Power through Quarantine with these Resources and Tips

The last few weeks have been interesting, to say the least. Three weeks ago I recall reading the news about China and this virus oddly named after a beer, or so I thought.

Two weeks ago we were advised to begin working remote until further notice, and this week we have an executive order in the state of Michigan to shelter in place. So I thought I’d start collecting some quarantine resources and tips that are helping me, that may also be a help to you.

If you have some to add, please add them to the comments or send me an e-mail at josh@thejoshstephens.com. I’d love to add products or services to the list below.

Finding answers in quarantine

Virtual Church: If you do not have a church that you attend, or are looking for one, check out Grand Rapids Baptist Church (gr.church). It’s not your typical Baptist church with pews and hymnals. The music is uplifting and modern, and the preaching is straight from the Bible. Pastor Cody engages regularly on facebook and from his personal page, and you can hear messages in you pj’s on your sofa at home. It’s the perfect place to learn from a Biblical perspective while your stuck at home in quarantine.

Coronavirus Map: I’ve mentioned this in previous blog posts, but the map I typically use for Coronavirus updates in one published by Johns Hopkins University. It’s an online dashboard of the world with confirmed, recovered, and death counts by location. They update it multiple times a day and it will give you a quick glimpse of where the world is at. While I’m sure the numbers are fairly accurate, I look at it more for trends than anything.

Health Services (Grand Rapids): Spectrum Health’s response to COVID 19 has been extraordinary. If you have health questions or concerns, I recommend checking out their online COVID19 Resource Center. They have a place where you can give donations, get phone screenings, and a whole lot of other great content. You might also check out Priority Health’s information on COVID19.

Products to make quarantine more bearable

I’ll keep adding this list, but here’s a start.

Bluetooth Earbuds: My wife and I have never really been headphone people, let alone Bluetooth headphone people. But with all of the virtual meetings and being stuck in the house for an extended period of time, we picked up these:

Battery life is great, and the price is way better than Apple Earbuds. So far no complaints.

Books, books, and more books: My daughter is a pretty avid reader, so we ordered The Hunger Games Trilogy. You can see from my previous post about Results-Driven Leadership that I purchased a few books myself.

Streaming Video: We use Disney+ and my wife just subscribed to the Hallmark Now. I told her it’s 1000 movies with the same storyline with the same 10 actors over and over again. What a racket.. 🙂

Cheap Gaming: We got this little guy for our little guy. It comes with 400+ games and a menu that lists them out 7 games at a time. That’s 54 menus of unique games ranging from Battletoads to Tetris to Donkey Kong.

Can’t beat the price either. It comes with a second controller and a video cable so two can play on a bigger screen. My 7 year old loves it, and on occasion, so do I.

Quarantine cleaning

Essential Oils: If you are looking for alternative cleaning products or other essential oils, check out essentialoils-nurse. com. They have products for kids, aroma-therapy, cleaning, and even a product line for pets.

Quarantine tips

• Enjoy time with your family…on purpose.
• Get outside for a while, keeping in mind social-distance if you run into someone else.
• Play music or listen to music. If you have an instrument, get it out and dust it off.
• Connect with someone on the phone. Use facetime or google hangouts to get some semblance of face-to-face.
• Try to eat healthy. I need to do this more. At work I only eat at meal-times, but at home, the fridge is only 26 steps away.
• Read a book. Pro-tip – read your Bible. Start in John Chapter 1 if you don’t often read. John is known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and he gives a great perspective on the life of Jesus.
• Pull out the board-games and puzzles.
• Write. When was the last time you wrote a real letter or just put your thoughts down on paper.
• Take a nap on the couch.
• Exercise – I mentioned food earlier. With what I’m eating, I need to exercise more..
• Find a church. I mentioned gr.church above.
• Find a way to donate to a local health system. they need masks and other supplies.
• Find a way to give to others.
• Update your online presence – social media profiles, etc…
• Clean. Clean some more.
• If you are working,
  • Keep the same schedule.
  • Get up and take a shower, get dressed, and be ready at 8 sharp. Or whenever you start your day.
  • Get a comfortable chair to work from.
  • Find a good environment to work in.

This list isn’t comprehensive. I’d love to hear your recommendations on things to do, must-have products, and other ideas to not just survive quarantine but to enjoy it along the way. Put your ideas in the comments below.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep your distance. 🙂 I’m looking forward to better times, but enjoying life in the moment. I hope you can do the same.