During Covid 19 lockdown we need to keep busy to retain our sanity. What better way than to use our imagination and stretch our creativity. We can not only rediscover forgotten talents and skills, but develop talents and skills we didn’t know we had.
As the date for lockdown loomed, we raced from store to store to collect as many puzzles, board games and scrapbooking materials as we can get before the stores run out of stock. Those privileged enough to have a backyard bought outdoor games like swingball, and even table tennis equipment. Anything to keep boredom at bay.
But as it is, we, humans are never satisfied. There must always be something new to stimulate our already overactive brains. All those things we planned to do are just not enough. Boredom is always lurking around the corner. Giving in to boredom can lead to depression and then to despair.
A good way to cope with this period of isolation is to stay calm, relax and think. Our normal busy lives do not have much room for those. Inactivity and time to reflect, are luxuries we hardly ever allow ourselves. Yet, they are essential for healthy minds, bodies and healthy living in general. Now, forced upon us by an organism so tiny it cannot be seen, we don’t know how to cope with it.
After every puzzle is built, the hundredth table tennis match and board game is played; after all the scrapbooking materials are used, the unthinkable happens: the period of isolation is extended. At this point it becomes necessary to rethink our strategy. This is where creativity kicks in. We find new things to do; we find new ways to do old things. We can do this by putting some serious thought into every action we take.
For those who love physical activity, lockdown can be more trying than for others. But there is a way around it. Using the cats as weights, you can lay on the floor and push the cats up as many times as they will allow. Or hug the dog in both arms while doing one hundred squats. Put on some music and dance with your toddler.
You’ll never know if you can sing if you don’t try. This might be your last chance to find out. Put some music on and sing along; turn the volume down and record your singing. You might discover you’re a good singer even if everybody finds something to do in the next room. You have the recording to prove it.
The doodlers have the perfect opportunity to explore with something more than pen or pencil on paper. They can add a little color to their doodles. Perhaps they can doodle a little more thoughtfully and try to work towards an end product. Progress to sketching something that is not too hard. If you like the end product, go right ahead and sketch some more. The more you do, the better you’ll get. By the time the pandemic is history, you might have become an accomplished artist. If not, at least you have used up all the leftover paints that’s been collecting dust in the garage.
Needlework is a challenge many people are scared to tackle. If you’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer, now is your chance to test yourself. You can’t go out and buy fabric, just use those old curtains that take up so much space in the hall closet. Get online instructions and get started. Perhaps it is easier than you thought. Perhaps patience and perseverance is all it takes. Now, go on and create an outfit, stunning and stylish, to celebrate your first day back at the office. If you don’t get it right you can always donate the finished garment to the local play group. Maybe they can use it as a costume in their next presentation of The Rocky Horror Show.
When my uncle retired—he was headmaster of an industrial school—he took up knitting. Being a man who has done the best he could with everything he started, he became quite good at knitting sweaters and scarves under the watchful eyes of his very skillful wife. It could be knitting or crocheting is for you. Try it, just for fun. You never know what might come of it.
Whatever you do to keep yourself occupied, make sure you take time to relax, enjoy your family, your pets, and appreciate life. It is not guaranteed. Death is—but don’t go out looking for it. Stay indoors and stay healthy. And thank the Creator that He is there with you through it all, protecting you and caring for you. The best thing you can do during this time, is getting to know Him better, reconsider your lifestyle, and perhaps, if you’re not, come to believing in the One the Father sent so you may become His son/daughter.
