How are you at shifting gears? We’re all doing that right now! If you’re anxious about the Coronavirus and all the changes and restrictions we are going through, it may be tough to relax. But finding ways to “get away from it all” is a trick we’re all going to have to learn.
Are you working from home? Do you have more family in your house than before? Are you or your kids shifting to online learning?
Our library is closed for the next two weeks. So I won’t be working there, but I’m also going to be busier with home and family things, like keeping the house cleaner and cooking more.
I’m planning to drink more water, more camomile tea (to stay calm – not joking, either), read and blog more and pay more attention to my Twitter account. I also want to binge watch a show or two (depending on how long we are home) and watch some movies.
I hope you’re all doing okay and that your friends and families are healthy. And I also hope that the grocery stores have everything you need, including paper goods (currently an issue here).
Tell me how you are coping and, if you are at home, what you are doing. Do you plan to read or blog more? What is the current situation and what are the restrictions where you live?
To cheer us all up, I’m peppering this post with a few of the free happy reading pics from WordPress. 😀
Thanks for visiting – come back soon!
Book Club Mom 
I have decided to stay home. Nothing has really changed except going to exercise and the store. I usually work about eight hours a day on some kind of writing thing r another and that continues. I hope your two weeks is filled with joy, Barbara.
Thank you, John. Same for you!
Stay home and stay safe!
That’s what we are doing 🙂
I am staying at home too. My partner has become quite frail over the last six month, and I need to protect him. I have a list of things I want to do, like garden and create, things to remind myself that there is a world beyond confusion and anxiety.
Hi Anne, that’s a good strategy. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Today, I started working from home remotely. I’m not sure for how long. Enjoy your time off!
Hi Jill. Yes, everyone is making work changes. I’m still doing some work from home, but I can’t do a lot of things. I’m the Twitter person for the library, so I’ve been tweeting a lot! Hardly feels like work 😉 Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you are all doing well.
With school closed and the CA governor’s mandate that people my age and older are to stay the heck at home, I am suddenly in possession of what I always wish I had more of to assist in my writing: time. So now I’m in the process of, as you say, switching gears, and establishing a realistic butt-in-chair-time schedule. It’s harder than it looks 🙂
It’s true, Jan. What we think we want to do when we have more time doesn’t always come smootlhly when we suddenly have to shift gears. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you have some good writing projects, good books and a few binge watches in the queue!
Staying home, going for walks and some car rides, doing some reading and blogging, cleaning up around the house and hopefully the weather stays on the warm side so I can do some yard work. Hopefully we all don’t go stir crazy..:)
Stay well!
As I went down to the mailbox this afternoon, it occurred to me that there’s a lot of yard work to be done. Right now, I’m just catching up on reading and blogging and laundry (that’s ongoing)! Thanks for the visit, George 🙂
I hope you and your family are doing well! My city is now under shelter in place orders, so I’m stuck at home… It’s not too bad, actually — although today is only day 1! I’m working from home, but trying to make sure to get some fresh air too. I anticipate lots of reading and TV watching for the next few weeks!
Same here – we are not under shelter in place yet, but I see it coming. K-12 schools are closed for 2 weeks and my one son is home from college and will do online classes. The library is also closed for 2 weeks. We will see what happens after that. Plenty to read and watch, though! Plus it’s a beautiful spring day – I need to get outside some more. Thanks for the visit 🙂
I can tell you that I feel overwhelmed with it as my writing (book and blog), social media and tour all center on Italy, and as the general population there has been dealing with it for much longer, I’ve been following the developments for what must be a month now. It’s been a wait-and-see for a long time from the US while Italy was already in all-out crisis mode. As I’m working to finish my second book, not much has changed for me on a daily basis, except I’ve spent a lot of time and energy with regard to my tours, which will most likely not happen in the late spring, although I try to feel optimistic that this situation will improve over the next month.
I wish the media hadn’t fueled the toilet paper panic. Absolutely unnecessary. And today I read that this will impact Amazon shipments (books?) – everything will take a backseat to the hoarding of essentials. Medical equipment, etc. is clearly a priority but when I see videos of people running through box stores to get their supply of toilet paper for a year when many of them most likely have equally large packages already in their garage and second refrigerators and freezers stuffed with meat leaving none on grocery store shelves, really… The weight of the repetitive bombardment with no relief in sight is debilitating.
Hi Karen – I know what you’re saying about the panic mode. I went out yesterday and the entire paper goods aisle was barren. Frustrating. I went to a different store today and got some, but I was forced to buy a giant amount, including 8 mega rolls of paper towels, because they weren’t selling smaller packages. Also missing from the stores were meat, eggs, rice, pasta and dishwasher detergent. But I found what I needed today. It wasn’t crazy at the stores, just empty. I hope you are doing okay in Italy. You have legitimate frustrations and I hope your situation improves soon.
I’m in the US. Italy doesn’t have toilet paper shortages…
What a variety of comments here, each with a different problem or blessing.
