Hey there. So add this to the list of posts I’d never thought I’d write. I’ve been in my home office all day, trying to focus on getting something done—anything—but I’m sure like most of you, focus (already in short supply for many of us) is hard to come by right now. My kiddo is home with me, trying to do school online. My husband is out, helping the locations he manages shut down for business for at least two weeks (he’s in a retail/entertainment field.) And here I am, working from home as usual, but nothing feels like business as usual at all.

I’m sure you have your own version of this going on wherever you are. And I know there are many out there who are facing much more difficult things —layoffs, ill family members, or illness itself. Know that I am sending out love and good wishes to all of you.

This post will not be be able to address the big, life-changing issues many are facing, but I’m hoping that maybe it can help with some of the more common ones. Anxiety. Feeling stir-crazy. Feeling isolated. Or not being able to get a break from your kiddos. This is new territory for all of us, so I thought it might be helpful to pass along some of the things I hope to implement to help make the situation a little better.

Turn off the news for a while
Yes, we need to be informed, but 24-hour news is good for no one. I’ve found that if I tune in first thing in the morning, catching the first part of Good Morning America and the local news, I’ll get the most vital new information. Then I tune in again at night for the nightly news. In between, I turn it off.
Especially if you’re prone to anxiety or are very high empathy, you need to limit your exposure. I also recommend choosing your main source of trusted online news. I subscribe to the online New York Times and have for a few years now, and I always find the subscription worth it. If you use that link, you can get a subscription for about a dollar a week and they’ll also donate money to give access to public school students. (It’s an affiliate link, but I don’t get anything back for you using that link except that it triggers the school donation.)
Find an activity you can lose yourself in
If you’re here, my guess is that one of those is reading. That’s one of my go to self-care activities. A good book can transport me to a place where I don’t have to worry about ALL THE THINGS for a little while. The type of book you need in a time like this may vary, and don’t be surprised if your normal favorite genre doesn’t quite scratch the itch like it normally does.
Some find it surprising that pandemic stories are selling well all of a sudden. It doesn’t surprise me. I’m that person who leans into fictional horror when I’m anxious. It’s a way for some to process anxiety in a “safe” environment. I found myself grabbing Stephen King’s The Stand off my shelf today. So don’t judge yourself if your book craving isn’t what you’d expect.
But, you may need the exact opposite and want a guaranteed HEA romance. If that’s the case, you can find a bunch of recommendations here on the blog. I also changed the prices to my two indie books By the Hour and Blurring the Lines to 99 cents today to try to help in any way I can. If money is suddenly tighter for you, you can get those two books for less than 2 bucks. (*NOTE: The systems take a little while to change the price online, so if it’s still the higher price when you check, check again tomorrow. I’ll post on my social media when the prices are live.)
And if reading isn’t doing it for you right now, maybe it’s streaming that show you’ve had in your queue forever or binge-watching superhero movies. Maybe it’s baking so much you’d put Martha Steward to shame. You do you. Whatever gives your brain a respite for a while.
Take on a project
A lot of us have projects that we put on the back burner or on the “want to do someday” list. If we’re stuck at home, maybe now is the time to tackle it. Paint your bedroom. Reorganize the closets. Learn how to play guitar. Set up a card catalog for your books (or is that just my nerdy fantasy?) Try your hand at writing your own story.
For me, this week I built a new website for my writing classes. You can see it here at the Fearless Romance Writing Academy. I also built a 30-Day email challenge for romance writers: 30 Days of Romance Writing Prompts. If you’re a writer or aspire to be, you can grab that challenge for free by clicking that link.
But I can confirm that once I got started on both of those projects, I lost myself in them for hours. It was so nice not to think about anything else but the project in front of me. And then that sense of achievement when it’s done is quite the mood booster.
Get outside
This is one I have to remind myself of. Unfortunately, it’s been rainy here in Texas the last few days, but I’ve tried to make a point to get some fresh air when I can. I live next to cows, so when they showed up by the fence today I went out and had a conversation with them. They seemed bored by my ramblings, but their good listening skills are quite soothing. ;)
