As schools close and the number of workers mandated to stay home grows, you may be wondering how you can stay happy and healthy while at home with family, for what could possibly be several weeks. These times can be very stressful, and stress does a lot of harm to the body, including compromising our immune system. Here is a list of ways we can remain positive, faithful, and healthy during these trying times.

Physical Health:

• Get outdoors for 30 mins a day
• Practice social distancing - take advantage of FaceTime
• Create a designated workout space at home
• Download a workout app (Nike Training Club is great!)
• Build a workout time into your daily routine
• Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water everyday
• Prepare healthy meals - think energizing fruit and leafy greens
• Take several stretch breaks while working from home

Mental Health:

• Meditate/deep breathing when feeling overwhelmed
• Avoid total social isolation
• Read a feel-good book
• Watch feel-good TV
• Create a playlist of songs that make you feel really good
• Light your favorite candle
• Try to focus on positive stories that are being shared
• Take a nice hot shower
• Write a list of all the things you are grateful for
• Create a list of goals for each day
• Learn to do something new
• Watch a motivational video on YouTube
• Use an adult coloring book

Other ways to stay happy and healthy (especially with kids):

• Avoid working in bed or where you'll be tempted or distracted
• Draw a line between work hours and after work hours
• Create a schedule for kids (wake up, meals, naps, learning, playtime, bedtime)
• Make time for yourself
• Get good headphones (as long as another adult is watching kids)
• Organize an in-home "movie theater adventure" via streaming (or DVDs) in your home with lights out and popcorn
• Create an in-home "gymnasium" space where kids can be active while you work
• Have kids work on paintings/drawings/collages for an end-of-the-week art show/show-and-tell
• Flexibility is key, perfectionism is the enemy

Being stuck at home doesn't mean that we have to go bonkers with boredom. Let's make sure we are paying attention to how we feel each day, physically and mentally. This is a good time to begin tapping into self-care that we've struggled to find time for in the past. When this long national nightmare comes to an end and normal life resumes, the new practices we've learned for our physical and mental health can hopefully shape a life that allows us to be more resilient as a community.