Like you, I hope to blog more (not every day) and hope readers with more time on their hands will flock to our blogs. Right – ha! So far the biggest hardship is closed libraries and gym with no group classes, like Pilates where I meet my friends. However, I am SO grateful that life goes on with experts giving us guidance and that we WILL get through this, wiser about our health. This week I was to have a book signing at an indie bookstore. If it’s not canceled, I’ll suggest it be held outdoors in the fresh air.
Drinking tea is my fallback too as it soothes and boosts immunity. In short: something warm and soothing with my latest “book.” Timely post, Barbara!
Hi Marian. Yes, the library where I work is closed for 2 weeks. We have a lot of online things people can do with a library card, so that is good. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your coping strategies!
Hi Barbara. Hubby is working at home as he always did and I’m wondering what to do about my querying plans. I’m thinking I should wait a few more days to see if submission guidelines change. In the meantime, I am worrying about the state our world is right now. It’s hard not to become too focused on all the news. I hope you and yours are doing well under the circumstances. xx
Hi Jennifer – yes we are all okay. We are adjusting to a change in routine, like everyone else. But we are healthy and hope that by doing this, the virus will spread more slowly so heathcare can get a grip on treatment and possible prevention. I hope your querying works out for you – I don’t know how that works. You should write a blog post about that – I bet there would be a lot of writers interested in the process. Thanks so much for stopping by – stay well! 🙂
This is day one of working at home–not 2+ hours in the car with audiobooks, no in-person student appointments–must use Zoom and already having to use my wrist brace for carpal tunnel from the new mouse position, but I have a window and sweet, furry co-workers who keep encouraging me to try out the staff nap room! lol
Hi Library of Life – sounds like you are making the best of it. Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂
Our library is closed for 3 weeks. I still have a couple hours of work a day I can do remotely, otherwise I’m on administrative leave. I’ve been meaning to get a lot of reading done, but I’m struggling with concentrating. I’ve been cleaning and binging tv shows. Hope you’re staying healthy!
Yes, all is well here – 2 week closure and some shifting around with the kids, but everything is under control. I can do a little remote work, but there is no Reference Desk in my house! Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie 🙂
I think writers and readers are going to be a little less anxious about staying home. We always have something to do, right? I’m doing fine, but I do worry about my daughter who can’t work because her kid is home and business closed, and about my upper-80’s parents who are in a senior living lockdown. I’m there all the time, helping them out, and now they’re on their own. Last night my dad called because his printer wouldn’t print. Small stuff like that can be so difficult for them. And the uncertainty of EVERYTHING is so tough. Well, apparently I needed to unload! Lol. Thanks, Barb. Happy Reading and take care. ❤
I’ve been working from home for years, but as a writer/content strategist in the healthcare field, you can imagine I am very busy these days, helping with information flow. Hope you and your family are well. Stay safe.
Hi Jeff – glad to hear from you! I am sure you are very busy. It’s great you have a job you can do from home. Thanks for reading and stay well 🙂
I’m working on some projects around the house that I’ve been putting off for too long, walking the dog, and reading more. I’m worried about the economic impact of all this, as I know so many people will be out of work and so many businesses will fail, but I have to remember that I can’t change that. So I work hard on focusing on what I can control: my attitude, reaching out to help those who need it, and trying to enjoy the extra time I now have!
Hi Ann, you’re right. The uncertainty, especially related to the economy, is causing a lot of anxiety. Maybe even more now than worries about getting the virus. Certainly there is anxiety about passing it to the vulnerable. We need to be calm, for sure and focus on what we can control. Thanks for reading and commenting. Stay well 🙂
Please stay safe. I always work form home (teaching French through Skype), and when it’s cold (and it is still), I hardly ever leave the house, so not much has changed for me. Actually, I have less time for reading and blogging, as I spend more time checking on people, friends and people from Church. And following more prayer services through livestreaming!
Hello Words and Peace. You have a good set-up for these times. I am connecting with a lot of people too and doing work from home. I am reading more, but I also have more to do at the house. Thanks for reading and for checking in – stay well 🙂
Considering that I had already been hunkering down with the edit of my book, things haven’t changed much except for the Chlorox wipes and gloves when we go out (hardly at all). Since we have a new grandson, he is our entertainment and oxytocin pick-me-up! More cooking – trying to be creative. And books to review. I’m pretty busy! Be safe.
Thanks for checking in, Noelle. Glad you are all set. Sounds like you have a lot to keep you busy!
We are also home, Barbara, although our official shut down for 21 days only starts tomorrow evening. I am working though and supervising both of my boys on-line studies and doing more housework because everybody is home so I think I am busier now and have less time for other things. Definitely no movies coming my way.
Yes, four of us are here at home and each of us has online tasks. It’s surreal. But I also have my regular duties like you. I’m working from home 3 days/week doing social media and working on our library blog. Is your work easy to do remotely? I think everyone has to adapt.
Hi Barbara, yes, I often work from home as I am a specialist and offer support to my firm’s audit and advisory practice on matters involving our local stock exchange as well as stock exchanges in other jurisdictions including the USA. It is an interesting experience to be working from home with my husband also in the room and both my boys doing their home studies. I may be bald by the end of the 21 days – giggle.
Yes, Robbie. A lot of challenges – we are four here too, each of us trying to do our work remotely. You have a very interesting job!