International Travel – Canceled
NBA – Canceled
March Madness – Canceled
Conferences, Concerts, Tours – Canceled
Schools and Universities – Canceled
Disney – Canceled
That said, all hope is not lost. Believe it or not, there may be a silver lining to all of this. Quite frankly, seeing the silver lining is going to be the only way we’ll get through this with a hint of sanity.
Here are 10 super important and soul relieving things that are not canceled due to coronavirus!
Corporate Responsibility
I was over the moon excited to see that yes, this does still exist. Many corporations are stepping up and offering some help to parents, students, and employees during this impossible time. Most recently, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan announced that he’s giving schools free video conferencing tools to assist with students’ digital learning platforms. Comcast is offering free internet for low income families, with both Comcast and T-Mobile upgrading everyone to unlimited data for the next 60 days. Additionally, UHaul is giving free storage to displaced college students and Scribd is offering a host of free task management tools for teachers. Kudos to these companies and I’m looking forward to hearing about more companies stepping up soon!
Arts and Culture
While we aren’t physically going to public museums for a while, we can still enjoy some arts and culture without leaving the house. Google has partnered with over 500 museums across the globe to offer virtual tours of their exhibits and access to their collections. These include some of the most famous museums in the world such as the Guggenheim in New York and The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. You can access these museums HERE.
Check out the full list of Coronavirus Freebies from businesses here!
Wealth Building
Sadly, many people are freaking out over the potential economic impact of this coronavirus crisis. People are temporary losing jobs as businesses are forced to close. International trade is deeply impacted. Not to mention the hit on the travel and tourism industries. Even if you are one of the fortunate ones to still be able to work full time or receive paid leave, it’s always important to be forward thinking in your wealth building efforts and investments. I’m not super big into stock trading or anything, but I did finally sign up for a free account on Robin Hood and will be looking into various investment opportunities over the next few weeks/months.
Healthy Eating
No, I’m not going to lecture anyone and say that stocking up on canned goods and ramen is a bad idea. I mean, we don’t know what’s to come and non-perishable foods are going to be a necessity. However, whenever possible, we can still choose healthier options with longer shelf lives, cook meals from scratch, and incorporate some healing herbs and spices.
Depending on where you live, actually planting some fresh fruit and vegetables are a good idea right now.
If you’re thinking about starting your own organic garden, here are some veggies to start your garden with!
Human Connection
I know this term “social distancing” makes us feel like we’re going to be total hermits for the next few weeks. Unless you’re already an introvert, in which case, you might feel it’s your time to shine. However, even though we probably aren’t hanging out at the mall or going to the movies, human connection is not completely canceled. Facetime your friends, do some group chats, and dare I say it…make phone calls! Facebook and social media isn’t enough – keep up with and actually connect with other humans guys.
Exercise
Similarly, as some of us are staying away from public gyms right now, keeping up some sort of exercise routine is going to be super important. Walking, jogging, bike riding around the neighborhood, etc. are easy. Plus, you can usually find some good guided fitness and yoga classes available on Amazon Prime, Xfinity on Demand, YouTube, etc. One of my favorites is the BeachBody on Demand program which is not free, but has some really intense workouts to keep you on your exercise game. Tip: Find a buddy to team up with on on Beachbody on Demand program! Share the cost and keep each other accountable.
See also: 5 Daily Exercises to Relieve Anxiety
Structure and Routine
I’ll be honest, this is one of the things I’m most terrified of over the next few weeks/months. My first thought when I learned that schools were closing and the kids were going to be home with me all day was that this is going to be an absolute freakin mess. But my Facebook friends came through with some awesome ideas and sample schedules for the days to come. For example…
7-9am: Breakfast
9-12: School Work
12-1pm: Lunch/Break
1-3pm: School Work
3-3:30: Break/Snack
3:30-5: Chores, etc.
You get the picture. And you can adjust it according to whatever works for your family like if you want to sleep in later, which is not a bad idea!
Khan Academy also has an amazing guide for at-home school schedules by grade.
Family Fun
Yes, we are going to have lots and lots of family time over the next few weeks/months. Try to make at least some of those hours pure fun and family bonding opportunities. Things that are not canceled due to coronavirus: board games, family dinner, movie nights, laughter and creating memories.
For example, I’ve been teaching my kids some of my favorite games from my childhood and having an absolute blast. Check out these 21 old school games to teach the kids this quarantine.
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Fresh Air
Let’s not be confused. Coronavirus (as far as we know) isn’t that crazy outbreak from Bird Box where you aren’t allowed to open doors and windows. I’m deciding that now is the time to set up my patio set, get some backyard games put up in the backyard and whatever else we can do to guarantee us some fresh air every day!
