… And why I’m going to #stayathome…
Happy Monday! I thought I’d dust the cobwebs off my blog once more because, starting this past weekend, I suddenly have a LOT of time on my hands at home. The situation in Spain is changing daily, and as of Friday, the government issued a ‘state of alarm‘.
Just to give you guys an update, the situation is getting BAD in Europe. In Italy, hospitals are saturated with sick people and there are just not enough beds and ventilators to help all who are vulnerable. In the last 24 hours in Italy, 368 people died. Spain is about 2 weeks behind, so it is going to get a lot worse here soon. We are bracing ourselves for a few tough months ahead.
Overall, I’m not particularly worried about myself or D. We are relatively healthy and we are in the ‘safe’ age bracket, with a very high recovery rate. However, I am so worried about our elderly community and our most vulnerable, and I don’t want to put myself in a situation that would take the focus of the doctors away from the people who need it the most. Hiking and sports activities are now considered not covered by insurance, because they are considered unnecessary high risks during a time of crisis. Imagine, if the hospitals are saturated and you get into an accident… It is NOT in your benefit if all the ventilators are in use. Just think about that.
So what is ‘social distancing‘ and how is it going to help? Well, first of all, in Spain, we don’t have a choice now. If we are not following the orders of the government, we will get a fine. Social distancing means that you lower the chance of encountering the virus by staying at home and reducing the number of people you interact with. This will hopefully slow the spread of the virus, ‘flatten the curve‘ and give hospitals a chance to keep up with the incoming cases.
With that being said, some people are better equipped for social distancing than others. Introverts are like, “I’ve been ready for this time my whole life” and extroverts are wondering what the heck there is to do in this life if they aren’t socializing with friends outside. Personally, I know I struggle with being at home for long periods of time, so I’m going into this ‘social distancing’/confinement thing with a massive list of things I want to do.
Here is my list:
- Start a new devotional and spend time in prayer, meditation or something else to bring you peace.
- Take an online class and learn a new skill.
- Skillshare.com is currently offering 2 months free for new members.
- Some online classes that I currently have my eye on:
- Figure out what personality type you are by taking a personality quiz.
- I LOVE reading all about my personality type and that of my family members and friends. Test yourself and your self-isolation buddies!
- Do some at-home workouts:
- I have been using Aaptiv for a few years now and go to this app every time I need inspiration on a gym or at-home work out. They have so many body workouts that they will talk you through over some awesome tunes.
- YouTube has a wealth of free yoga or other types of workout videos.
- Crossfit.com has a great collection of at-home workouts you can do as well.
- Download a computer/phone game that you used to play. If you didn’t play any, check out some of these:
- Read a book (or two!)
- Follow me on Goodreads to know what I’m reading.
- Learn to play an instrument:
- Start a blog (or in my case, actually write in it)
- KonMari your home and git rid of everything that doesn’t spark joy in your life.
- Call your loved ones on FaceTime/Whatsapp chat.
- Sketch or paint, or learn how to do calligraphy.
- Whip out the card deck and play some games with your isolation buddy. If you’re completely alone, you can play them online!
- Try your hand at baking something new!
- Since you’re already in the kitchen, maybe it’s time to bring out your inner chef and learn a new recipe.
- Learn a new language:
- For those of us who have been putting off doing taxes, maybe it’s time to stop procrastinating.
- Watch a nature documentary if you get really stir crazy for the outdoors.
- Learn some new tips for your favorite social media, such as Instagram.
- Start journaling. Here are some prompts.
- If all else fails, there is always Reddit or Pinterest to surf the web…
To keep things in perspective, I want to think about how blessed I am (and a lot of us are). I am healthy, able to work from home, and none of my loved ones are in a high risk bracket. I recognize not everyone has those blessings, so it’s hardly a sacrifice for me to stay at home for 2 weeks or however long it takes to get this under control. If you remind yourself that this is for the greater good, we will ALL get through this pandemic together!
What are you doing to entertain yourself during this ‘social distancing’ period? Please comment below and share this post if you found it useful!
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