But really, fresh air and sunshine are important. We are supposed to be social distancing, but if you have an outdoor space you can access without coming into close contact with others—a yard, a balcony, etc.—remember to use it.
Take your vitamins
I am militant about Vitamin D after having a deficiency a few years ago that completely crashed my mood, immunity levels, and made me start losing hair among other symptoms. And I managed to get deficient in the SUMMER. Now that we’re going to be outside less often, it’s even more important. Take a multi-vitamin at the very least. (I take a multi plus an extra D supplement and a probiotic.) Vitamins are good for mood, immunity, and overall health. I can attest to how a deficiency can cause all kinds of issues. And vitamins cheap and easy.
Still reach out to friends and family—virtually
I’m an introvert. I can have low social interaction for a while and, frankly, not notice. But even I can feel the ripple of anxiety that comes with knowing I can’t go have queso and margaritas with my friends if I wanted to. So make a point to stay connected to friends and family.
We live in a time of unprecedented technology. As I type this, my son is taking his School of Rock lesson over a Zoom video call with his instructor. So, video chat with your friends. Or even plan to watch a TV show or movie together while you’re on the phone with them. Reach out to your family, especially older members whose anxiety levels are probably very high.
We are social creatures, and cutting ourselves off from everyone for too long will take a toll. Also be aware of this with your kiddos. Let them have their phone time or video chatting time.
Exercise
You know exercise, that thing we always say we would do more of if we just had more time? No? Just me using that avoidance tactic? Well, we all know exercise is good for us. For our bodies. Our immunity. Our mental health. There are endless resources online to take classes or learn routines. I have always enjoyed yoga from Yoga with Adriene.
Take on a defined challenge
I love checking off a list. And I like being a completist. Like I watched Julie and Julia the other night (soothing movie, btw) and I know some people thought what Julie did was a little nuts—cooking all the recipes from Julia Child’s French cooking tome—but I was like YAASSS GIRL. I totally get that desire to take on a specific challenge like that and the ultimate satisfaction of completing it. (That’s why you see me doing things like the 30-Day No Social Media Challenge.) I love that s**t.
So, I know not everyone is wired that way. But if you are, look for a challenge you can do at home and complete. The 30-Day Romance Writing Prompt challenge I mentioned above could work if you’re a romance writer or want to try your hand at writing. But there are endless options. The Read Your TBR challenges. The social media challenges. The watch all the Marvel movies or Harry Potter movies or all seasons of a TV show. I did this with Buffy the Vampire Slayer a while back. I watched every episode of all 7 seasons and it felt so satisfying. You could pick a show that you’ve never seen (which was the case with me and Buffy) or you can pick an old favorite you want to revisit. Like I could see myself doing that with Friends or Dawson’s Creek.
I think the beauty of a challenge is that it gives you a small sense of control when you can’t control what’s happening in the outside world.
Stay on some kind of schedule
Yes, we’re home and don’t have to be as regimented. Maybe the alarm clock doesn’t have to go off as early. But schedules can help give us (and our kids) a sense of stability. Having no clear borders in the day can leave everyone feeling unmoored. So, I encourage you to think about some clear markers in your day. We eat breakfast at the table together around this time every day. We work on our things during the day. That may mean school work and chores for kids. For you, that may be working at home, doing housework, taking on a project like recommended above. Then there’s a “quitting time” where everyone can have dinner and relax, watch tv, play games, etc.
It doesn’t have to be that exact schedule. Maybe you’re a household of night owls or have teens who sleep til noon. That’s fine. You can make the schedule tailored to you and your family’s needs. But having the stability of knowing the windows of time that certain activities happen can give a lot of stability in this unstable situation. (I’ve learned how helpful this can be as someone who works at home full time. I keep my own regimented schedule so that I don’t end up on the couch eating Cheetos and bingeing Netflix at 1pm on a Tuesday.)
Don’t murder your children and/or spouse ;)
Going to jail during a time like this would be SO inconvenient. ;) Yes, being home with everyone ALL THE TIME will be trying no matter how much you love them, but try to give a little grace (you’re probably annoying them, too, lol.) They’re dealing with this total upheaval just like we are.