Me Time
Last, but definitely not least, your “Me Time” is not canceled mamas! You may have to get a little more creative with it since things like your usual spa day or vacation are probably out of the question. Reading books, talking to friends, some mild binging a non-family-friendly show…whatever it is you love or need every day, do it! Whether you get your me time by waking up a little earlier, staying up later or outright demanding that time for yourself, you’ll have to find a way!
Part of us all getting through these next few weeks or months is going to be taking care of ourselves, each other and maintaining/attracting good energy. It’s not going to be easy, or even fun at all times, but the important thing is that we get through this safely and quickly. Love and peace to all of you! Keep calm and wash your hands!
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Yes!!!! We can’t let this weird time steal everything from us! This is the best post I’ve read today!
YES!!!! A GREAT reminder to people – THIS IS NOT THE TIME to give up on everything. It’s the time to take care of things that you put on the back burner because you were “too busy” to do them before!!!
I love doing virtual tours and cooking healthier. I have to start doing some exercise though but at least I am walking around outside my house.
It’s true that many things are canceled, but at least we have a virtual way to keep up with people. Great post!
These are some really good tips and resources and things to do that I find so useful. I can really put them to good use.
It is very important to maintain a positive perspective but if this self quarantine goes for another month, I might lose my mind.
I am loving the Google virtual tours and getting to explore museums that I’ve visited in the past. This quarantine is definitely what a lot of us needed on a spiritual, personal level. It’s time to catch up on the things we didn’t have time to do before due to our 9-to-5 jobs: self-improvement, self-reflection, learning new skills, etc. It sucks that it comes with an air of anxiety and stress but I think we will be alright in the end.
Thank you for the uplifting post! So many things not canceled. I spend my free time.playing with my babies and blogging – not canceled. But even so, I will welcome normal life back.
Schools are not cancelled, however, this is our concern. Would the schools (especially private schools) will give us rebates for those weeks that our kids didn’t use the facilities we’ve already paid? That is something that we look forward to.
I am still keeping my exercises up and I have talking to my family a lot these days. Its hard during these times.
I agree some things should not be put on hold no matter what especially eating healthy and family fun.
This is an excellent list of things to do while in quarantine. I am going to use your list of games as a resource. Here’s another good list one of my clients published: https://www.amdataservice.com/about/blog/Resources-For-Parents-Working-Remotely_AE51.html
Great points! Life goes on regardless of stuff like travel being cancelled, and this is a great way to make the best of it!
exercise! – you hit me with this. why am i soooo tired to work out? Uh oh. I should really be working at it. Thanks for this reminder.
I agree with all the things you wrote in this article. I am now finding the time to do the things I have always been putting off before. Every day may be filled with uncertainty, but as long as we have our loved ones with us, we can survive this and be more appreciative of what we have been blessed with.
I think what we are going to learn from this time is that we need to be thankful for the simple things. Like you listed above, these things are going to be here forever and we need to be aware and thankful for them!
Yep! Life is not as planned now. Cancelled trips, no spring and summer shoppings. For my kidsake, I am doing virtual tours and cooking healthier. Started yoga on every morning.
I love all the positivity in this post! I am going to share this with a few of my friends. There are a lot of good things we can do right now during the stay-at-home orders for COVID19
what a nice list! great job reminding us of all we have to be thankful for. enjoy your me time.
Best things you mentioned and reminded us thanks.
I think I’ll try this Robin Hood app. Thanks I’m also writing a post now on structure during this time it’s so important to out mental health
I will keep the advice in mind. I have ignored many these sadly. I’m bookmarking this to be reminded of the steps.
Thanks for the list. At least there are some things that aren’t canceled!
I agree. While a lot of things are canceled there are tons of things we can still do a home. Eating healthy is number 1 and very important right now to stay well.
With so many cancellations due to Covid, I’m glad to see some things that are not canceled. Something to look forward to.
Absolutely agree with you! We are trying our best to stay fit by doing exercises regularly!
Healthy eating and exercising is a must. Thank you for this awesome post. I forgot a few things that I need to get back on track!
I agree with all the points in the blog post. Its time to focus on the optimistic side and entertaining and engaging resources.
I love this. It’s so easy to forget everything that we can still do when all we hear about is everything that is canceled. We are really using this time around my house to spend time as a family and to try and build on new ideas.
This article is like a fresh air in this situation. Exercise is the most important thing that we should not skip. If we can’t go to gym a simple free hand will do lot of good.
I am trying to keep a routine, exercise and outdoor time is helping me stay positive
This Pandemic Coronavirus lockdown is perfect for me to have a me time and spending a lot of my time for my family.