may an entirely different experience.
Redesign Your Space
- Have you always wanted to paint the living room or learn how to hang wallpaper for your bathroom? What better time to make a change!
- Rearrange or replace furniture for an instant refresh!
Organizational Ideas To Get Started
- Prescriptions! Sort them out and take expired medicines to an appropriate drop off. Depending on your area, drop off locations could include the local sheriff’s office or the neighborhood pharmacy.
- Deal with that elusive junk drawer we all have and clear it out. There is so much satisfaction in purging unnecessary trinkets and trash.
- Email, Ugh!!! Clear it out, unsubscribe to everything you never, ever look at. The upside is that you make for for what’s important. We know schools and work are sending far more communications than ever before.
- Do you or your spouse keep paperwork for far too long? Start shredding or throw it in a backyard bonfire (if you have a fire pit). You can even digitize a portion to declutter.
- Most of you have heard of the Marie Kondo series on Netflix. Give her series a watch and see if you’re ready to “tidy” a closet or two!
Stay Home But Get The Family Involved
- Organize those photo albums, scan photos that are fading, start sharing them with friends and family.
- Gather up the recipes from the rest of the family. You can even focus on the ones that are always prepared for family gatherings. Create a family cookbook with pictures of the dish but also the family member that contributed that particular recipe. It’s a keepsake worth remembering during a stressful time.
Get Outside While You Stay Home
I don’t care who you are! Without sun, wind, rain, snow or just nature in general, you will suffer. As human beings, we were meant to be a part of this world in the most basic of ways.
Now, I know in most ways, Californians are blessed with a “sunny” climate but even if you’re in a cold, dreary region, fresh air will alter your day. Deep breathing and outside air is good for you! It’s also completely free, while therapists are far more pricey.
Outdoor Ideas Away From Home, Even With Restrictions
All kidding aside, here are a few ideas to get you started. First, if you absolutely must leave your home for own sanity than at least be courteous and stay on top of whatever guidelines apply in your region. Second, don’t feel guilty about needing to take care of yourself. With that in mind, here are a few to inspire you.
- Take a walk or bike ride and mix up your route. You never know who you’ll meet. Keep your mask with you as a courtesy to others and to be honest to avoid unwanted opinions.
- Take a photography walk. Pay attention to the usual suspects like the view but keep an eye out for interesting angles, close-ups, or textures.
- Take a drive and roll those windows down. You car needs to be driven occasionally anyway to everything running smoothly. You can even order takeout from a distant restaurant as an excuse.
When You Stay Home, Take It Outside!
Stay home does not mean you have to permanently reside on your couch. And no, getting outside doesn’t have to be mean an exercise routine. It can be as simple as reading a book on your patio, balcony, or driveway instead of the sofa.
- If you have space for a garden or even just planters, dive into that and get your hands dirty. Watering the plants counts as fresh air and an odd sort of meditation (at least for me).
- Break out a dart board if you have the area for it. We have one that we hang up when we have friends over but now it’s a rather regular competition. Honestly, I love watching my husband and daughter battle it out while I nurse a margarita.
- If you can, find a comfy spot outside and listen to a podcast. If you’re in a sunny climate, this doubles as a tanning session. After a long, wet winter here in Southern California, the legs are frighteningly white so it’s a win-win.
- Give yourself manicures and pedicures outside. Turn up the music, add a temporary kiddie pool and umbrella, and you have a staycation treat!
How To Stay Home With Children
Keep the Kids Active
Certainly, if nature is good for you, surely it’s necessary for the kiddos as well! We all know the answer to that, right? So how do you do that without violating new social distancing rules?
Get Their Heart Rate Up with These Five Activities
- Race your neighbor (bike or run for the best times like an olympic event). Consider separate sidewalks to maintain spacing.
- If mom or dad always walk the dog, teach the kiddos how to walk them properly. It also helps them learn something new if you find a fun video about it first. At the end of the week, have a contest to see how well everyone does. An ice cream cone might be in their future with success?
- It’s spring, so in some areas it’s time to get into that garden and get the kiddos involved.
- Do your workout routine with the little ones, even if it’s just stretches or yoga.
- Neighborhood scavenger hunts are fun for young people. Maybe you can get the neighbors involved? Count American flags, how many different colors of cars can they spot? Which birds were out? You get the idea.
Five Ideas To Inspire Creativity
-
Get creative and do some washable art. Chalk is amazing if you have a driveway or patio. If you have a chalkboard you can move outside, that is another great option.
- Bubbles! What child doesn’t completely and utterly love bubbles? You can make mixtures at home or purchase but try some other techniques too. This tutorial from Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls is provides details on how to make giant bubbles. Super Cool!
- Kid loving camping, right? Definitely have a campout in your backyard or living room. Don’t forget about the s’mores and ghost stories!
- Break out the dance video games or have a dance party. Just sweat, laugh and get that heart rate up!
- If you have the space and weather permits, have a water day with water balloons or play tag with the garden hose.
