Like most of you, I am generally a happy person. I have a pretty laid back attitude towards most things and majority of the time TRY to be as positive as possible. Quarantine has been somewhat of a challenge for me because although I am happy at home with my little family, it has also brought out some of my anxiety almost daily. Anxiety occurs in most of us whether we want to admit it or not but for me there are three things that make me feel anxious. The first is traveling (I have to be one of the first few people on the plane) and we all know we are not doing that right now, so zero anxiety there. The second is timeliness (running late or people who are late) and since we have no where to go and are not seeing anyone this ‘type’ of anxiety has gone out the window for me right now. The third thing that causes anxiety for me is not having access. I know you’re probably wondering what the heck does “not having access” mean but let me explain.
For me knowing that I can head to the grocery store anytime without worrying (or a line out the door to get in), grab a coffee, head to a workout class (whenever), sit down for an early dinner at a restaurant or even something as simple as driving through Chick Fil A for a late night diet lemonade calm my mind. I am not saying that I do those things all the time but knowing that they are (majority) of the time always accessible makes me happy. It’s like doing simple things and having to access to an easy way of going about daily activities that I am used to (and have been used to my entire life) calm me. I’m such a “what if”/planner type of person I literally FREAKED out whenever this all started because I was so worried that certain things would be taken away (like simple trips to the grocery store or going to the grocery store in general).
I know it’s such a small issue to deal with compared to everything that is going on in the world but one of the reasons I love MY little corner of the internet is that I have the ability to share how I am feeling about certain things. I would be lying if I said that the last month has not been a little bit of a mind f**k but I am so thankful for a loving husband and a sweet little boy to distract me from these unknown times. I also realize that there is no way that I am the only person who is feeling ‘trapped’ or anxious/fearful about the unknown so I wanted to share 20 Things That Make Me Happy while being at home.
20 Things That Make Me Happy (while being at home)
- neighborhood walks with my family
- an afternoon Wade’s Latte (click here for recipe)
- cooking dinner for my family
- baking with Ralph (he LOVES to help me make everything from cake to banana bread)
- TCBY deliveries (I love the swirl yogurt with m&m’s and oreos)
- Peloton rides (or any sort of at home work out, such a mood changer)
- heated home work outs (I LOVE this space heater)
- movie nights (we make a palette and pop popcorn..it makes Ralph so happy)
- working with our designer, Cindy Sontag, virtually on Ralph’s ‘big boy room’ and baby girls nursery
- laying out in the backyard when it’s actually warm (the last couple of days have been chilly)
- talking to friends on the phone or FaceTime
- sitting by the fire in the morning and drinking coffee (the first cup is the best)
- snuggling with Ralph (sometimes there is nothing better than a baby snuggle)
- organizing spaces that I avoid (this really is the most ideal time to organize those spaces that need it)
- cleaning out the playroom (bye bye toys that we don’t play with)
- ‘trips to the kitchen’ with Wade (almost every night we take a semi-late night trip to the kitchen and get a snack together)
- watching morning talk show hosts shoot their shows from the comfort of their homes (I’m obsessed with how laid back morning television has gotten..so much more relatable)
- nice loungewear (don’t hate me for this but it really does make me happy to wear cute and cozy loungewear all day everyday…this brand is one of my favorites)
- having Wade around more (so grateful that Wade is able to be around as much as he is prior to all of this but it has been so much fun spending *that* much more time together…I know, I’m probably too obsessed)
- fresh flowers (there is nothing better than fresh flowers, they truly make a space so much brighter and happier)
Would love to hear from you about what is making you happy while being at home! Stay safe. xx
