After a week of being quarantine for the coronavirus, I find myself getting a little stir crazy and wondering why. You would think the answer would be obvious, but it's confusing for me because basically I'm a homebody at heart. I know the 'stir crazy' part is purely psychological because normally it wouldn't faze me at all to sit home for over a week. This tells me that if I decide to stay home it's no problem, but if someone else tells me I have to, it's torture. In any case, it looks like I may be confined to my home or close to it for a while because we all need to take the virus very seriously. That being said, I've decided not to let this virus or my anxiety control my life. In a world where some have gone crazy with all the 'what ifs', I resolve to keep things on a positive level. My plan is: Stay home, keep my hands washed, find something that will keep me busy and contented.

Like many other people I know, I have lived through some good times and some very challenging, but through it all, I've learned that doing positive things for yourself and others can divert you from the negative. It's also essential to free your mind of troubling issues if only for a few minutes everyday. Don't dwell on all the bad information—try and watch the news in the morning and view only a brief update in the evening to stay informed. Or vice versa.

It may be difficult to figure out what you can do for someone else now that we're social distancing. Many people are doing things like helping their elderly neighbors get their groceries and that is great but I believe there are things we can do for everyone to get through this situation — Let others know what you're doing to preserve your sanity and what improvisations are working for you during this crisis.

Here's my list:

1. 1. Call someone instead of texting. Many people would appreciate hearing a human voice at this time.
   2. Clean out closets. Who knows what buried treasures you'll find?
   3. Take long walks and think about what you want to change when things get back to your normal.
   4. Dust off old exercise equipment and utilize them—wouldn't it be nice to emerge from the crisis looking better than ever.
   5. Dust off your bible—use this time to get closer to God.
   6. Teach your children a new card game: maybe cribbage.
   7.  Roll up the living room rug and dance to your favorite music. You'll feel better and it's a fun way to stay in shape.
   8. Go on social media and share your experiences—what improvisations are you using when everyday things aren't available.
   9. If you're a person who likes to go out to the bars or restaurants and are missing it terribly—try watching old reruns of Cheers on Netflix. There are lots of funny things in those old shows and best of all, you get the feeling you're in a place where everyone knows your name.
   10. Have a glass of wine once in a while but don't let alcohol be your only outlet.

Here's a list of things that can be a silver lining in the long run:

1. 1. Perhaps families will become closer and value each other more.
   2.  Maybe being stranded at home will teach you how to cook with the supplies you have and you'll become a better, resourceful cook.
   3.  Maybe your whole family will learn to be more conservative and you will save money after the crisis on the products that you use.

Share what you're doing to improvise and what you're doing to keep your sanity during this crisis. Post them in a comment on this website or on my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/donnalovitz/ Remember we're all in it together. Cheers to you!

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