This year has been particularly tough for all of us. When we began in January 2020, the future looked very bright. We remember many of our contacts on social media telling us how beautiful the year would be and how bright our future.
One of our colleagues signed up for a retreat in August, a health fair in June, and began making plans to travel to visit their son in Florida.
Within the space of one week in early March, all their plans were canceled, and life took on a totally different picture. For us, the time spent at home is a regular daily commitment. The Stay-at-home order hit many people really hard. Our children became our new daily schedule, not able to go to work, parenting, and homeschooling.
What makes us excited is that we are basically forced to go back to our roots—spending time with family, cooking our meals, finding adventure in small things, and being more creative about entertainment and enjoying our lives.
Of course, we all experience different levels of fear and paranoia, but the joy of being with the family has hopefully outweighed the sense of fear and isolation.
Stress can cause physical ailments, so it has been a big bargaining chip for handling the uncertainty of our future. This entire event has spun off a new approach to teaching, working, studying, and how we experience our lives, including classes, entertainment, and social interaction.
[Also Read: How To Cope With Job Loss]
Many of us have experienced a newfound joy of getting to those tasks and hobbies that we had to ignore to earn a living. At the same time, others find new ways to make an income that is both cost-effective and rewarding.
We are not all so lucky, but as we learn, we also gain a greater understanding of what it is to be a human in a greatly changed world.
[Also Read: How to Cope Up With Stress During Covid-19]
We first want to salute the caregivers who have dedicated their lives to help us stay safe and care for those who have been infected with this disease. And we applaud those who have incorporated the necessary guidelines to help keep us all safe at home.
We have learned that hand sanitizer is easy to make at home and has a load of health benefits that we did not know until we began using it several times a day.
Since we put essential oils in our solution, we found it is a great deodorant! We come in from the garden, wash our hands, place the solution in our hands, and wipe off any excess under our arms. It works like a charm! And the alcohol is very cooling, especially welcome on these hot summer days!
Another great discovery is that gardening after dinner is preferred to gardening during the heat of the day. Since we don’t have to be anywhere the next day, we can spend the last 2 or 3 hours before it gets completely dark and working on our vegetable beds or weeding gardens.
We may be drenched in sweat during the humid evenings, but a gentle breeze is very welcome. A quick shower and we can relax for a little while before bed, and we sleep better, too. We use an insect repellent that helps keep the pesky night flyers away, and even that solution leaves our skin feeling smooth.
Also Read ;
Home Made Sanitizers to Kill Coronavirus: How to Make It?
Also Read ;
Proven Natural Remedies to Treat Mosquito Bites
Rather than feeling upset about the changes we are all going through (social distancing, wearing masks, wiping down handles, and always being cautious of who we meet), how can we make the most out of the changing situations? Catching up on projects that have sat undone is our way of coping.
We used to feel guilty doing a unique craft or making another raised bed or spending time at our easel on the next watercolor. Now we know that is how we are supposed to spend our time while being sheltered at home.
What a refreshing change of attitude to understand what it is well worth our while to work on projects that we enjoy, rather than being faced with another drive to the office, and paperwork, and so many other stresses that usually coincide with working away from home.
For those who were already working at home, not much as changed. And who says you can’t hug your family? Or your close friends who have been sheltering with you? What do we miss the most?
Thrift stores were always a great way to relieve stress, and we miss finding small things to help us complete a project or finding an occasional good deal on another pair of yoga pants.
[Also Read: Best Tips to Handle Unemployment Anxiety]
Share your talents with others, and you become a blessing to them, and they bless your life in turn. We began to lead the music at church earlier this year. Now that we can assemble in small groups, we are the only ones who are allowed to sing in church, and we enjoy sharing our gifts with others.
It lightens our day and brings joy to theirs. What ways can you share your talents with others, while maintaining social distancing guidelines and still enjoy yourself?
Helping your neighbor with their yard, spending time at a local park with children, reading to an elder in a nursing home, caring for a friend’s pet while they visit their loved ones in hospital; these are good ways to volunteer your time and share your gifts.
It might be a prolonged time before we understand the coronavirus, and our hope for everyone is that we take all that we have learned and incorporate safer practices into our daily lives. And not just for this period of our lives, but into the future.
We used to get away with being lazy about cleaning our surfaces with toxin-free solutions, but those days are gone. Our planet is going through a major healing crisis, and when we emerge out of this trying time, we feel we will be significantly rewarded.
Our bodies will be more energetic, our minds will be enriched, and our families will be more connected. With modern technology, we have not lost any of our momenta; in fact, we have accelerated how we use technology to help us.
Our bodies will heal, our families are more robust, and we are finally a race of humans on this planet, all connected. Everyone has something to be thankful for, now and in the future.
About The Author:
DN, Spring Creek Holistic and Organic Farm, Doctor of Naprapathy, Certified Raw Chef II