Dealing with Tough Topics
Take On The Hard Stuff, Then pack It Away
While we never want the worst to become a reality, there are situations that may require you to anticipate the worst and hope for the best.
For example, during the 2020 pandemic, people are forced to be at home during an incredibly stressful time, not for a staycation or because they are sick. This changes our attitude on how to focus and what is important.
Face The Unknown If Asked To Stay Home
Why bring all this up? We all know why we are at home but we truly do not how long this status will remain in effect. In some areas, we don’t even know who may actually be affected, directly or indirectly. It might even be you, right?
While challenging, the benefit of dealing with some of the hard questions is that you can stop worrying about them. Essentially, hold them up to the light, figure out the plan, write things down and consequently pack them away so you can move on. Compartmentalization can help you more than you could ever know, at least on a temporary basis.
A word of caution to those of you with anxiety or a tendency toward OCD-like behaviors. Deal with actual or truly plausible circumstances, not fantastically doom outcomes. If you can’t remain within the realms of logic and reason, please be careful or do not tackle the steps below at all.
Tough Tasks To Tackle When You’re Ready
While I refuse to give in to worst case scenarios, I have faced them time and again. It started as a teen with losing my mom at sixteen. Having been blessed with a husband who is kind but ever logical, I learned to take on the difficult stuff life throws at you with ruthless practicality.
When you’re young, you believe you have the energy to conquer anything. That may be true in the short term but life is a marathon and you do get tired. It is absolutely normal to get worn down and struggle along the way.
My Hard Lessons Learned
Below are a few things to consider tackling before an actual crisis occurs. This way you or your family can avoid deeper troubles when a crisis actually occurs.
In actuality, you are NOT inviting doom into your life but rather gifting less stress to those you love if the worst should actually occur. Honestly, I would have been grateful with a blueprint to work with as I struggled with my emotions.
Tasks To Do While You Are Asked To Stay Home
- Review your emergency checklists. What happens if you or the kids get sick? What would be the plan? Get in touch with the people who may be called upon to help you or your loved ones.
- Make those legal arrangements and have those conversations. We have a living trust and a designated guardian with everything spelled out. We did this for our family years ago after losing our parents in close succession. It was so complicated to deal with property, bank accounts, even things like furniture or photo albums that we didn’t want to burden our kids making all those decisions.
- Ensure your family make has the information they need to handle things on your behalf. Our teenage daughter, for example, knows passwords and understands how to pay the bills. She can drive, has a debit card and every single family member in her iPhone contacts. And, by the way, can cook and do her own laundry. Bragging? Nope, just realized what she needed to know when I was away for several weeks at a stretch.
Above all, the thing no one tells you but you need to know is that you’ll need many originals of a death certificate (not copies). You need the originals to manage the trust, retirement accounts, life insurance, bank accounts and in a host of other situations. We paid for ten but you could probably do with as little five in a simple scenario.
Don’t Give Up If Asked To Stay Home …
It’s A Marathon Not A Sprint
So, with the tough stuff out of the way, I hope we provided some ideas for you or the kids. Every household is completely different from the next. Perhaps there is a bit of inspiration that sparks your own imagination? If you have an idea or observation, feel free to add to the discussion in the comments below.
Now, do we have a specific post concerning the transition to a “work from home” lifestyle? Our post, How To Work From Home, Advice From An Introvert, is a frank discussion about the challenges as well as the rewards if you to choose to work from home. It also applies to anyone suddenly working from home during the pandemic, including dealing with social distancing.
I’ve actually found it pretty easy to stay at home during the lockdown, as I have social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia anyway, so I prefer to stay home. My main problem is living with people in a house of multiple occupancy who haven’t been following any of the advice. They’ve been going out all day to see family a friend’s, sometimes not coming back for 2-3 days. They’re not washing their hands when they return, and they’ve even had guests over.
That’s my current source of stress over this situation, as it’s hard to protect yourself when stuck with people like that who you have to share a kitchen, bathroom, and toilet with.
I do do virtual date night with my partner every Saturday, as they are really struggling with the lockdown and it helps them deal with it. Normally have a long video chat, eat a takeaway together, then watch a film
Can’t imagine sharing a space that way! We are well acquainted with anxiety, at different levels and with different triggers. Your situation would set off each one of our contributors in our group. We all experience a few good days and (bam!) a setback. Rinse and repeat that cycle. In California, it has been a LONG slog with stay home orders!
Wonderful ideas! We try to get outside and still keep a distance. It’s actually made me slow down into a more present awareness, especially with my kids. Thanks!
Soooo many great ideas!!! Fantastic post!
Thanks so much! Hopefully, we can update it as this new way of life rolls out.
Thank you very much. We are all dealing with a lot so if this even reaches one and helps, it was worth the effort!
It’s been relatively easy staying home since I’m a stay at home mom. I just miss dates with my husband to random food places while someone watches the kiddos and the trips after to Walmart!
The escapes to foodie spots or photo spots for date night has been a loss for us. Staying is okay but for long periods of time, it’s quite the marathon and we are all just fighting what people are now calling pandemic fatigue.