Are you having difficulty adjusting to home life 24/7? Here are some of our favorite things to do during this challenging time of self-isolation and "shelter in place" orders: 

📝 Establish a routine

Psychology professor Finian Buckley from Dublin City University shares that keeping a regular daily schedule is important for mental health and coping with social distancing. 

Just like you did for work, wake up at a regular time, take a shower, get dressed, and plan your day ahead. Eating your meals at consistent times, working regular hours, scheduling time for play and exercise, and engaging in activities with friends and family remotely are all activities you should still continue day-to-day. A daily routine and plan with variety for meals, work, exercise and play is best. The experts say you will feel better and you are likely to have a sense of accomplishment. 

🍽 Practice Mindful Eating

Keep track of what and how often you are eating, even just snacks. If you want some help, checkout some popular apps, such as WeightWatchers ,  Nutrisystem , and NOOM . It is tempting to stay on the couch and watch TV all day, but that will not support a healthy life-style and you will have difficulty adjusting once our world gets back to normal. 

🍳 Start Cooking

Start cooking again or learn how to cook. If you have roommates or family members, learn new recipes together for some fun in the kitchen. Use Zoom or FaceTime on your phone or iPad to cook old recipes with distant family members and grandma who would certainly love to teach you a thing or two! Remember, however, to get occasional take-out to help your local restaurants. Another way to help is to buy  gift cards from local businesses to use when they are back up and running, giving them much needed cash today when they need it the most.

👟 Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

If exercising is not your thing, now is a good time to explore. There are many online apps that allow you to freely exercise outdoors and at home, including walking and running apps, in door yoga, strength training, dancing, and fitness camps. Many are free . If you are interested in creating a workout space and routine at home, checkout this helpful article from theworkoutdigest.com. If exercising does not appeal to you, go for an easy walk. Just a few minutes outside where you can waive to your neighbors and fellow walkers will lift your spirits. Grab your dog, spouse or family member living with you, or take the entire family. Walk with a friend, but social distance! We no longer have an excuse and any exercise or movement will support our mental health!

 🎲  Incorporate Play Time

Play time should include anything that will relieve stress and bring joy, whether it is taking a long bath, calling an old friend, reading a book, watching a movie or TV show, playing golf, making a puzzle, or playing on-line games (with or without friends - Mahjongg) or board games. If you have younger kids and they have not read the Harry Potter series, now is a good time to use your fake (or real) British accent and read to them every night!  Buy them on Amazon or ask a friend to borrow them. 

🧹🛠 📎 Get organized and caught up!

Work your way around your living quarters. Start with your closet, then move to clean out every room (including your attic, shed and garage if you have one), and wipe down and re-organize cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Get rid of or donate what you no longer need. Clean out and wash your car.  Organize those pictures that are piling up. If they are on your computer, you can use shutterfly.com to create albums of different events and share them with family and friends. If you have been looking to frame a few pictures, try apps like mixtiles.com - they are easy to create and order for hanging! Michaels is advertising ordering on line for pick-up or delivery.

If you need some ideas on how to better organize, checkout beeorganizeddallas.com  for help. Beeorganized-Dallas is sharing their thoughts online with videos.   Clean out your computer. Unsubscribe from emails you don’t need, and clean out emails. Do the same with your phone texts. Fix things that are broken.

Finally, catch up on much needed paper work—yes, including your taxes and wills. You guessed it. There is plenty to do! 

♦️Start a new hobby!

What about painting, doodling with colored pencils, knitting, stitching, running, cooking, playing an instrument, golfing, learning a new language (try the Duolingo App). Start gardening or learn how to buy and arrange your own flowers. Find a good free running app and become a runner. Learn how to play a game you have always wanted to play. Mahjongg? Poker? 

📳  Reach Out!

Make a list of family, friends, neighbors and colleagues you have not talked to and reach out. Don't forget the older members of your family and social circles, especially if they are living alone. Other than the old fashion way - a phone call, you can also try the following ways which are highly popular right now: 

💐 Sharing kindness - a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone's life. Consider bringing a meal to someone who lives alone, shopping for groceries for your elder neighbors, putting a home made flower arrangement at their door, or baking a sweet treat to share. Many neighborhood associations have set up volunteer schedules for neighbors that need help. 

 💻 Video chats - Join a video chat app and schedule evening happy hours or social hour with your friends or family. Examples are FaceTime - for apple products; Zoom or Skype which works on your computer or phone; Google Hangouts for Android up to 10 people; and Houseparty, which takes up to 8 people at a time. 

💌  WhatsApp - if you have family and friends around the country or around the world, set up a WhatsApp group for regular communications with funnies and family updates. You can use WhatsApp to make calls overseas for free! 

📧 Email group - set up an email group with your friends and share regular updates and picture or video funnies to provide some much needed entertainment. 

🍿 Have a Netflixparty ! You can invite friends to join a movie or binge a TV Series where you can communicate online while watching the movie!

📨 Old fashioned writing - Write letters or cards to friends and family. 

📔 Family history - Interview your grandparents and help write your family history. 

🥳 Birthday celebration - if you have a local neighbor or family member with a bday, consider organizing a trail of cars to drive by and hoot horns, wearing hats and decorated cars.  For any who are remote, consider a cookie bouquet for delivery. You will make their day!

🧸 Scavenger Hunt - in our neighborhood, the association asked that folks post a teddy in their windows for kids to locate on their walks. Great idea!

Take advantage of this time for human contact and remote socialization!

✍🏼 Make a  Bucket List

Plan what you want to do and where you want to go next. You are likely going to find some great travel deals!

🐶🐈 Consider Fostering an Animal

If you don't have an animal, consider fostering a cat or dog for a few weeks. The animal shelters are crowded and need your help! Who knows. You may fall in love all over again. 

🧘🏼‍♀️Take Care of Yourself

Most importantly, take care of yourself. Are you feeling overwhelmed? If you have lost your steady and calm mindset, those around you will feel the tension and anxiety you are exhibiting and it will affect their outlook and disposition. Take an online yoga or meditation class. Meditate every night before you go to bed. There are plenty of apps that claim to cleanse your mind in just a few minutes, such as headspace.com and calm.com . Limit your news intake. Get outside and take a walk. If you have animals, play with them. They are the best distraction. Who does not like unconditional love? 

Please share your thoughts on what is helping you during this unusual and difficult time. We would love to hear from you!

❤️We hope our blog helps. Wishing you all the best of health, calm, sanity, patience, and lot's and lot's of love.❤️