It has been four weeks since we were ordered to stay at home and we continue to #socialdistance in the State of New Hampshire. As we promote positivity in these tough times, we wanted to give you a few lighthearted ways of being productive and positive in your daily lives. Below is our guide to get through this together. We all want this pandemic to end and the restrictions to ease so we can get on with our daily lives and back in the water. So in the spirit of #spreadingpositivity during these times, here are a few things you can do to occupy your time.
10 ways to Survive COVID19 confinement courtesy of @surfridernh;
- Take a moment to organize your life. Organize your mind and your thoughts. We all have lots of time so this is a chance to think about what you are doing, what you have done, and what you want do, and what changes you need to make to achieve those goals. A time of introspection. What do you really want to do moving forward? Take the steps you need and go out and get it.
- Take a moment to organize your “stuff.” This is the physical side of your mental exercise. Organize your home, apartment, room and your mind will be more organized. Do you have surf gear that needs to be organized? Maybe you have a tangled box of leashes. So lay them out, measure them and label them. Maybe you have very old wax on that board. This is a great time to remove the old and apply the new. It will make your board feel way more alive. Trust me. You might have a bunch of fins. Some with fin systems that are not compatible with your current boards. Organize it and maybe sell those fins and gets some coin.
- Create a To Do List. Yep, your parents have probably told you this since you were a kid, but it really does help. And it gives you some crazy sense of accomplishment when you cross things off. The key is to actually do that stuff before you cross it off. No cheating.
- Get in shape. Or stay in shape. Exercise releases endorphins which makes us happy. So don’t just sit around eating chips and salsa, sending emails and watching Netflix all day. Check out our weekly surf inspired exercises on this website or our social media channels.
- Read a book or two or three. Read for entertainment, read for education. A few weeks back we published a list so dig through it and start finishing a few books. Your brain will thank you for it. https://nh.surfrider.org/2020/04/13/surfrider-nh-surfing-book-list-covid19-edition/
- Dream, mind surf, and watch some surf movies. Visualize your surfing. Think about how your board reacts to different parts of the wave and movements. And watch some videos of professional surfers on YouTube. There is no shortage of content. And I am sure you have not thrown out all your DVDs. It is entertainment, but by watching the greats, you do pick up on stuff. Especially if you visualize it after you've watched. And if you combine your movie watching with your workout then you have just got a “Two for One.”
- Check out RedbullTV, Get a Netflix or Amazon Prime account or both. Did we say don't watch Netflix? Well you will certainly get tired of HBO, Showtime and all the other stuff. Besides nothing is better than binge watching five seasons of Narcos / Narcos Mexico and more than 30 episodes. RedBullTV is free and has great access to surf films. Heck we all have the time, right?
- Learn something new. Maybe you want to brush up on a language, learn to code, learn how to play the Oboe, learn to paint. The point is don’t let this time be a wasted. Take advantage of the extra time you have to learn a new skill, gain knowledge or try something you've always wanted to try.
- Get that yard ready and clean out the garden. While you are at it plan for an ‘ocean friendly garden.’ Plant some seeds indoors and get those veggies started. The Earth appears to be cleaning itself so why not give it all the help you can. Check out https://www.surfrider.org/programs/ocean-friendly-gardens for more info on Ocean Friendly Gardens.
- Practice Social Distancing, but don’t be Socially Distant. You don’t need to be a hermit so fire up that Zoom, House Party, FaceTime and have a virtual meet and greet with friends, family, or organization to which you are a member. Or just bust in on one.
Stay Postive. Spread the Positivity. Know that we are all in this together and brighter, sunny beach days are ahead with offshore winds and perfect waves.