A time to unwind

In trying times like this, when life takes a standstill, when we worry about what may come next, when we fear for our near and dear ones, when we are unsure about how long the uncertainty will last, when we just want to go back to normalcy, when we run out of ideas of what to do spending days and weeks home-bound for our safety and of others; this may also be a time to unwind. In a fast-paced world that we live in, it is a time to take a deep breath, slow down and unwind. It is an opportunity for all of us to pause, ponder &/ or self-reflect.

We, as adults, should model our behavior and our reaction to situations since the children, youth and young adults may be looking at us for comfort and reassurance. This generation of our kids, who are all about instant gratification and immediate results, are being asked to patiently wait, to think ahead long-term, have delayed gratification, and have social distancing from their peers and friends; all of which is a novel concept for them. Please remind them that this too shall pass! This event may increase our kids’ awareness that we can never control everything in life. When things happen that are not in our control, we pause, contemplate, plan alternate ways to work and learn to adapt.

I want to remind everyone that our world will recover and we will get through this! I am writing this post for us to share some ways we all can try to de-stress and take time to cultivate our attitude of gratitude. We all need to be positive and not be overwhelmed by the situation. Here may be some silver linings to the world situation right now: communities coming together, people helping each other, we learn to live in the moment & count our blessings, many kids home from college spending time with family, spare time for home organizing/de-cluttering, and taking this time to slow down and spending some time to reconnect and recharge. This is also an ideal time for us to use this extended period of time at home as an opportunity to work on things that we didn’t have the time for before. Maybe use it to pursue our passion, develop a hobby, enrich our learning or extend our knowledge. I know that I am using this time to explore and extend my passion of Blogging. I have made my 1st Vlog, published 2 posts in under a week, and updated new deals/coupons on my Shop page. In addition, as an educator I am planning & putting together instructional materials for my students as our district is starting online instruction for all our students soon.

In my monthly email, for the month of March, I had shared my tips/ideas for activities to do with kids at home and I am listing them here to share with all readers who may have kids at home (since most of the schools in most countries are closed for 2-4 weeks)

• Play board games together

Our favorites: Exploding Kitten, Uno, Catan, sequence, Rummikub, Heads Up

• Build puzzles or create your own puzzles

Tip for teens: 500 or 1000 pieces will keep them busy!

• Read books, start a book club at home

Our favorites: Harry Potter series, Magic Treehouse, Judy Moody, Junie B Jones, Land of Stories, Lord of Rings

• Binge-watch

Our favorites: Planet Earth (BBC), Harry Potter movies, Lord of Rings, Narnia

• Play with pet/s

Dog walks, bath, nail clip, tug of war, fetch the ball!

• Catch up on sleep

Both you & your kids! Wake up late or take an afternoon nap!

• Write stories

Explore your creative side, make and illustrate story/cartoons!

• Art/ craftwork

Explore your artistic side, make artwork and do crafts together

• Plan for vacation

With time in hand, it is fun to plan ahead for a future vacation!

• House cleaning with kids

Ask kids to help with cleaning and decluttering the house

• Volunteer

Only if it’s safe and you can!

• Watch inspirational documentary

Including nature videos, birth or life cycle of organisms

• Catch up on things

Catch up on studies, long chats with friends/family or just plain relaxation on the couch!

• Camp in your backyard

Spend some time outdoors to get your Vit. D!

• Cook together

Learn a new recipe or ask your child to search on their own!

As a family, we are still trying to make a schedule and stick to it. We have successfully been able to do an hour or longer walks with our foster dog Tigger, put electronics away for 5 hours at a stretch (yay!), watch Netflix shows together in evenings after dinner, play games for an hour (board games or playing cards), work out for 30 minutes daily, able to get few books from the local library (before they closed until further notice), face time and talk to extended family, cook meals and make snacks fresh daily, and have daily conversations as a family about current events. This is our week of Spring break (March 16-20) from school, and we still have to plan for days coming up ahead.

With the news of the schools being closed in many places for a period of 3-4 weeks, please be patient as the teachers (myself included) plan and put up instructional materials for students to be accessed online. There are multiple free resources available for kids of all ages to use; sharing few here: Khan Academy, Discovery Education, starfalls.com, pbskids.org, National Geographic, Scholastic and Science Channel. Remember nature walks are still a luxury we all can enjoy! Sharing here few pictures from our neighborhood walk with our foster dog yesterday-

The most important need of the hour is to stay calm, be careful, stay safe, follow CDC guidelines, and do our part to flatten the curve. Kuddos to all healthcare professionals and all other silent heroes who are working non-stop at this hour of need. Prayers and blessings for everyone helping out and doing their part!

Conclusion

I am hoping that we all have had our unexpected moment of gratitude, seen or heard acts of selflessness, and got a blessing in disguise to pursue something we love. Dear readers, please share your personal experiences, if any, or if you have any other resource/s for our blog family members, please comment below or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com

Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion, and in no way should be taken as professional advice. Please check the facts on the USA.gov website for accuracy and data.