It's awful. This virus is spreading so quickly and easily. It's definitely terrifying to watch the economy collapse and small businesses struggle. I'm one of those small businesses. I was able to go full time in my business back in October 2019, and it's been absolutely amazing having everyone support the products I've designed. I know we're all struggling financially now, and as much as I'd love sales, I'd rather offer some ideas for what you can do to keep yourself sane and feeling accomplished while you're at home.
- BUST OUT THAT DUSTY DO TO LIST
You know, all the things you've wanted to do, but haven't had time for: reading, baths, organizing your closet, organizing the garage, going through the pantry (you might get some fun meals out of that). - FIND SOME STRUCTURE
We gave ourselves a day to sit and wallow in what was happening, and now we're trying to keep our days as structured as we can. Wake up as close as possible to when you normally would, eat meals at a similar time, try to go to bed at a reasonable time etc. - MAKE SURE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY OR FEEL GOOD AT LEAST ONCE A DAY
Happiness and uplifted spirits are key right now, otherwise we'll all get sucked into a hole of darkness. For me, it's folding. I've cut some papers and have an ongoing project that I spend a little time on every day. I've also used the extra time to draw out a bunch of ideas that have been floating around in my head for new products! - EXERCISE!
30 minutes of movement a day will keep those endorphins up and help with your mood (not eating a ton of junk food also helps, but sometimes ya gotta cheat ;) I have an under desk elliptical that I got on Amazon years ago that I try to hop on three to five times a week just to get moving. Of course, if the weather is nice, outside with the pups is always the first choice. - DO SOMETHING TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE
It's hard to see, but everyone is affected. Pay it forward, do a good deed, whatever isn't a huge strain on you to do something for someone else. In these times, all we have is each other, and this is a great chance for our society to reconnect and recreate that sense of community. Many of my friends in our community are also small business owners. I spent some time creating an online ordering system for a close friend who owns a bakeshop so that she could remove the handling of money or credit cards. - HAVE KIDS? MAKE SURE THEY'RE STAYING ON A SCHEDULE
Keep to life as usual with chores, school work, reading, etc. It will be like the end of summer break (but longer) by the time they go back, so keeping a semblance of routine is key for them. I've had some custom requests to adjust my chore chart magnets to help keep track of school tasks – so I'm happy to help you create any systems that may be helpful for you in this time!
Stay sane, guys! I think it's going to be a while before we're back to “normal.“ I'll keep posting here, and on Instagram and Facebook with ideas as they come to me on how we can stay positive, as much as possible, during this time.
