*Disclaimer*

• Stay home if you have been travelling or do not feel well. Here is an excellent resource if you are quarantined. This will help you find people in Manitoba who are willing and able to help you while quarantined. Help Next Door Manitoba
• Go out with people within your household, but practice social distancing (2 metres away) with other groups.
• Please call ahead before visiting a business and inquire about their regulations to enter the building, such as capacity, sanitation, etc. Also, consider using curbside pickup where possible.
• Please practice Leave No Trace. Clean up after yourself and leave nothing behind, such as trash and waste.

There is no denying that this year has been a rough one, and we’re not out of the woods yet. With worry, stress, and even fear nipping at your heels, it’s easy to get lost in those feelings and not take care of yourself. Finding an outlet for relaxation, self-care (physically and mentally), and letting loose is important, especially in these trying times.

While tourism events, businesses, and attractions may be closing their doors for the time being again, all is not lost. There are plenty of wonderful things to do and discover in your community while being responsible and safe.

Here are some fantastic things you can do at home and in your community to get out of your rut.

Get a New Hobby, or Pick up an Old One

Once life gets too busy, many of us leave our hobbies behind. This may be the perfect opportunity for you to discover a new one or pick up a hobby that you loved from your childhood. If you don’t have a hobby, you may feel stumped. Think back to your childhood – what did you love to do as a child? If you have kids, what are their favourite pass-times, and can you learn to love them as well? What is something that you always wanted to learn or do but keep putting off because you’ve been too busy?

Exploring various hobbies can be a great way to discover new things about yourself, help you connect with your family, and help pass the time as we moved through this time of social distancing.

There are so many wonderful things you can choose from; indoor hobbies are great to integrate into your everyday life, no matter the season. Here’s just a shortlist of ideas to inspire you:

• cooking,
• creative writing,
• drawing,
• genealogy,
• indoor gardening,
• jewelry making,
• knitting,
• photography,
• painting,
• reading,
• scrapbooking,
• sewing,
• sketching,
• soap-making,
• weaving,
• whittling, and more.

Not all hobbies are restricted to the indoors – get outside and discover the vast wilderness that surrounds us; after all, time in nature has not been cancelled. Enjoying things like:

• archery,
• astronomy,
• bird watching,
• cross-country skiing,
• fat-tire biking,
• geocaching,
• hunting (when in season),
• ice and snow sculpting,
• ice fishing,
• photography,
• skating,
• skiing,
• sledding,
• snowboarding,
• snowflake preservation,
• snowkiting,
• snowmobiling,
• snowshoeing,
• walking,
• wildlife watching

No matter what you fancy, there are plenty of options to keep you busy. Many of our local retailers remain open and could use their local community’s support during these trying times. Check with your local stores to see if online ordering or curbside pick-up arrangements can be made.

Be Virtually Social

Just because we are keeping our distance and staying home doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to be the social creatures we naturally are. We just have to go about it in different ways. With the technology at our fingertips today, staying social through social media, video chats, emails, texts, and phone calls means that we can remain in contact with our friends and family. But virtual socialization doesn’t have to end there.

Let’s stay social with our local businesses, event organizers, and non-profit organizations. We may have limited our shopping trips, but that doesn’t mean we have to forget about the local businesses we love to frequent. Here are a few things we can do from home to show some love for our local community and be social:

• Order take-out from your favourite restaurant or bakery
• Shop over the phone or online with your local stores
• Show some love by leaving positive Google or Facebook reviews for the businesses you love to shop at
• Share social media posts being put out by local businesses that you frequent
• Participate in local online events

Another great way to get social is to get your friends and family involved with your newfound hobby. Search out virtual workshops or classes that you can take together to help you with your new hobby, or create your very own with a group of friends and video chats!

Stay Active

Finding time to add exercise to your daily routine will not only help you lose some weight and gain some muscles – it will help you feel better. Exercising is a natural way to boost your happiness and stave off the blues. After 20 to 30 minutes of hard aerobic exercise, endorphins are released and will result in a mood and energy boost for two to three hours and a mild buzz for up to 24 hours.

Self-isolation and social distancing can lead to mild depression and loneliness symptoms, so adding exercise to your routine can help keep you active and positive. The type of activity you choose doesn’t matter as much as just getting up off the couch and doing something active. And you don’t have to limit yourself to indoor activities either.

Things like walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are great outdoor activities. With the abundance of parks and trail systems that we have available to us in each of our Eastman communities, there are plenty of great new places for us to discover. As the season continues to change, there will be more and more active outdoor activities that we can develop into our daily routines.

You can also check with your local gyms and trainers to see if they will be offering virtual classes so that you can continue with the exercise routines you have come accustomed to.

Whether it’s a good or bad thing, we are learning how to live and cope with COVID-19 among us. And though we may forget it at times, we can still have an active and creative lifestyle while being safe and responsible.

Be well, and stay healthy.