How to Have Gratitude During Social Distancing

As we maneuver through these difficult times, it is important to ONE) follow the rules and TWO) to make sure we maximize the time that the quarantine is “forcefully” giving many of us.

When all of this first began to unfold, I am not going to lie, my heart and head were full of a lot of negative emotions and a huge amount of fear. I found myself not being the happy, engaging and creative mom that I was when I was working 80 hours a week . . .  and that was bleeding through to my ability to be a mom, boss, friend, and employee. Once I began to work through that emotion and refocus (which is still a work in progress) a lot of things started to come together.

With so many things out of our control, we still all have control over how we react. Being positive and finding ways to “enjoy” the quarantine is a great way to show our kids how to handle stressful and unsettling times and push us ahead when the dust settles.

“The real gift of gratitude is that more grateful you are, the more present you become.” -Robert Holden

We asked our writers to share with us some of the positive things that have come from the quarantine, and gratitude and appreciation for so many things was definitely the underlying theme. Gratitude has always played an important role in my life and it is pretty neat to read and see all the positives coming from this very dark situation. 

We would also love to hear some of the positive things that have happened in your familys’ lives too! Please share and post in the comments. 

10 Positive Realizations from Quarantine

1. Finding different and unique ways to stay connected with friends and family since we aren’t able to be physically close—writing letters, ACTUAL phone calls (not texting) and having your kids write chalk notes in friends’ driveways. 
2. An increased sense of gratitude. I think we all have a different level of gratitude and appreciation for the little things we usually take for granted like our health, grocery stores with stocked shelves of food, cleaning and toilet paper. 
3. More quality time with our family. How often do we think or say we wish we had more time in the day—well, now we do. 
4. Physical exercise and self care had been pushed to the forefront of many daily routines. Whether its done by supporting local gyms and trainers through participating in online classes or just getting out and walking as a family, it’s so good to do. 
   
5. Being forced to slow down. We are a go-go-go nation and for once there aren’t a million errands to run, or things that we “have” to get done. We can focus on our children and what they really need right now.
6. Neighbors and community coming together to help others in need. There are so many beautiful examples of how we have all come together during this time. Assisting the elderly, donations, covering family / friends with items that are out of stock, just a higher level of compassion and understanding for teachers, our jobs and our friends and family. 
7. Appreciation for our health. 
8. The opportunity to spend time educating ourselves, learning a new skill or reading more books.
9. The extra time and opportunity to clean and de-clutter the house. Or maybe its the extra time to finish a home project you were working on. 
10. Decreased smog and emissions from having fewer cars on the road. With everyone home from work or working from home, the impact that the quarantine has had on the environment has to be huge. (Not a scientist, just a guess!)