- Journaling. Bonus points if I start my day journaling before I get sucked into the Mom Vortex. That way, I feel more juiced up and ready for the extreme parenting of this Pandemic Season.
2. Meditation. I use the Calm App.
3. Long walks. Alone.
4. Texting with friends.
5. Talking to friends on the phone
6. Creating a memory box of pandemic life. I have been saving some magazines so one day, I can look back with my kids and reflect on this experience.
7. Getting as much fresh air as possible. We are in the midst of a brutal heat wave, so right now, “as much as possible” is very little. But when the heat dies down, we’ll be back out in nature.
8. Social distancing play dates with friends. Community builds immunity!
9. Audiobooks and podcasts.
10. Music that makes me want to dance.
11. Watching The Star Wars movies with my kids. We started with the original trilogy a few weeks ago.
12. Reading Harry Potter to my seven year old. We finished The Sorcerer’s Stone last week and started The Chamber of Secrets last night.
13. Strength training. I started doing this last week. I used to lift weights at the gym but have only been walking the past couple of years. Right now, I have two pound weights. Baby steps! I’m planning to hit the store for resistance bands very soon…
14. The Far Side. I just checked today’s cartoon and literally laughed out loud.
15. Stretching. It helps me relax.
16. Zoloft.
17. Talking to my therapist every two or three weeks. We talk over Facetime. It is not ideal, but it works.
18. Watching old movies with Nathan. We just finished The Gold Rush, a Charlie Chaplin silent film, that took me away from the pandemic.
19. Gardening. We planted cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil that are booming. We have four stalks of corn that are growing and one watermelon plant that is deciding whether it wants to wilt or thrive. We also have two pumpkin vines but no pumpkins yet. Right now, with the heat, all I can do is water the garden before running back inside. But when the heat dies down, I’m looking forward to more gardening with my kids.
20. Knitting. I do this at night while watching t.v. with Nathan.
21. But any crafting boosts my mood as well. I did perler beads with Pippa recently and made a rainbow out of rope and yarn. All very satisfying and soul-charging.
22. Reading poetry.
23. Making lists.