Surviving Self Isolation

Today is day five of our self imposed self isolation. Tessa and I are staying at home for the foreseeable future, leaving only for groceries (just me, once a week or less), outdoor exercise with continued social distancing (six feet or more away from people). Tessa's still visiting her dad on schedule, but I figure that doesn't really count because if we were still together we'd all be in the same house anyway, and he's part of her nuclear family.

My work is helping to keep me sane. Knowing that my kids are having some of the same experiences that I am, and that they are less well equipped to manage their feelings (after all, teenagers!), I take my responsibility to be a voice of comfort, reason, factual information, and support very seriously. I've been compiling resources to share out in my classes' OneNote - everything from poetry, to where to get factual coronavirus information, to school closure information (I want them to have facts, not Snapchat rumors), and so on.

Tessa, who doesn't love school, actually did some school work yesterday and got into it. Hallelujah!

But work and school work only take part of the day. Here's how we're managing:

1. Scheduled appointments on the phone/Skype/Facetime/Teams with friends and colleagues. We may be socially isolating, but we do not need to be socially isolated.

2. Regular outdoor exercise. Thankfully, this week Seattle is sunny, clear, and gorgeous. Regular trips to the beach are good for body and soul.

3. Great food. Since we're all stocked up, we can eat delicious things, with a focus on health. We're spending more time in the kitchen than usual, taking some pleasure in making interesting food. We're mixing up our flavor profiles, getting our greens. We even did a St. Patrick's day feast of corned beef and cabbage; I baked an apple pie.

4. Journaling. Staying on top of my feelings helps me to process, and I feel so much better when I do that.

5. Creating space for fun activities. I'd love to hear from you how you're handling fun - so strange to only do fun with the people you live with, and only at home!

     a) New workout routines. Tessa is going to share her ab workout today. I know it's going to hurt but I hope it hurts so good!

     b) I resubscribed to Amazon Prime, and my first order was some art supplies. Tessa and I are going to make jewelry together, and we're each going to make a painting to hang in the guest room. (I plan to paint a sunset. I figure that the colors will be pretty even if nobody can tell what it is!)

     c) Board games. Tessa and I have discovered Mancala. I think it might be time to pull out the backgammon, chess, and other games, too.

     d) Sending snail mail to friends. Nobody ever does this anymore, so receiving a card in the mail is such a treat. I have a goal to send one note a day to someone I care about. I picked up a bunch of cards at Trader Joe's - some are pretty, some are silly - and I'll send these throughout.

    e) I think it's time for me to write my book. Stay tuned.

Of course there's always Netflix, stacks of good books, and more.

What are you doing in these strange days? How are you handling your routines, your mental health, your fun, your socialization? What tips do you have for me? I'd love to hear from you!

xoxo
Kristina