There’s so much negativity and pessimism floating around due to this forced quarantine right now. It’s so hard NOT to be Debbie-Downer or, even, Katty-Karen. We’re inconvenienced, we’re overwhelmed, we’re scared, we’re paranoid, we’re turning into a germaphobe, we are feeling all the emotions that add up to the perfect recipe for a disastrous breakdown. BUT, I’m here to tell you there is a bright side to this quarantine lifestyle. Try focusing on the gift this quarantine can be for you and your family instead of anything else negative. Here are several reasons quarantine has been and can be GREAT:
Closer to Nature
This is an obvious one. My own kids haven’t played this much in our back yard…ever. We’re outside every single day, for hours at a time even. We’re getting so much vitamin D and exposing the kiddos to so many new insects, flowers, games, and ideas.
The Gift of Time.
Pre-quarantine, I lived my daily life rushing. Every single morning, rushing kids out the house to school; every single afternoon, rushing to make this practice or that class on time; every weekend, rushing everyone to get dressed up and ready for some big event that we were most likely running late for. Time has stopped! I don’t have to rush anyone anywhere! The sense of urgency has disappeared, and I can just float from one idea/activity to the next.
My skin will thank me.
There’s no workplace to get to, no weekend events, no one to see. And because of that, I haven’t put on a full face of makeup in over a week, and my skin will thank me for it and maybe even look a little younger for when I do return to socialization…maybe.
“You’re the best, Mom!”.
I have earned SO many cool mom points with this quarantine. We’re doing ALL the fun things…and on school nights no less! We’ve had multiple family movie nights; we’ve gone on fun bike rides; we’ve had picnics and snack times outside; we’ve played fun games; we’ve purchased fun outside toys; we’ve increased our screen time by A LOT. We never would have done all of these things so often during the week because there was never any time – problem solved!
A new perspective
I don’t know about y’all, but my kids’ teachers are getting some serious Teacher Appreciation Gifts this April for Teacher Appreciation Day. Homeschooling my own kids now has allowed me to really understand and appreciate, even more, what these individuals do and go through on a daily basis – and willingly, too! This quarantine has forced this new perspective on me, and it has been eye-opening. Where do they get their patience?!
Social Distancing has brought us closer together.
We have done so much together as a family. Every meal is together; every weekend is together. My husband has even popped his head out of the office several times to join us whether in morning prayer, playtime, or for a walk. Ironically, without this mandated distancing, we might not have ever done some of these family things as frequently.
