Coping in Self-Quarantine: 13 Things To Do Hunkered Down

Home, sweet home. It’s THE place to be right now. And the smart place, either because we’re now working remotely; because we always worked at home (like me, a freelancer;) because we’re blissfully retired, like my wife; and/or because we’re self-quarantined. Staying occupied is a quandary for some, I’m hearing. To those seeking suggestions, here are 13 Things To Do Hunkered Down, peppered with Amazon affiliate links I think you’ll find helpful.

1. Walk!

We’ll get through this one step at a time. And six feet apart. My wife and I trek a couple of miles through suburbia every day; only recently have we seen other humans (keeping a nice social distance.) Not a walker? Don’t know where to go? Put on good shoes. Walk in one direction for 15 minutes. Stop. Walk back home. I’m no mathemetician, but I believe that means you walked for a half hour, you marathoner you. Allergic to the outdoors? Walk the steps to the basement and back. Hey! Carry some laundry with you!

2. Assemble a household emergency kit.

Not trying to be alarmist; quite the opposite. Last week I calmly assembled items for a household emergency kit, as outlined by DHS on this page: https://www.ready.gov/kit . This task is not necessarily virus-related, but it helped me to direct energy and find self-comfort. Plus, it’s crazy we didn’t have this stuff before. How did I get by without a hand-cranked weather-radio/phone-charger? I luuuuuuurve it.

3. Read those books.

Those histories / biographies / how to’s / YAs / mysteries / bodice-rippers won’t read themselves. You know how we normally say, “Oh, books, I would read you, but I have someplace to be.” Now we don’t. Me? I’m rereading the classics.

4. Write those books.

Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” isolated during the plague. Okay, that might be an intimidating bar, but take inspiration and write, write, write. More generally: create! Make art. Share stories. Hit the loom. Record that song. Blog about beer. There’s a creative tribe in my life whose engines churn at “11” when they can stay in place and make. Once this is all over, I can’t wait to see the stuff they’ll have to show for it.