With all the Challenges the world faces every day including dealing with an ongoing pandemic, its easy to get lost in all the fear and negativity. This does not help our peace of mind nor does it enhance or promote our own inner peace.
For those with kids who have had to pivot and learn remotely rarely interacting with other kids in real time, makes it difficult to set a routine everyone can count on and follow.
But there are ways to take your mind off ‘the news’ and make some time for yourself and do something fun!
Try these 5 fun things you can do to focus on positive and spend more quality time together as a family.
1. Family movie night. Grab your favorite popcorn, get a funny DVD, or find one on your favorite movie streaming service and just laugh. Laughter is a known healer. According to Mayo Clinic, “Whether you’re guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is a great form of stress relief, and that’s no joke.”
According to Help Guide, “With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.”
2. Game night. Games are fun to play in groups, and there are many to choose from, including the good ole tried and true charades. Gather your family or a couple of friends (keep it at 2 or 3 max maintain pandemic safety) and have a ball.
3. Create a hiking treasure hunt. Find a nature spot near your home and go and hide some stuff out there. Create hints for those you invite to find the stuff and give a prize to the first person to gather everything on the list. This is a great activity that you can do with your kids, family members and friends. It also gets you outdoors where nature can help clear your mind and reduce stress.
According to Stress.org, “A study by Science Direct found that spending time outdoors can help improve mental health. According to their research, nature excursions can help alleviate feelings of time pressure and mental stress.”
4. Cook a gourmet meal and have a family formal dinner party. If you like to cook but never had the time, now is a great time to make that gourmet meal. Gather the recipes, go shop and get cooking. Have your family including the kids engage in the cooking and set up process. Get out the fine china and have a formal dinner party with formal attire and all. This is a great experience for the kids to have and something they are not usually exposed to. If you are single, do the same by inviting a couple of friends over.
5. Disco Saturday Night. You likely can’t go to a nightclub right now, but you can create one at home. If you can swing the cost buy a cheap disco ball on eBay, or just get some blue and red light bulbs for your living room. Create a playlist or stream a video on YouTube with your favorite disco tunes.
Set up a bar complete with food and drinks, turn out the lights, and let the music take you to fun zone!
Make a plan, go for it and have some fun!
