- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
- Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep.
- Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. Try a jigsaw puzzle or game alone or with your family
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
- Gyms and fitness studios – chains and local businesses – are offering virtual workouts, some for free and some for a fee.
Visit these sites for you and your family many are free
- Freedomhomeschooling.com and go on virtual field trips with your family
- Openculture.com the best free and cultural media on the web, movies, language lessons, and online courses
- The online music festival Sofa King Fest is a directory of streaming performances by an ever-revolving array of artists.
- Broadwayhd.com take your pick of Broadway shows free for 7 days
- Metropolitan Opera is streaming free past performances each night.
- RangerRick.org free three-month subscription for your children
- Bluprint offers classes in arts and crafts, a two-week trial is free.
- Noted illustrators are posting free classes, although most are for kids. Dozens of museums and libraries are offering free downloads of coloring books.
- The Kennedy Center in Washington wants to help you learn how to doodle and create art at home with a free video each weekday with Mo Willems, demonstrating creative projects.
A private museum visit from your own home. There’s no jostling and you don’t have to struggle to read the interpretive label despite the tourists pushing in front of you. Set aside an hour, turn off your phone and social media, and embark on one of these surprisingly enjoyable online tours
- The Louvre and Musee d’Orsay in Paris
- The British Museum in London
- The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
- The Guggenheim in New York
- The Vatican and its Sistine Chapel in Rome
- Google Arts & Culture also has content from more than 1,200 museums and archives, including 500 virtual tours.
Have a virtual dinner party
Video chat with your friends while cooking the same recipe. i.e. Bon Appetit, Kitchn published a nutritionist’s advice on what to buy and what to avoid when stocking up on groceries and etiquette for shopping trips. The New York Times has a list of easy recipes.