My advice on staying at home... for what it's worth.

[Raven]

-Go to bed at a decent hour
-Get up early and GET DRESSED
-Get some exercise everyday
-Pick at least one task a day, start it and finish it
-read
-take one day at a time and be thankful each day that you have it
-try to do one thing everyday for someone else
-limit your consumption of the news, it's mostly bad and depressing
-keep an eye on your consumption of alcohol
-determine that you're going to learn a new skill and work at it a little everyday

I live alone and am in 2 of the Covid-19 risk categories. Living alone has not been a problem for me but the separation from my family and friends has been very difficult. I have found that trying to stick to the above regimen has helped me a lot.

[Squinch]

1. This is a good list. I suggest an addition: zoom meeting with loved ones at least every few days.

[mokawanis]

13. Definitely a good idea

One of my daughters made arrangements today for all of the family meet via zoom tomorrow night. Really improved my outlook today.

[wryter2000]

17. Yes

My church friends have happy hour every Saturday at five. I so look forward to it.

Also, live stream service on Sunday.

[yellowdogintexas]

42. same here except ours is on Wednesday. We meet for Sunday School on Sundays

right after the live stream services, using the church's Zoom account. We do the same things we would do if we were physically together complete with a program (usually a guest speaker)

Then we meet on Wednesday to just chat and catch up. Most of us have been in this class together for 27 years and raised our kids together; now we are enjoying everyone's grandchildren. We would all have withdrawal syndrome if we could not do this.. Group emails are OK but seeing each other is so much better.

My UMW group is also meeting weekly via Zoom to keep our connections strong and because we really miss each other.

The Democratic Woman's Club has started weekly Happy Hours also.

[OnDoutside]

18. Isn't it amazing how many of us had no knowledge of Zoom, 4-6 weeks ago ?

[yellowdogintexas]

43. YES now it is my favorite thing nt

[samnsara]

37. we have 4 family members with Amazon Echo Shows.. they are great and were on sale for 59$!

...for the latest model...

[badseedboy]

2. posting this on my fridge right now

thank you very much

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I'm trying to do most of those,

but I go to bed and get up late (that's just me), don't drink because it's not on my diet (have lost 22 lbs. since January), don't watch the news at all, gradually starting in on my decluttering projects. I hope that when this is all over (which might not be for a very long time), at least I won't be fat and my house will be neat.

[deurbano]

26. Yay, you! (On sticking to the healthy eating during such a stressful time.)

[samnsara]

38. ..I hear ya! My Invisalines come off at the SAME TIME we were ordered to shelter in...

...i hadnt been able to eat in 22 weeks ( 2 hours a day they were off)..then BOOM i have food freedom and stress eating hitting at the same time.

[MLAA]

4. Advice to live by.

If at all possible to do so safely, go outside for a bit.

[Skittles]

5. sound advice Raven

[yonder]

6. Great list and I need to work on most of them.

My nightowl ways are starting to get out of control.

[Shermann]

7. Good list but I'd change one thing about it

- Start at least one task each day
- Finish at least one task each day


So they don't have to be the same task.

I was going to read "The Count of Monte Cristo" (Recommendation 5) but would have broken your Recommendation 4 as stated.

[Raven]

9. Good catch :-)

[Runningdawg]

8. Great advice! I've been doing that every day since I retired.

I didn't want to be one of those who died 2 months into retirement.

[spinbaby]

10. I would add, go outside if you can

I know it’s not possible for everyone, but fresh air and sunshine work wonders. I’m lucky enough to have a garden to work in and a walkable neighborhood with sidewalks and minimal foot traffic.

[wryter2000]

20. I also have a garden

And my cat loves to sit in my lap outside.

[NRaleighLiberal]

11. yes. I keep a task list (have for years, I was a project manager)

tick things off daily. Be amidst nature. great music daily.

[Bettie]

12. My husband has been teaching my* three sons

blacksmithing. They get some exercise, get out into the fresh air, and use up some of the steel we've had lying around forever.

I need to stop watching the news....it makes me very angry.

*OUR three sons, I always do that and he always corrects me! LOL.

[kairos12]

14. Thanks Raven.

Great handle name by the way.

