Wondering what to do all closed up in your house? Grab your guitar, sit at your piano, and play! Music is a great way to curb anxiety. Learn a new instrument – one that you have but don’t know how to play. YouTube has lots of how-to vids. There are great apps like Yousician, that are helpful.
Sing!! Music, in general, is therapeutic. Singing takes that to a whole new level. Do you know that when you sing, your saliva produces healing enzymes? Imagine that! Grab that Karaoke mic and let it rip! Singing helps you stay healthy!
Don’t play an instrument? Can’t carry a tune? Grab your art supplies and paint or draw with music in the background. Again, there are many tutorials on youtube if you need them.
Perhaps you have other art supplies like cross-stitch, crochet or knitting books and yarn,
Maybe you like to build model cars or want to build 3-D puzzles. There’s always a deck or two of cards if you like to construct things.
Speaking of cards, play a game. There are lots of solitaire games. Have family members to play with? There are so many fun games. My favorites? Canasta, Hearts, Spades, Spit.
Speaking of games: how about Clue, Monopoly, Guess Who, Pit, Uno, Pictionary, or Battleship? There are hundreds for family fun. These are great ways to spend time with your family and laugh together.
Not a game person? Where’s that book you’ve meant to read? What about the book you’ve meant to write? The blog you’ve meant to start? Imagination is a great escape! Sometimes I have my husband read to me. Kevin has a great voice for reading and has great inflection. He can make up voices. It’s quite entertaining! We have been reading through some of Max Lucado’s books recently: Anxious for Nothing (I highly recommend this book if you are stressed out.) He Chose the Nails, and now we are reading You’ll Get Through This.
Don’t care about reading? And you are antsy, Dance! It’s a great exercise! It gets you off the couch, and it’s fun for the whole family to let off some steam. Have a dance-off!
Have an attitude of gratitude! Fill up a jar of things for which you are thankful. You can write (or have your family write) something every day. On Sundays, take them out and read them while eating dinner together.
Want to be productive? Clean out a cabinet, or take a walk. Work in your garden. Don’t have one? Start one. Kevin and I have started one just recently. I love going out to water my ever-growing garden.
The media stresses you out? You can turn it off. 🙂 Kevin and I haven’t had cable in years. We don’t watch the news, so we are not anxious or worried. Kevin and I check the news through the internet daily, but we don’t keep it on.
We watch as much as one movie a day. Some days we don’t even watch one. We chat over root beer floats. Yum! Kevin and I are enjoying our time together, building on our relationship of 36 years. We just celebrated 35 years of wedded bliss in June.
This is a perfect time to memorize scripture. I’m going through Liz Curtis Higgs’ book 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart. It’s lovely. Check her out on FaceBook or look her up on the web.
I’ve saved the best for last. Read God’s word. Worship. Pray. Build a strong relationship with the Lord. Refocus your life. He loves you, and He has an incredible plan for your life.
My favorite passage is Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is praiseworthy–meditate on these things.
Kevin’s favorite passage is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Pray without ceasing. Rejoice always. And in all things give thanks.
Kaci Rigney 