Five Things Tuesday – Keeping The Pandemic Blues At Bay

 

Dr. Tanya over at Salted Caramel is our hostess for the Five Things Tuesday series.

Last Tuesday we did a post on your five most common emotions during the pandemic. Going through all your responses, the balance was predominantly negative – sadness, anger, frustration, loneliness and many similar ones. Yet we have come through the last 14 to 18 months somehow. This week I ask you to list the ways you kept those pandemic blues at bay. 

1) I have spent the last months stuck at home cleaning and purging things in my house. It has been very therapeutic for me. I have redone all three bedrooms upstairs. The work I did to give the rooms fresh paint, new quilt tops, new open spaces, and reduced clutter have been good for me.  I learned to work at a pace that was right for me. It didn’t matter that things took longer than what I hoped they would. No one was going to see my mess anyway. 

2) I have been scrapbooking like crazy lately. Every day I feel well, I am working on scrapbooking pages. It is a labor of love to be sure.  Being retired and stuck at home, means I can work as long as my body allows me to. Luckily, I have more supplies in my craft room than most stores do. It has been joyful to get back into the groove again. I am grateful for the ability to look at all the wonderful memories I have had.

3) Sadly, I have not been able to get into reading my books much. I have stacks and stacks in most rooms. My stamina to concentrate on a book, just isn’t there yet. The good news is that I have been spending much more time blogging. I typically read blogs before writing my own. I know I will never be able to read everything from everyone I follow, but I do my best. Blogging has kept me sane for sure. The blogging community is caring and uplifting

4) My garden is my grounding place. (literally and figuratively) I have removed and rearranged each of the beds. I didn’t purchase much of anything new until recently. I only shop at early hours to be as safe as possible. I have repainted the fence out back. Color makes me want to be there as much as possible. I tossed many of the outdoor art that was long past its prime. Others I repainted and rearranged. I recovered the cushions on my outdoor swing and outdoor chairs. I spend peaceful time there every single day. The wind chimes around the swing adds calm music to my experience.

5) I have spent these many months going deep into new programs. There is an abundance of podcasts with both free and paid options. This last weekend I watched many talks on The Wisdom Of Trauma.   It was so enlightening. I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to go deep on many topics had it not been for the time at home. I am grateful for using this time to explore new thoughts.