[Turbineguy]

15. Excellent!

[bucolic_frolic]

16. I think there is a need for

COVID-19 Era Life Consultants. Lots of projects people don't know how to solve.

Like you I have a regimen. Exercise and attire are a challenge, but I try to do a task 2 hours a day. This is a time period to work on backlogs. I work on new skills and path changes, but it's hard. I prioritize things I must get done in case I don't make it. What a mess my everyday affairs are in.

YouTube is my source for DIY.

[wryter2000]

19. Duolingo

I used to think it time waster. I think I'll go back and refresh my German or start a new language.

Great idea. Thanks

[spinbaby]

21. Easy German

There’s a YouTube channel called Easy German that I quite enjoy to keep up with my German. I’ve also been using an app called LingoDeer for Japanese.

[Dworkin]

22. Good routine

Folks,

Totally agree with the OP about getting a routine going.

D.

[paleotn]

23. Thanks!

The first two have been killing me.

[mtngirl47]

24. Great list--I have on my own list that I have to make

*Real* meals! Living alone, I found myself snacking and not really sitting down to eat.

I am forcing myself to make the meals a ritual-- sitting at the table, and using real dishes (not paper products).

[yardwork]

25. Very good advice.

I am very fortunate to be working full-time at home. I have a regular full day of tasks, deadlines, and meetings every week day. This has been enormously helpful to my mental health. I have to be "at work" by 8:30 or 9:00 am, looking presentable for the zoom meetings. I recommend a regular schedule.

I'm not getting enough exercise and eating too much junk food, though.

[Soph0571]

27. Mask and gloves and a walk outside at least six foot from everyone else

We have been living your list since mid February but we also leave the flat everyday to go for a walk. We glove up and mask up and go for a walk in clement weather. Avoiding everyone and disinfecting when we get home. My partner hits more markers than Covid actually has. So we really need to be ultra careful, but getting out of the flat is spirit lifting, we are just damned careful when we do so.

[LisaM]

28. The hardest thing is being in an apartment.

No balcony or deck, just one walkway outside. Our gym is closed and exercise is a challenge.

I don't know how to afford anything better when this is over, but I think we need to re-evaluate our love of density. It's not a healthy situation. Apartment dwellers absolutely depend on shared public spaces and when they're gone, it's awful.

[raccoon]

33. I live in an apartment and in the summer, going outside

For any length of time is challenging.

I walk for exercise but when it gets too hot to walk outside, I guess I’ll do exercises in the apartment.

[yellowdogintexas]

44. lots of exercise options on You Tube

yoga, pilates, etc. I even found a regimen for exercises to help me heal my strained hamstring muscle

[LisaM]

51. Yes, I can get exercise videos from OnDemand

I don't have enough space to do some of them, but I'm going to look into a few things like the shoulder opening ones, and some stretching things.

[Squinch]

50. I actually am comforted by the fact that my beloved neighbors are so close.

We're not seeing each other except through zoom and occasional distant convos in the lobby or in the park across the street. But we're sharing ideas and I feel like help is close at hand if I need it.

As for outside, our park is too crowded for me on nice days. Rainy days its fine for a walk. But walks through town are ok. No one is in the sidewalks.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

29. City has a bunch of us homeless quarantined.

Got us in a hotel. We are to stay away from each other. They bring us our meals. They have a smoking area with marks to stand on, to keep everyone 10 feet away.

They are going to start testing everyone Monday.
If you are negative, they can start working on housing. Positive, you will stay in quarantine and daily visits from medical staff.

It's is a little scary.

[grantcart]

30. Good luck, sounds like a tough situation

[Lady Freedom Returns]

39. It kinda is.

Yeah I have tv and wifi. And the ability to charge my phone. But it's scary too.

My window is located above the smoking area. And people yell to talk to each other.
Many things being talked about how it feels like we are warehoused and no one seems to be eager to get us the paperwork for the different housing programs.

One guy was talking about he thought they want us to catch it so they can harvest the survivers plasma.

It will take time for them to help us because they are working with a skeleton crew. But hearing that kind of stuff does do a number on ya.

[richdj25]

31. I've been doing that regime

since 2017, since I retired, and later returned to the work force, part time, in 2018. Nothing like getting a good nights sleep. Getting up early and doing things is my thing.

