What helps you to stay sane during these times?

[FearlessSwiftie]

It was okay for me at first. Staying at home, doing things around the house... Now I feel like I'm going crazy because of this sitting in 4 walls for 95% of the time. Maybe it's about the weather and this time of the year and my urge to go out for a walk, idk, but I still don't feel like reading and drawing help me as they used to. Maybe meditation is a way to go?

Mumsnet

🤣🤣🤣

Very much just joking!

I'm quite happy at home. I have a lot of paperwork type stuff that needs sorting out & quite a lot of practical jobs that need doing, between that chatting/texting/FaceTime with family & friends and cleaning, cooking & the daily briefing, the time is flying past.

Im sorry you're struggling.

Seriously rationing news and social media. I tune into daily press conference in Radio 4 (but listen to other unrelated content). No TV. Bliss.
Routine is reassuring too.

Coffee and news.Bath and dress then chores,painting house today again.Gardening walk then tea and chill with fun tv.Mumsnet and FB.
I switch between my bedroom and garden for a change of scene.
Sorry you are struggling.

Chatting to friends on the phone. I have 2 elderly friends, in their 90s, who are a great joy to call. I feel more normal when I can be the 'me' that I am in those relationships so being able to bring out that 'me' during those calls helps to give a lift to 'home/inner me' when I get off the phone.

I have a garden. It needed a lot of love. I feel so lucky. I've been swinging between that and dragging old paint out and freshening up my shabby indoors.
And trying to maintain some modicum of humour and hoping to live to see the other side of it. It is awful for sure. But just keep hoping for it to end.

Audio books, I joined my local library online and downloaded barrowbox. Now I stick in my headphones, listen to a book while doing stuff. Keeps me away from the news and has given me back a love of books again.

That’s a good idea about borrowbox. I just can’t figure out how it works. Need to give it another go!

My family for sure - DH has really stepped up! And definitely our bunnies. I’ve spent so much more time with them than usual & they bring me so much joy.

How crowded is it where you are? Extra walks might be a solution.

I've used food. I've put weight back on that I'd lost and now it's either wear winter stuff or buy new clothes in the same size as the stuff i got rid of.

But I'm going to have a look at various meditation/yoga/tai chi on YouTube and give them a go. I'm going to go for a walk early, or late.

I do have a garden but the inability to get cheap plants is, meaning that I'm not interested.

Singing along with the radio, doing things I don’t usually have time for - I have perfectly pedicured feet for the first time in years , emailing friends, getting paperwork out of the way, finding things to make with the weird stuff at the bottom of the freezer,

There’s online theatre - have a look at Chichester Festival Theatre who are streaming some stuff.

My dh, going for a walk.

I'm struggling, I think for me it's the not knowing.

If I knew that this was going to go on until xx/xx I could settle down and make the best of it. But as things are I'm constantly looking for signs of hope.

I've also been watching things, i wouldn't have had time for on the other BBCs. The private life of chickens/cows. Railway journeys and the like.

I've been listening to audio documentaries on ancient Britains and Germanic people.

Im the same. Currently self isolating as DD not been well so can't even go for a walk at the moment.
For me:
Restricting the amount of news I'm reading it watching
Making sure me and DH both have 10 minutes to ourselves in his lunch break (he's WFH and we have two sma kids)
Taking each day as it comes
Reading in the evenings (this is one thing I look forward to every day)
Treating myself to something small at the end of each day (small glass of wine, having a long bath, some chocolate, etc)

We're lucky where we live - rural, we have a garden, and enough space in the house to not get on top of each other. Plus kids are 12 & 14, so don't need us as much as younger ones do.

We're keeping really busy, so DH and I both working (I'm on AL today), kids 'back' at school, we always have lunch and dinner together. Things we've done:

Daily walk - don't generally manage to get all 4 of us out, but there's usually at least 2.

Gardening - there's been lots to do

Exercise - my yoga studio is doing Xoom classes, so I'm trying to do at least 2 a week. I've also started the Joe Wicks PE this week (late to the party!), but have also done a few runs.

Cleaning - there's ALWAYS cleaning. This is bottom of my priorities!

Cooking - DD missed a school trip and we've missed a family holiday, so we've had themed food based on where we were supposed to go, and also has meant trying new things. So paella, churros and tortilla for the missed Spanish trip (made on separate days), Cinnabon rolls, IHOP pancake breakfast, fried chicken, popcorn shrimp and cocktails for our missed US trip. DH and I were also due to be going to Italy in May, so will probs do Italian themed too (Aperol Spritz anyone?).

Zoom/FaceTime/House Party calls with various friends and family. Probably around 2-3 a week. Plus quizzes (we've each had one from work, we've done one with groups of friends, plus the Virtual Pub Quiz on a Thursday on YouTube).

Decorating - we found some old paint and wallpaper, and managed to decorate the spare room last weekend. I've ordered more paint, and got more wallpaper ordered, so will be decorating downstairs loo and painting a couple more rooms. We moved house in the autumn, so again, there's loads to do. Have also pressure washed and teak oiled garden furniture and garage doors.

So all in all, we're keeping quite busy. We're VERY grateful to live where we do, I'm fully aware lots of what we're doing isn't as available to many people. But I have to keep busy, otherwise I get quite cross with myself and could easily slip into a sad, dark mood I think.

Free yoga and Quigong zoom classes. Book group online. Listening to podcasts. Looking through my bookshelves for books I haven’t read after buying them and then forgetting about them.
Zoom meditation. Far too much idle web browsing and looking at EBay. Too much baking and then eating it when I shouldn’t be.
Watching a lot of series on Netflix and iplayer.
I started off feeling really motivated. I’m becoming increasingly blob like. Even the daily walk has lost its appeal.
I should be watching free live streams from the National Theatre and concerts... but I’m not.

Finding something else to focus on. I'm on a mission to lose weight but I also have some physical goals around how quickly I can run a 5k and a 10k.

Between work (I'm working normally but from home), family stuff and running I do an ok job of not thinking about any of the big scary stuff.

I'm communicating to people online and that makes me feel much better, it feels like we are all together. That helps somehow... Also I try to learn at least 1 new thing every 3 or 4 days, recently I got really interested in Digital Photography School website, they post articles on photography and software, I'm learning how to take good portraits and edit them. I don't have a garden and tbh I never regretted it but now I almost do.

DD (and DP, sometimes)
Household tasks
Daily exercise
Internet / WhatsApp
Finding humour where possible
Old comedies