I felt like I should do a post in these challenging days. Many of us find ourselves spending more time in our homes. Kids are home from school. Folks are teleworking. Public spaces are closed, so they don’t provide an outlet. It’s difficult — even apart from the fear and concern about the virus.

So here are my suggestions for getting through these days without going crazy or killing someone:

• Try to establish a daily schedule. You want to keep things as ordinary as possible. It’s not a short-term snow day. We are in this for the long run.
• Get dressed every day. An occasional pajama day is fine, but you shouldn’t live in jammies for weeks at a time.
• Try to get outside for a little while each day. Take a walk. Work in the yard.
• Ignore screen limits.
• Break out the recipes that you never make because they take too long (breads, braises, etc.). Since you are at home all day, they become much more viable.
• Pick a few projects that you can work on. Do your spring cleaning. Clean the oven. Declutter a closet. Re-organize a cabinet.
• Check on your neighbors, but don’t visit them!
• Do something every day that’s just fun. Play a game. Do a craft. Read a book.

The key is to try to keep balance in every day. This new normal could last for a while so establishing safe and healthy patterns will get you through.