Thrive during quarantine? Survive and thrive during a pandemic?
Is that even possible?
Yes. It’s all about grace.
Grace is how we survive quarantine and thrive. Grace is how you flourish during a global pandemic. Hang on and I’ll share some simple and easy ways to not only survive, but truly thrive during quarantine or pandemic.
WISH PLANNING A PARTY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE?
Want to remember this post? Pin this post, How to Thrive During Quarantine or a Pandemic, to your favorite Pinterest board right now!
Surviving, Not Thriving
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve done a lot more surviving than thriving during quarantine lately. The first week of quarantine, I think I nearly lost my mind. I was in denial of what was really going on.
Quarantine started for us the week after our Spring Break. I remember having parent teacher conferences a couple nights before Spring Break, and they handed out remote learning equipment slips for all of us parents to sign. I remember thinking they were losing their minds, and that there was no way we’d actually not come back to school after our week of Spring Break.
Turns out, I was totally wrong.
The one extra week I thought we would get off from school turned in 8 weeks. I still can’t believe it. How in the world did 8 weeks go by so fast and so slow at the same time?
A Lot Has Changed
A lot in my life has changed in the past two months. We tried keeping the same schedule we had before quarantine, but we quickly learned that it wasn’t going to work very well.
Why would you make your teenage son get up at 6am to start school by 7? You wouldn’t. It’s that simple. We learned quickly that we didn’t need to get up super early because with remote learning, school doesn’t last as long either.
No More Rushing Around
I also learned that the days are very long when you can’t go anywhere or see anyone. Which means there is no reason to rush through anything or rush to anything. Meaning, we don’t have to hurry with breakfast every day in order to get to school on time. We don’t have to rush through dinner at night, in order to make it to soccer practice on time.
Rushing has come to a halt, which is actually a plus. No more rushing around means we have a lot more time to laugh – and boy do we! Our dinner time is full of giggles, which sometimes gets out of hand, but for the most part, it’s really fun!
WISH PLANNING A PARTY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE?
Twix and Netflix To The Rescue
While there has been a lot of good that has come out of being in quarantine, it’s still hard to thrive in quarantine. I’ve struggled, cried, moped around, had many days when I just gave up and ate the Twix and binged Skin Wars on Netflix.
Yes, Skin Wars. There are 3 seasons and I’m a sucker for super artistic people. But, that is not the point of this post.
Along the way, I did learn a lot about thriving during quarantine. To truly thrive it comes down to your outlook and how much grace you offer yourself and those around you. While I feel like I’ve spent a lot more time just barely surviving, I realized, with a little bit more grace, thriving is possible.
Grace in Quarantine
In order to thrive during quarantine or a pandemic you need to give yourself and those around you, a lot of extra grace.
Here’s what Grace in Quarantine looks like:
- Lower Your Standards: This means, chilling out when your house is a mess, and when your kid wears the same outfit 2 days in a row.
- Junk Food: Just go for it. Eat those Twix bars (they are the 100 calorie ones). And relax. The grocery stores barely have what you would normally buy anyways. So what? Buy the Double-Stuffed Oreos and the Twix!
- Stop Whining & Laugh: We all hate remote learning. So, stop whining and just laugh about it. Find the memes, and the funny YouTube videos and share them with your kids and laugh!
- Screen Time is OK: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I did. Cut your kids a break. Let them play. It’s how they connect with their friends right now, so let them.
- Get Outside: All of you. Your whole family. Get outside, away from your house.
- Have Fun: Have some fun. Do a craft. Play a game. Watch an old movie. No matter how old your kids are.
Thriving right now is so different from 6 months ago, but it’s still possible.
Thriving During Quarantine Is Frugal
The best part about thriving during quarantine or a pandemic is that it’s very frugal! I mean, where can you go? What can you do? Yes you can spend money online, but let’s be real, quarantine is a very frugal activity!
Afterall, you are staying home, so have fun there, instead of having fun out and about spending money! You don’t have to pay for gas, or restaurant food, or entertainment. You simply stay home, hang with your family, and make your own food. Trust me, you will be saving a ton of money!
I’ve noticed our family has really saved money on gas, restaurant food, and entertainment – we are even saving money on sports for our kids because we can’t play them right now. While, I truly miss eating out and going places, and having my kids play sports, I do love that we are saving money in the process and enjoying a ton of quality time together.
Fun Ideas for Kids During Quarantine
If your kids are running out of fun things to do, here are few ideas of fun things we have been enjoying while we try to thrive in quarantine.
Fun Ways to Thrive During Quarantine With Your Kids:
- Bake something – like cupcakes!
- Draw with chalk on your driveway
- Make homemade chalk
- Coloring Pen Pal
- Drop off fun notes and small gifts to your friend’s porch – ring the doorbell and run away!
- Make Chalk Mosaics
- Plant garden seeds
- Make bird feeders
- Play outdoor games
- Have a picnic in your backyard
- Have a car picnic with friends socially distanced
Cut yourself a break by embracing Quarantine life, no matter how different it is and THRIVE!
WISH PLANNING A PARTY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE?
You can do it.
Are you surviving or thriving right now? Comment below and let me know!
Leave a Reply