As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, “social distancing” is among the recommendations of public health experts and officials to help slow its spread and “flatten the curve” in an effort to not overwhelm our healthcare systems.
Restrictions and recommendations vary country to country — or even state by state — and they’re changing rapidly. As of March 15th, 2020, the Center for Disease Control has suggested that all events over 50 people be canceled for 8 weeks and the World Health Organization advises that individuals maintain at least a 3-foot distance between other individuals.
- Cook a new recipe from scratch that you’ve been meaning to try. If you need some ideas, check out my recipe Pinterest board for hundreds of healthy, plant-based meals I’ve pinned over the past year!
- Make your own DIY personal care products like this easy homemade lotion! You can also make your own deodorant, shampoo, body wash, or another essential.
- Knit a scarf, or a pair of socks, or a sweater depending on your level! Wool and the Gang has plenty of knitting and crochet kits with earth-minded natural materials.
- Doodle with crayons, colored pencils, regular pencils, or whatever you’ve got on hand.
- Start or continue a garden if you have some space outside — or, maybe start growing herbs inside in your kitchen if you don’t have a garden or it isn’t warm enough outside.
- Paint with some watercolors.
- Dive into a great novel for some escape or a nonfiction book to learn something you’ve been meaning to learn and finally have the time for now!
- Sleep in! If you’re used to commuting, you probably have a bit of extra time in the morning now working at home so utilize this time to catch up on sleep—sleep is great for keeping the immune system strong and it’s essential for your mental wellbeing, too.
- Browse through some magazines that have piled up and you’ve been meaning to get to.
- Practice an instrument that you’ve fallen away from or start a brand new instrument.
- Sing along to some music! Whether it’s opera or a pop hit from the 60s, it’s a sure-fire way to boost your mood.
- Practice some yoga. (Check out this post to get some advice on starting with your yoga or meditation practice and to learn about the 8 Limbs of Yoga) Yoga with Adrienne is a great yoga YouTube channel for beginners and Boho Beautiful has some really great intermediate videos.
- Or do some other types of exercise to get your blood flowing and to keep your mood up!
- Dim or turn off your lights, do some deep breathing, and meditate.
- Organize a corner, cabinet, or if you’re feeling ambitious—an entire room.
- Make homemade package-free granola bars. (I tried that recipe and it is fantastic!)
- If you’re living with your family or roommates, play a board game or card game.
- Do a book club and have discussions with friends and family (in-person if you live with them; or perhaps over video chat!)
- Call up a friend and chat—maybe even both brew a cup of coffee and have a “coffee date”!
- Or make it a party—invite a bunch of friends to “get together” over video chat with a glass of wine.
- Finally get those spices organized via a DIY magnetic spice holder.
- And/or organize your photos in an album or scrapbook. Maybe even go back a few years (or decades) and stroll down memory lane.
- Invest in a language book to start learning a language (or if you are okay with a bit of tech, you can try Duolingo or Rosetta Stone).
- Write an old-fashioned letter to a loved one.
- Test out a new hairstyle.
- Or maybe try something different with your makeup—like winged eyeliner.
- Give yourself a manicure and pedicure with non-toxic nail polish.
- Practice photography if you’ve got a DSLR camera (or mute your apps and use your smartphone camera).
- Make your own face mask for a DIY facial.
- Create some homemade soap or candles and save any extras for upcoming birthday gifts.
- Start or continue a gratitude journal.
- Take another look at any goals you set for 2020 and reassess what’s working and what’s not. And, think about what you’ll need to adjust given new social distancing (or in some countries, even isolation) measures. If your goal was to go to the gym 3x a week after work, maybe now it looks like doing your fitness routine during your lunch break while you’re working from home.
- Bake a sweet treat. I love Chocolate Covered Katie for vegan and healthy desserts, especially her mindfully-modified versions of some popular favorites like the Shamrock Shake.
- Write a poem, short story, or maybe even start a book.
- Sew handmade cloth napkins or cloth “unpaper” towels.
- If you’re able to, take a walk in nature in a place where you can keep the recommended “social distance” of 6 feet apart from other individuals (depending on the restrictions in your region).
- You could also bike or rollerskate if you don’t live in a densely-populated area (again this depends on restrictions in place where you live).
- Upcycle an old t-shirt and get creative! Some ideas are to turn the tee into a headband, some reusable makeup remover pads, or rags for cleaning.
- Check off some tasks from your “someday” list of projects you’d like to do in your home.
- Take a long, relaxing bath with Epsom salt to relax your muscles and decompress (baths do use a lot of water so savor this as something special and make it a whole evening affair with your favorite relaxing music, nice-smelling natural soaps, and maybe even dimmed lights.)
