Today is Sunday, Memorial Day weekend and we are over three months into the Covid-19 virus shutdown of my state of Michigan. The United States is cautiously starting to open back up, but we here in Michigan keep having our “Stay at Home” order lengthened. We work remotely if we are able, shop online, wear masks in public when we have to go out and spend the majority of our time trying to figure out what to do with our time. Those with young children, bless their hearts, are supremely challenged with the task of keeping up with home schooling and also trying to keep a bunch of young people contained in their homes or if the weather permits in their yard. My children are grown, so I do not have this struggle, but God bless those who do.
As tempers flare and political divides grow deeper it may become difficult to maintain our mental, physical and emotional health. We are dealing with so many emotions that need to be processed in a healthy way in order for us to thrive. Changing our outlook to focus on family and normalcy is a way to process the emotion. We have the ability to plan for our day, future gatherings with family and friends, and find things to enjoy in the present routine.
Try playing family trivia on Zoom every Sunday.
My favorite thing that has come out of the pandemic is Sunday afternoon trivia games with my family. We started weeks ago and have maintained this new zoom call tradition each week. The participants are my husband and I, my parents, my daughter and son-in-law (Texas) my son (New York) and my sister, her husband and son (New Mexico.) The stay at home orders have kept us from traveling but has allowed us to create a new relationship each week on the call. The calls give us time to see each other and catch up on the week’s events. There are many laughs as the generations struggle to navigate the trivia and the technology.
Plan video calls regularly to connect with friends and family. The calls will provide a positive focus for your days and weeks. Remembering that no one is going through this alone will help you to feel part of a community to decrease your loneliness.
Maintain your daily routine as normally as possible. If you continue to make your life feel as normal as possible it will help your brain stay positive. Get up at your normal time and go through your daily routine as it was before the pandemic. Staying at home will require that you adjust your routine, but you can try to create as much normalcy as possible for your day. Be purposeful in your planning and enjoy the free time. Maintaining your normal habits will help you to develop a more positive outlook and a healthy routine.
Taking care of yourself by creating a routine and spending time with your family (and friends) will allow you to process and create better emotions as you move through the pandemic.
Enjoy your family circus.
Dr. Julie Cappel
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” –Michael J. Fox
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