The last time I wrote an “Elise’s Guide” it was a guide to using a port-a-potty at festivals. Wow…the idea of a 3 day old ripe port-a-potty certainly serves as nightmare fuel at this junction, so let’s move on. The reason why I was compelled to write that guide is because I felt like I had extensive knowledge on the subject, and my favorite way to get involved in our community is by sharing and receiving information. Today I have another guide on a subject I happen to know a little bit about. My current state is a far cry from the usual schedule filled with 10+ festivals and a new destination every weekend, but since being diagnosed with breast cancer and going through chemo in 2017-2018, I’ve learned a thing or two about staying at home.
What you might not realize, is that I’m kind of a homebody at heart. Sounds crazy for a girl unafraid to explore the open road for days or take a nice dirt nap in the sun, but I’m serious. As a kid my parents weren’t sure if grounding me to my room was even much of a punishment, since I always happened to be in there anyway. My room, or my home, as always been an oasis and a wonderland of entertainment for me.
So if you’re looking for a little inspiration for how to not suck at staying at home, check out my guide. None of these methods involve Netflix, because I feel like Netflix binges often leave me feeling a little bit drained and guilt-ridden. I mean, a “binge” of any kind is a generally unhealthy concept. Instead I made a guide of healthy and productive ways to make your day happy and relaxed, so we can come out of this better than we started before.
10 Ways to Have a Healthy and Happy
Stay at Home
1. Drink beverages
Now that you’re at home, you’re never far from a delicious beverage! Staying hydrated is an important part of staying healthy, and props to any drink that packs some sort of extra benefit, too. Kombucha has probiotics, oat milk has Vitamin D and A, seltzer all the bubbles with no sugar, and lemon water de-calcifies your pineal gland. It sounds like wook shit, but its fucking delicious, regardless!
2. Wear comfy pants and fuzzy socks
Preferably with polar bears on them.
You don’t have anyone to impress, so wear those crazy socks and don’t change your yoga pants for 4 days. I’m not judging.
3. Live Stream a concert
There’s a ton of music to watch live and couch tour enthusiasts are probably already a few sets deep. We made a list of live stream channels, groups, and shows for you to check out here: https://www.thejamwich.com/2020/03/17/live-streams-list-and-relief-funds-for-musicians/
4. Decorate your space
Yeah, boy, it’s time to break out those crystals! This is the moment they’ve been waiting for, to be lovingly arranged in the light of day. You probably have some posters or art lying around that you’ve been meaning to hang, too. Maybe you even have the tools to build some shelves for all those dusty nick-nacks, or some cork board to display your hat pins! Dig out your tapestries, photos, and anything you can find to adorn your space and make it more pleasant to be in.
5. Read books and learn stuff
I love Louis C.K.’s quote about being bored:
“I’m bored‘ is a useless thing to say. You live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless.”
There’s no better time than now to read a book or to attain some knowledge through reading. Raid your shelves for a book that you have been meaning to read, or would love to give a re-read. Find a guide how to build or make something, how to draw, how to fly fish. Learn some history or learn about another country. Even if you don’t have a lot of books at home, there is a wealth of knowledge online that you can explore. Ever gone into a Wiki-hole? Start with a subject you’d like to know about, and then click links in that article to take you to a new topic. I’ve learned a lot about Tudor history this way (I blame Renaissance fair), as well as j-horror and Japanese culture (yeah, I went through a phase, but I still would really love to go to Japan).
6. Light a candle
Fuck it, light all of them.
7. Cuddle all the things.
You can cuddle some stuffed animals, your dog, your hamster, or spouse. Maybe even your kids! It will give you a boost of that sweet, sweet oxytocin and endorphins.
8. Color, journal, or make art
All of these have one thing in common – creativity. Creativity can cause you to slow down your thoughts and remind you to enjoy the process. Don’t worry about making it perfect and instead enjoy the act, you succeed if you were able to fill the page or finish the piece. The success from even small victories like coloring a page can give us dopamine boost, and the feeling of journaling or expressing your feelings through art is therapeutic.
9. Clean your closet
Just kidding, I’ll do that later.
10. Get down to work
Working seems like such an American “hustle” culture thing to do, but I’ve never had a better night’s sleep than one after a day of productive work. If you own your own business or work from home, now is your time to play a little catch-up or develop ideas more. While a lot of us can’t escape our work just by being at home, the hustle and bustle of the daily schedule, errands, and social engagement has now slowed to give us time to breathe.
Besides your typical work load, I also mean to get down to work on yourself and the direction of your life. A vision board is a great place to start thinking about what you really want. Maybe you’ve been working a service job but always had a dream for an entrepreneurial venture, maybe you have a dream to be an artist, or simply travel the world. There’s only 18,250 days within 50 years, can you believe that? Somehow that seems like an impossible small number. After this is all over, however long it may be, I guarantee that life will once again speed up to its normal pace. You’ll go back to being busy maintaining or staying busy for the sake of staying busy without taking steps to be who you really want to be.. Any time is a good time to start the journey to your ultimate self and life, I challenge you to start now and make each day count.
While we may be isolating in place, we don’t have to isolate our hearts or our minds. Continue to reach out to each other in kind ways through phone calls or social media. Continue to check in with yourself and take care of yourself. A positive mindset is an important part of survival and being healthy, and any reason to recharge your life and your soul is a good reason. I hope you have a great day! Let me know your ways to have a good time staying at home.
