How are you staying sane?

[steelyman]

That’s a very sane post, W2R. You do what you do, we all do!

[jollystomper]

The only regular things (activities that I do more than once a week) that have been eliminated for me are golf, gym, bowling, and in person socializing. I still have plenty of other things to do. Even the socializing we can still do via skype, webex, and zoom. For me this is more a time to relax and smell the roses.

Being thankful every second for our situation also keeps me sane. In truth, this in not really impact our lifestyle. My portfolio might be smaller, but all that means is that we might leave less to our heirs. We still do not have to worry about loss of a job or paying the rent/mortgage or directly dealing with illness, as many others do. We can still afford whatever food we want and/or is in stock. We are still just as healthy as when this thing started.

Finally, I limit watching the news to get the basics, as I was taught in grade school what to glean from stories: who, what, when, where, why. I can get that in about 5 minutes. Everything else devolves into why-extended-into-who-should-be-blamed, how, predictions/speculation for the future, how celebrities are doing/being impacted, etc. - stuff needed to fill the rest of the news cycle time but is not meant to increase sanity.

[Calico]

I snuggle with my cats more.

I limit my intake of TV news to one hour per day. Consuming more than that keeps me awake at night.

I keep as much routine as possible, given that I am working from home and the "normal" routine went out the window three weeks ago.

I mark the days off on the calendar - otherwise I will forget what day it is - they are all running together due to their sameness.

I step outside and spend a few minutes in the sunshine every day.

I keep in touch with family and friends - we all check in with each other frequently.

I allow myself a few extra treats/snacks (in moderation).

I make sure I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night - extremely important.

I watch the late night comedy shows (in their new iterations).

I walk on the treadmill. I honestly think without that I would lose my sanity!

[TheHobbit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 I'm doing deferred yard work. I hate it. I'm also walking the dog about 5 times per day.

I tried to get a dog to walk..... turns out the shelters are out of dogs. At least something good is coming of this.

[TexasPE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by statsman He was doing this weeks before his physical, blood and urine tests. A check for a bladder infection was done since we indicated at the time of the appointment about the episodes. This cat has had similar episodes in years past, but they were so infrequent we never saw a pattern. He did tag our DD's backpack when she came home for a visit three years, and he also tagged the bedspread the stagers placed on our DD's bed when we sold our house in early fall 2018. The vet thinks this might be behavioral related, and those are difficult to correct.

same issue - Our vet put our adult male cat on Prozac - did the trick! Of course he spent hours just staring into the distance...

[Squirrel]

sunshine (walking the dog) and knitting:

“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.” ... Elizabeth Zimmermann

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHobbit I tried to get a dog to walk..... turns out the shelters are out of dogs. At least something good is coming of this.

I hope it is from so many adoptions and not from dogs in need not being rescued.

[ckelly78z]

I consider this layoff from work a Godsend, allowing me to casually get one project after another done on the farm. I take 1.5 hour lunches, play with the dog, type a few responses on threads in different forums, and relax with my wife in the evenings.

Almost like retirement practice. Tomorrow, i'll tackle the garage, and get out on my Ebike.

[statsman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasPE same issue - Our vet put our adult male cat on Prozac - did the trick! Of course he spent hours just staring into the distance...

That almost sounds sad. We've been watching the slow downward trajectory of our 12-year old for about three years now. It wasn't obvious while it was happening, but it only became known after looking backward (I see an investment analogy in there somewhere). The last 2-3 months have been difficult, and that is putting it mildly.

[MRG]

I had a phlebotomy right before national attention was focused on the current issues. The procedure knocked my anxiety out of me. Now when I do deep breathing its like a great new drug. Ten minutes is better than 5mg of valium with out nasty side effects. I just breathe and relaxation and sanity return.

I'm also eating a lot of THC, like double my normal amount. [emoji4]

[mountainsoft]

I work from home anyway, so not much has changed for me. My wife started working from home last week, so we've been taking turns on my main desktop computer. I can do a little work on my laptop, but it's not very ergonomic or productive. So I've had extra time to cook more and catch up on my TV recordings.

I would really like to get outside, but it has been cold and rainy the last few weeks. We've even had snow the past few mornings. The yard is waterlogged, it looks like a swamp. Hoping for better weather next week. Unfortunately, all the trails in our area are closed, so I can't get out in nature right now.

