Finding Joy During Quarantine

In May 2020, Stuff by Raleigh MagazineLeave a Comment

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For those of you quarantining by yourself, you may be starting to get lonely. Even those of us with roommates, significant others or staying with family can tend to feel isolated or gloomy spending so much time at home. While it’s certainly not the happiest of times right now, we all have to try to focus on the positives of our situations and to make the most out of them. For Happiness Happens Month, we asked local life coaches for simple ways to find happiness during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Brittney Asch: Asch Counseling and Development

Host virtual game nights. There are lots of ways to use technology to spend quality time with loved ones. The “Houseparty” app has a way to chat with friends and family face to face while playing built-in games. Other games you can play with friends include Code Names and Skibblio. My recommendation is to use one device to play on and one device to video chat.

Find ways to make meaning out of this time and give back. Write letters to residents at a local nursing home who can’t see their loved ones. Convert a neighborhood “little library” into a food pantry. Put encouraging artwork or messages on your windows for neighbors walking by to enjoy.

Learn a new skill. Try out a new recipe, make homemade pasta, learn to cross-stitch… 

Create a nature scavenger hunt and go for a walk in your neighborhood.

Lamont Taylor: Changing the Game Life Coach

Have nostalgia family night. Watch an old school movie, play a game like Charades, Name That Tune or War, or have a dance competition. Zoom with family and friends to get them involved.

Laura Reichert: Triangle Life Coaching

Make a vision board and consider inviting friends or family members for a virtual vision board party. A vision board shows what you’re seeking in life and prompts you to consider what you want.

Before starting your board, ask yourself what your goals are and what you want your life to be like. Decide what areas of life you wish to address, such as relationships, family, sports, health, school or your career. 

Gather supplies, including a large poster board, crayons or markers, magazines with plenty of headlines, pictures, scissors and glue. Browse through the magazines and your own collection of photos for images that reflect your goals and dreams. Choose words that are centered around the things you desire, the place(s) you want to live, or anything else representative of your thoughts and emotions. If you can’t find the right words, write your own with markers.

Arrange and rearrange the pictures on the poster board until you love how it looks, then affix your collage with glue. Display your vision board in your den, bedroom or somewhere you’ll see it every day so you can get excited about the prospect of achieving your goals.

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