Everyone likes to feel as if they are in control of their lives. However, when something horrific like a pandemic attacks your world, control flies out the window. And that loss of control can be terrifying. But there are things you can do to help get your mindset off the here and now and into the promise of a better tomorrow. Here are five things that we are doing here as a family in Montana to try and alleviate some of the stress of living through this national shut down.
1. Plant Vegetables
We know that this will take time and money in order to accomplish and many people do not have a garden space outside. We have managed to side-step this problem with the purchase of lovely indoor/outdoor garden planters and grow lights. We’ve made room in the house for these planters in the living room—nothing fancy—but we feel the need to nurture some nature and this is a great way to do it. We ordered all our supplies from Amazon—everything including the planters, lights, soil, and seed. While we won’t be able to feed an army with what we are growing, we will be able to help feed our little family and that’s a good feeling.
2. Make Your Own Wine and Beer
Again, this endeavor will take a little time and money to get started, but making your own wine and beer is a lot of fun, a lot less expensive, and you won’t have to leave the house to buy it. There is an enormous selection of product from which to choose and you can make just about any type of wine or beer imaginable. As with the garden beds, you will find everything that you could possibly need on Amazon and it will be shipped directly to you.
3. Become a Fan of Having Groceries Delivered to Your Home
We’ve never been ones for having groceries delivered, preferring to have our own shopping experiences, but times are changing. With the recommendation of avoiding the crowds of the grocery stores until this virus settles down, we decided to utilize the services offered by the grocery stores and have our food delivered. Not every store that delivers will have everything that you need, but you should be able to procure enough to satisfy your family. We like the service so much that we will probably continue it after the crisis has lifted.
4. Learn to Eat Differently
We’ve gone back to the good old-fashioned, stomach-filling basics: meat, potatoes, eggs, cheese, oatmeal, pasta, salads, and a lot of water. Fast-food fixes have been substituted for the type of meals that your mother used to make and we’re quite enjoying it. So, pull out those cookbooks of yore and have some fun with some retro recipes.
5. Do Something Together as a Family That’s Different from Your Norm
When all of this is said and done, you’ll want the family to remember some positives that may have grown out of all this uncertainty. What will they remember? Maybe you could start new traditions that will carry your family into the future. If your family doesn’t have a game night—start one. Set up a puzzle table and take pictures of all the completed puzzles. Have a bake-off, a cook-off, or maybe a fun celebrity-chef night for those budding cooks in your family. How about a Karaoke night or jamming to an air band? Chalk picture contests on the driveway, learn to jump rope, have a fashion show, make paper dolls, tie-dye something crazy, dress up in funny ways, add some wild makeup and take pictures for posterity. It could even be something as simple as choosing a novel and having members of the family read it aloud every night before bed. Try to give them something nice to remember when you look back on this time with your family. You’ll be happy that you did.