On the plus side, I've been able to spend more time with my wife which I really enjoy.

[Dtail]

Went for a drive yesterday in 80 degrees with the top down. Beautiful.
Got the gutters finally done on the front of the house.
Next up is refreshing the garden for the spring.
Walking for exercise 5 days a week.
We still have delivery/takeout 3x per week.

[DrRoy]

Read, listen to music, take a walk every day, hold the dog, hold DW, edit and post photography, play some games, watch TV, do some chores, and plan things I want to do when this passes later.

[Ronstar]

Walks, bike rides, yard work, woodworking, fishing, TV at night. Making some maps, and organizing my workshop and photos. I'll put the kayak in the lake starting today if I have enough time.

[FIREd]

I am simply keeping my pre-Covid routine. I wake up and go to bed at the same time. I eat my meals at the same time. I wash, shave, and get dressed like usual, even if I’m not going anywhere. I don’t turn on the TV until later in the evening, etc... so I am maintaining a sense of normalcy.

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

The wheels of the truck go round and round....

Our entire five building complex is having the roof replaced and all the roof top air conditioner replaced.

Today a huge crane is arriving in a few minute to hoist stuff to the roof, and again Monday.

I might even celebrate by attire other than a robe while doing my marching around today.. lol

[Toocold]

I keep the same routine as before. I have been discovering that many theaters are putting some of their plays online for viewing. I watched one man, two governors with James Corden yesterday - hilarious!

[scrabbler1]

No big changes to my everyday life. Food shopping is a little tougher, but after miraculously finding a roll of paper towels (and of the exact sheet size and variety I like!) yesterday, I am now well stocked in all of my regularly bought items. My local pizza joint is still in business, thankfully, and making their great pies I buy once in a while, including last week.


I still have my ladyfriend to visit nearly daily. My best (snake-bit) male friend got furloughed and he has to quarantine himself for 2 weeks prior to his attending his upcoming Passover seder. I'll see him again in a few weeks.


I have my cable TV, phone, and internet. In fact, I recently discovered 2 channels I didn't know I had which have old shows I like, a pleasant surprise. I can still do my laundry in my apartment building. I can still buy gas for my car. Water and electric still work fine, as does the stove.


I still have my Strat-O-Matic baseball cards and have a project in progress. My square dancing ended in 2018 when the caller passed away. I did not seek it out elsewhere, although if I had it would have been canceled this month.


I'd say the only thing gone I wish were still here are the public libraries closed indefinitely, so I can't get any new books to read. I wish they could find a way to reopen, with social distancing, at least to take out books. It's not like they are crowded with lots of people. Everyone was already pretty spread out.


I got my monthly dividends from my bond funds. They were normal, no reductions in the cents-per-share. So I got money coming in to pay the bills, keeping a decent cushion. My ER is in no danger.


I am entering the 6-week period where I visit doctors and other medical service providers for regular appointments. Some are being rescheduled, others may be by phone. But they are all still in business.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollystomper Being thankful every second for our situation also keeps me sane. In truth, this in not really impact our lifestyle. My portfolio might be smaller, but all that means is that we might leave less to our heirs. We still do not have to worry about loss of a job or paying the rent/mortgage or directly dealing with illness, as many others do. We can still afford whatever food we want and/or is in stock. We are still just as healthy as when this thing started.

I am reminded of this daily and I'm trying to increase my donations to charities such as food banks. The most dramatic impact for me other than the "shelter-in-place" bit has been a curtailment of travel, and that's laughable compared to the problems of many people. The rest of the list:

My daily workouts. Downloading library books to read. Work in the garden. Zoom for Toastmasters, virtual "Happy Hour" with my fellow church members on Fridays and Bible study on Sunday mornings. NOT updating my portfolio values during down days in the market. E-mailing a lot to the people I can't hug right now. Sticking to my regular sleeping, etaing, housecleaning routines.

[SumDay]

Listening to podcasts
Reading (the books I have checked out from the library are now not due to 5/15!)
Watching CNBC
Walking the dog
Riding my trike
Thinking about what my flower gardening will look like this year
Lots of cooking, and lots of eating
Organizing the procurement of groceries which is no small task these days
Yoga, meditation spiritual reading and prayer

I'm an introvert, so the seclusion is much easier on me than on DH.