7 Ways to Make Social Distancing More Like a Staycation
I know a lot of people are bored AF. Everything is closed down. The bars are closed. We can't go out. Everything is cancelled.
Oh darn.
*Cheers internally*
Okay no but really, we all know Covid-19 aka coronavirus is a very serious thing. As is social distancing. So if you're not like me, cherishing the fact that I had to cancel all my plans in order to stay home and chip away at my self-inflicted honey-do list, then stay tuned. I'll help you enjoy this a little more.
I feel very fortunate to be healthy right now, and to know that my family and friends are healthy. I'm super grateful for that. And my heart goes out to all of my grocery pals, those who aren't happy and healthy right now, and those struggling financially.
But because I'm happy and healthy right now, I get to cherish this time where suddenly the world was forced to slow the F down and - *gasp* - not go out and be constantly busy, busy, busy.
So even if you're a week and a half into working from home and you're ready to rip off your partner's head for chewing too loud, take a deep breath.
There is a silver lining here: you've finally got time.
Try to change your perspective a little bit from prison cell to staycation.
Here's 7 ways to make your house arrest a little more enjoyable:
1. Clean it up
First of all, you gotta nurture your home like you gotta nurture yourself. Your environment matters, okay. If everything is cluttered and yucky and the amount of dust mites in your pillows are making you wheeze, it's no wonder you don't want to be there for more than a weekend at a time! If everything is a mess on the outside, everything is gonna be a mess on the inside too.
Outter Order Inner Calm. Gretchin Rubin. Read it.
The goal here is to feel relaxed, comfortable and refreshed. Spend the next day doing a good ol' deep spring cleaning. You've been tirelessly disinfecting anyway, may as well clean the bathroom mirror while you're at it.
2.Cozy it up
Your home should feel like a safe haven during this time, not a prison cell.
It should feel good to be there.
Now don't go running to Target in a frenzy thinking you have to do a $500 living room makeover in order to get through these rough times. Social distancing, remember? Deep breaths.
But, there's lots of little things you can do to set a mood. Light your favorite candles. Light the ones you were saving for "dinner parties" (lol who were we kidding anyway?) Bring out the twinkle lights. Go through your dusty stack of photos and actually put them up. Put them on your fridge so you have someone to talk to. I won't judge.
3. Water the plants
You've been meaning to do it for like 2 weeks now anyway. That one you named Karen is looking a little crusty tbh. You should probably do something about that.
Just please don't drown your succulents again because you got bored.
If it's day four ASD (after social distancing), just step away from the watering can.
4. Do some self care stuff
Okay so now the scene is set. That mysterious sticky spot on your floor is mopped up, your living room smells like Tahitian Vanilla, and your plants are slowly rising from the dead. Staycation a la coronavirus has begun.
I'm going to give you 3 easy options for self care in case you're indecisive. Do all 3 if you're feeling extra.
Journal. Write about what's going on in the world. Write about how you're feeling. Write a poem. Write about the people of Love is Blind. I don't care, just write.
Meditate. Take a break from Instagram stories of everyone else who is bored out of their minds and just relax for a minute. All jokes aside, this is a stressful time. Headspace is offering some free guided meditations to help us "weather the storm."
Clean yourself up. It's too easy to let ourselves go while being stuck at home, but you don't want to feel like a mess in the midst of this mess. Take a shower. Do your skincare routine. Do your hair. Where makeup if you want to, don't if you don't want to. Change out of your pajamas. It might seem pointless, but if it's worth doing for everyone else at work, it's worth doing it for yourself. You'll feel more refreshed and ready to take on the day.
5. Cook something up
Cook yourself delicious, healthy meals. Maybe you usually feel like you don’t have time for this but now you do so take advantage of it!
Especially with everyone stocking up on non-perishables, remember that it’s so important to be eating whole foods like produce. This is especially important in times like these when your immune system needs all the help it can get. That 3rd bowl of Lucky Charms isn’t helping you out here, honey.
You don't have to make anything exotic that requires another trip to the grocery store and 20 new spices, just make something that actually has a vegetable in it. One that you actually chopped.
~ Rachel Ray will be quaking ~
6. Unplug a little each day
Turn off the screens for awhile. Even if it's just for an hour or two a day, give yourself a daily break from the global panic. Yes, it's important to stay informed. But you don't have to do it every waking hour.
Pick up a book, draw a picture, paint like four lines on a page (you know they sell that same sh*t at Hobby Lobby, okay), whatever you want to do.
You know your guitar gathering dust in the corner? That thing actually does stuff other than make you look cooler (speaking for myself here). Youtube it.
Seriously though, looking at news articles, sending memes about coronavirus, and watching Contagion on Netflix probs isn’t going to make us feel better in the long run.
7. Treat it like a sleepover
By yourself. Or with your husband or you mom or your friends through FaceTime..
One of my Instagram friends literally made a pillow fort with her girlfriend and they watched a movie in there and if that’s not the cutest effing thing, you’re lying. Go build a pillow fort and hideout. Have a pillow fort contest.
Seriously - pull out the magazines you’ve been meaning to get to. Paint your nails. Put a face mask on. Pop some corn and watch your favorite guilty pleasure movie (Netflix recently added some good ones). Act like a twelve year old on spring break again.
Action steps:
If you read my blog, you know I put action steps at the end of my posts. But I honestly don't know how long we'll be on "staycation" so your action steps are just to do the above things and stay happy and healthy and try not to murder your roommates.