Fighting the COVID blues

The past year has been a challenge for everyone, some more than others.

Let’s hope this list helps you and the people closest to you enjoy each other’s time whilst we struggle with covid.

1. Painting - Have fun and be creative. Throughout this year there have been various creative outlets that you can do at home, and one of those could be a fun paint night. You could set it up like a date or even have your family on zoom and decide on a subject and see what everyone comes up with and it doesn’t even have to be paint, you can use an old pen from work or bring out some pastels. Whatever you have to work with, but watch the younger kids don’t get the wall!

2. Workout - It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is good for you and all of your family to be active and healthy. This can include anything from walking the dog or a dance video from YouTube, and they can be really fun and help relieve some of that pent up stress from work or school.

3. Read - Reading helps keep your brain healthy and working well, you can read anything from a fantasy that takes you into a world unlike our own or read articles about different topics on each side of an argument and see where that takes you. Another option could educate yourself on political events happening around the world or formulate opinions on various agricultural factors.

4. Redecorate - not everyone likes change but you may have found that you didn’t have the time before to paint a wall of change the aesthetic of a certain space in your home but now you have that time and the entire family can help. Teenagers may not be too thrilled with the idea of helping you change things up in the kitchen and clean anything other than their rooms and they may not even do that but it could be ultimatum, their room or the living room.

5. Online Shopping - Not everyone will have access to the funds in order to shop just because they are bored, but it passes the time away. An alternative could be to look online at cool and trendy things you want and see how you can change the things you already own.

6. Sew/Knit - These may seem like elderly activities and things that your grandmother enjoys however they can be a pleasant escape from reality. They provide you something to do for a long period of times and at the end you have a new skill (that could come in handy at the event of an apocalypse) and a wonderful new scarf, hat, or blanket.

7. Snow Fun - If you are lucky enough to get snow where you live it could be a glorious adventure for the entire family to take a walk or a drive through the snow and find a place to slide down the hill or make snow angels. If you are lucky enough to get snow, then you will usually be able to find an ice rink close by. Just be careful to stay away from people. An added bonus is you should already have a mask so your face won’t get too cold.

8. Plan - It is good to have structure, especially in a crazy time like now. To plan, even if we don’t know what lies ahead, can help us still have hope and strive for better things. If planning into your future seems like too much plan small things like meal planning or chores you want to do every day. If even that seems too hard plan events or trips with no budget or anything, make it all up, you can even plan to go to an island in the sky with Beyonce!

9. Work On You - this is something that will take time and a long course of action will be required. It can also mean anything you want it too, want to change your style, go ahead. If you want to work on yourself spiritually or even help your mental health, there are steps you can take that you can accomplish and become the best you.

10. Try To Have Fun - It is important to remain calm and somewhat happy and collected throughout these trials, and hopefully everything will be over soon. You can make mundane tasks more fun by adding some music or doing things as a family, you could even suggest fun family game nights so you stay connected as a family even after covid.