The entire world is screaming cleanliness, quarantine, coronavirus pandemic, etc. My heartfelt prayers for those who are affected. Most of us are forced to stay indoors, stare at computer screens and maintain social distance which may lead to boredom and depression. More importantly, the kids are the worst affected because they are clueless about how to spend their time and energy. Reading the last three sentences sounds scary. How can we get over this challenging period.
Life is all about perception. What are we looking at?
Let me explain...
How many days have we felt guilty, “I am not spending enough time with my child, he will be off to college soon”?
How many days have we complained, “Half my day goes in commute. I hate this.”?
How many days have we longed, “I wish I could have hot, homemade food every day.”?
I believe the ABCDE approach, I created for you can transform this period of challenge into an opportunity.
A. Allocate time & space:
Schooling/Working from home can get erratic and crazy before you realize it.
Allocate time for every activity, just like school/office/after-school classes and stick to it.
Allocate space for everyone to work in your family (Not the bed). A desk/table and chair at the right height will bring in more focus and seriousness.
B. Brighten up:
Working with your pajamas, while sitting on a couch facing a white wall can bring in boredom, tiredness, and disinterest sooner.
Brighten yourself: Dressing up helps you focus better, take your work seriously.
Brighten your space: Sitting in a well-lit place makes you feel better.
Brighten with colors: Face colorful things while working. It could be a natural scenery from a window, a bright painting or anything colorful. It lifts your mood up!
C. Chores:
With the entire family inside the house, our kids get hungry sooner, our kitchen sinks fill up faster, and our home gets messy sooner.
Create a chore time, for everyone in the family - a good family activity!
D. Detox:
Our fast-paced life has introduced excessive toxic items, namely processed foods, video games, screen time, etc.
Cooking a meal as a family or playing board games, etc would be the best detox.
Exercising together is a great mood booster.
E. Experience:
Life is an experience. You don’t need costly vacations to exotic places to create wonderful memories.
Experience togetherness in a family lunch/dinner time sharing funny incidents/jokes. (Not discussing grades & work pressure).
Experience togetherness by watching movie classics as a family
Can you make this COVID-19 confinement into a positive experience for your family?