Spontaneity

Occasionally ditch your schedule to allow for spontaneity. This is to help you avoid getting sick of your schedule and resenting your life/work/school because of it. Humans are wired for an adventure filled life. I'm not encouraging reckless behavior when I state this fact, but it is a fact. We crave adventures. Allow yourself a small adventure every day to stay human.

Some ideas: Sit in a new place for your work time. Eat a new snack. Listen to a new music album. Research an aquatic creature you've never heard of before on Wikipedia. Call a family member or friend. Update your resume. The possibilities are endless. Be spontaneous.

Create something

This idea is not just for artists. Creating something meaningful to you is important. It helps you refresh a hobby or topic you love. Just like spontaneity, creating things are what humans are wired to do. I believe if we get out of sync with that natural desire then we feel dissatisfied with our day/week.

Some ideas: Bake cookies from scratch and add your own specialty candy ingredients to the mix. Create a new workout routine. Whittle/carve a beautiful object out of soap (I've done this, this is fun!). Try your hand at poetry. Make origami dragons. Create an original dance and post it on Tik Tok. Draw something.

Endorphin Boost

Endorphins help keep your heart and head happier. Moving and grooving is how you can increase your endorphin level, if you didn't already know. Exercising, dancing, walking, and jogging also helps burn off negative energy and calories. Your body will thank you for it. AND if you've been having trouble sleeping, exercise helps me sleep better.

One idea: There are many famous people (exercise instructors of all kinds) who are hosting free versions of their classes online during COVID-19. Take advantage of their yoga, pilates, and other free exercise classes while you can. Key word in my suggestion: free.

Confidence Boost

Confidence can be low when stuck at home. It's important to feel strong, capable, beautiful, intelligent, and more when fears and worries might be clouding the truth that you are all of these things already. Snap out of your funk and give yourself a confidence boost.

Some ideas: Dress up and have a fashion show. Work out (a healthy amount, pace yourself) until you feel gorgeous/handsome with your physique. Read old messages that people sent you a while back that reaffirmed your special qualities and gifts and talents. Write out your own gifts and talents, or ask your friends honestly, "What do you think my best qualities are?" (You can say it's for an interview or your employer if your worried about them asking "Why do you ask?") Read/watch the book/movie that makes you feel like you can be like your favorite character.

Quiet Time

Read this quote by Blaise Pascal:

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

I don't think this idea solves all of humanity's problems, but it could solve a lot of them!

Maybe your cabin fever is coming from something within you that needs to be addressed, but you've been busying yourself so much that you can't address the issue. Whether you have a problem you need to face or not, everyone needs to train themselves to sit quietly alone for a bit every day.

Silence is a good classroom in the school of life. Take advantage of this humbling space so you can grow in wisdom, love, peace, gratitude, and maturity. I'm not talking about bringing a book or any music, either. Just you and silence is what I'm encouraging you to do.

Some ideas: I suggest starting with 15 minutes of alone time, but whatever time frame you start at, sit alone for a time period that seems uncomfortable for you. When you can do that time period comfortably, then you can stretch that time a bit so you can continue to grow in the art of sitting silently all by yourself.

Be Challenged

Sudoko - Baking muffins for breakfast - Brain games - Reading your family's history book - Puzzles - Making a fancy Italian dinner.... These are some ideas of how you can be challenged in a new area. BUT WHY? Why should we challenge ourselves? COVID-19 is a difficult enough time without adding stuff on to our plate.

There are lot of benefits to being a bit challenged. We get outside of our comfort zones by being challenged. We break from our usual patterns of thinking by being challenged. We engage ourselves or others in a different way by being challenged.

But I think it's a good idea if you need a distraction. If I can't get a worry/fear out of my head, sometimes my best move is to sit at the piano and hash it out with those black and white keys. Making melodies and stories with music is challenging for me - yet it is also something I find rewarding. I want you to pick a challenge that helps you grow as a person but also move away from stress.

Chosen challenges are fun, so pick something you think you'll enjoy AND will be good for you at the same time. This is different from the "create" idea because this doesn't necessarily require you to create anything. A way I could challenge myself is to learn all the states in the United States again, because I definitely don't remember them all. I did in fourth grade, but that was a long time ago.

Actually, that's a really good idea for me. I'll do that this week.

But it gives your brain a bit of a work out, too. Brains need stimulation just as much as bodies need water, good food and sleep, hugs, and exercise.