Tips for Staying at Home

Sarah’s tips for thriving /surviving during the Shelter in Place order

This is a stressful time for many people. It’s okay and completely normal to feel overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, upset, scared, worried, sad, lonely, bored, angry, irritated, and frustrated. Allow yourself time to have these feelings, maybe have a little rant about them, and then move back into your other activities.
It’s okay if you don’t do the things listed below. Some days, you might not feel like it, or you might be exhausted from your other responsibilities, especially if you are caring for others. That’s okay. Have a movie/tv marathon.

Designate times for work/school activities, relaxation, and movement.
Don’t do the same thing all day long. Otherwise, it will make the time feel endless, and you may get bored of even your favorite activities.

Reach out to friends and family regularly if you feel lonely or if the isolation is getting to you.
Reach out to friends and family even if you’re not lonely. They might be!
Phone and video calls often make people feel more connected than text messages, so give it a try!
Set up virtual hang outs so that you can share activities with friends.
Facetime/Skype them while you have dinner or watch the same show on your respective devices.

Go outside for a little while each day.
Take some deep breaths, feel the cold air, feel the sun on your face. It will feel less like the apocalypse if you don’t feel trapped in your house.
Exercise - According to the Santa Clara county order, exercising outside is allowed as long as you do it alone and/or don’t get within 6 feet of people you don’t live with. So, family walks are fine.
Walk your dog(s)
Have a dance party – lots of musicians and dancers are hosting them on social media so you can join them
Find an online home workout.

Try meditation. Here are some free ones.
Listen to an audio book (Audible Stories is free and is designed for children and teens but also has some classic novels)
Find an author reading their own work, E.g., This page has Neil Gaiman reading The Graveyard Book and also Neil Gaimain and friends reading Coraline.

There is very little new news, and most of the news is about COVID-19. If you feel bombarded with information and it makes you feel anxious, limit your access to a few times a day for a limited amount of time.
Seek out media that isn’t related to the virus. E.g., Monterey Aquarium often has a live feed of creatures in the aquarium.

Draw, do coloring pages, take photos, write a story or your memoir
Find out everything you ever wanted to know about your favorite athlete, author, singer, band, architect, scientist, artist.
Look up the history of your favorite game (video or board), sport, tradition, phrase, etc.
Interview older family members about their lives and write their stories down
Do Free online courses from Ivy League universities
Craft projects
Learn a dance routine
Make a new recipe
Reorganize your room, closet, garage
Do a puzzle, crossword, word find, sudoku, rubix cube, etc.
Learn a language -there are lots of free apps where you can do this. I use Duolingo.
Play a strategy game (physical or video game)
Learn a new game