Increased time spent at home along with missed social interactions in the workplace, at Guns Save Life meetings and at church takes a lot of us out of our comfort zones.
Here are some ideas on how to stay a little more “sane” in this time of at-home quarantine.
Perhaps first and foremost is to keep yourself well-rested. Lack of sleep reduces your body’s immune system effectiveness, so don’t stay up all night binge-watching TV. This applies to your kids too.
Keep your mind exercised!
- Reading. Visit your bookshelf and pick something you haven’t read and enjoy it. Or find something you particularly enjoyed previously and rediscover it. Or read the good book for spiritual guidance.
Enjoying a movie or television series on Netflix/Hulu or whatever streaming service you subscribe to. Or break out DVDs of your favorite movies. - Video games.
- The Internet. Learn about new things, watch YouTube videos, read news and opinion, or browse social media. You have an entire library (and some might say movie theater) at your fingertips via the Internet.
- Family board games or card games.
Don’t forget physical exercise.
- Walk outside to get some fresh air and virus-killing sunshine. Spending an hour or two outside each day reduces stress dramatically and boosts your mood.
- Exercise. Burpees, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, lunges and jumping rope are all great ways to elevate your heart-rate for a minimum of 30 minutes each day.
- Do stretching to maintain your flexibility.
- Mow the lawn or tend to your flowers and/or garden.
Unplug for a time.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends taking breaks from watching, reading or listening to news stories, including social media. Again, take time to unwind away from technology. Make your kids do the same.
Self-improvement and organization.
- Clean your guns.
- Do some dry-fire exercises after double-checking that your firearm is unloaded.
- Clean out your closets/drawers.
- Organize your supplies. You may have more stuff than your remember.
INFECTION PREVENTION:
If you do venture out for supplies…
- Minimize participants.
- Use your grocer’s “pick-up” option or delivery to minimize your contact with others.
- Make sure you have hand sanitizer and use it frequently on both hands and face if you leave the vehicle.
- Use disinfecting wipes to wipe down shopping cart handles.
Upon returning home from shopping or work…
- Leave your shoes outside or in your mudroom/garage. Keep them away from your family/pets. The Coronavirus can last a few days on surfaces, depending on the type of material.
- Then go directly to your washing machine/dirty clothes basket and take off your outer clothing and put it all in the washer or a clothes bag destined for the laundromat.
- Then take a shower.
In a nutshell, practice your social distancing and infectious control to stay healthy.