[Hangdog Slim]

32. Thanks

Thanks for that wonderful advice. Good luck and good health to you. I'm writing a play.

[samnsara]

36. wow thats cool!!

[samnsara]

34. i had to start writing down what I wanted to get accomplished during the day..

...just small chores i keep putting off...because I can!!

MY GOD yesterday morning I sat down with a cup of coffee about 7am got caught up in a concert on TV (Pink Floyd @ Pompeii) and I didnt come up for air until 1 pm...and thats only because my dogs barked at me for lunch. But at least I didnt watch the news.

I have almost completly brushed out one of my Golden Retrievers and I ordered House of Seven Gables from Amazon to read (because Ozzie Nelson once said he read it 12 times...and I saw the house in Salem).

I live on 5 acres of forest so today we masked up and ran to town and got some tomato plants. Just trying to do something meaningful everyday.

[bluecollar2]

35. Thanks for the reminder...

Living in isolation can be depressing but thanks to your OP I have some thoughts going forward....

[Aristus]

40. I have slacked off considerably lately.

I still have to go to work, but with my gym closed for the duration, I just can't motivate myself to work out at home. It's taking a toll on my muscle mass. And my clothes are getting tight.

So once my lunch settles, I'm going to get some cardio in on my elliptical walker, and then lift some weights. I'm going to try to get back into the habit.

I ain't much to look at, but I look even worsen if I'm out of shape...

[Pacifist Patriot]

41. Good list. I will add one more.

Every morning, write down something you were grateful for the day before.

It helps start the day on a positive note.

I've done that for years. It can be funny to go back and read some of my old calendars. I encounter entries that make no sense at all now.

It really can be absolutely anything. Doesn't need to be anything grand or meaningful. The only rule I have for myself is no sarcasm. It's me. I have to have that rule. LOL!

This morning I wrote "seeing (my husband) teach (son #2) how to make a Dutch baby pancake."

Friday's entry was "looking at (son #1) baby photos.

[yellowdogintexas]

45. We have been retired since 2014 so our normal routines have not been impacted

much. My husband does not have the need to get out and hang out with friends - I do. So now I do not have club meetings, church group meetings, impulse lunches with friends, Democratic Party activities in general going on.

I don't go to bed at the usual decent hour; without a work schedule I operate by my natural circadian rhythms.

Of the things on the list, I need to be sure I start one task and finish one task per day; get more exercise; cut down on news (that is the hardest)

I always read every day even if I fall asleep on it at night. If I could not read I would shrivel into nothing.

I rekindled my old hobby of crochet about a year ago and am now at the let's learn some new patterns stage. It is so relaxing.

I would add trying to break a bad habit. Mine is to not procrastinate on the simple stuff and to keep the clutter down.

When my leg heals I'll get more exercise. Until then I try to sit in the sun for a little while every day.

[Habibi]

46. Does binge-watching After Life season 2 on Netflix

count as a task begun and completed?

[Upthevibe]

47. Thank you, Raven.....

Those are excellent ..

[Iggo]

48. Been home since March 16th. Still working 8-hour days.

Last edited Sun Apr 26, 2020, 08:54 PM - Edit history (1)

We've been clocking in and out on a website for years now, so that hasn't changed.

Those first three suggestions are church as far as I'm concerned.

-Go to bed at a decent hour
I do sleep a little later due to the absence of my normal commute time. But my bed time is still my bed time.

-Get up early and GET DRESSED
Probably the second week, I realized that I worked better if I got dressed. (Including shoes...lol.)

-Get some exercise everyday
Most important. Every day it isn't raining during my lunch hour I walk briskly up and down the main drag and/or around a couple of large blocks in my neighborhood. At my age, I gotta keep the wheels greased.

EDIT: For my new skill, I'm learning to play the bass.

[2naSalit]

49. That's good for when you need structure to

endure. I have been alone my entire life, well 80% of it, and if I don't feel like doing something, it will happen when I feel like making it happen. I moved to a place where there is such a thing as tomorrow and if it didn't get done today, it will probably be okay if happens tomorrow instead.

Some days I make an appointment with myself to do something in particular, otherwise, it's whatever happens will happen when it does.