Staying sane through the confinement

Several friends are starting to feel the stresses of being largely confined to home, of having kids out of school, of being unemployed, of running short of supplies and being unable to replace them (getting from store to store to search for out-of-stock goods is challenging if you rely on public transit or have mobility issues). Creative friends are running out of juice. Even the introverts are struggling against anxiety and depression that comes with isolation.

So what to do? It is tempting to offer a list full of good ideas.
- tidy your living space
- take the opportunity to learn something new
- use the time to finish projects
- keep yourself/your kids on a schedule
- etc.

Sometimes, just focusing on personal hygiene is all you can manage, so I won’t offer lists but I do offer sympathy and love.

I spent the weekend forcing myself to deal with the mending basket. My incentive was two pairs of summer pants I bought on sale last fall. They were a little long so needed to be re-hemmed. Spring is almost here and I want to wear them! I made reasonable progress (three pairs of pants, wrist warmers, a dish cloth, two pairs of tights, some underthings) plus I found a scrap of leather that I cut into long laces so I can re-lace a pair of my medieval shoes. I have had those shoes for about 20 years and the laces have always been too short. My reward was knitting my mitten, which is finally getting to a stage where I can contemplate it being done.

The harder thing was getting off my behind to do something physical. I know I need to move. I know I always feel better when I do so. And yet.... Eventually, I did a Yoga with Adriene session, and I do feel better for it.