18 Happy, Uplifting, and Positive Ideas to Help You Get through Quarantine

It’s easy to focus on all the things you can’t do right now. The list is long, and it’s especially frustrating when you’re missing out on doing things or trying other positive ideas that can calm you down, reduce stress, and bring solace.

Since it doesn’t help to focus on the things we’re all missing out on, we decided to ask our community for suggestions of things we could do right now. We posted this statement on our social media pages: There are so many things you can’t do right now. Let’s hear some positives about what you can. Since members of our community came back with some lovely answers, we wanted to share them with you here.

The outdoors still makes so many of us happy.

We saw a lot of suggestions from people about heading outside to get some fresh air. We know going outside will keep us happier, so this is a great strategy for many.

We can plan the garden, plant the garden. Watch the flowers grow. Listen to the bees as they go crazy as the trees start to bloom. We can scratch the goat—this is Frank (pictured above). And we can live. Live, live, live. —Sheila

We can give kids opportunities to do things for themselves—like dig a hole, chop some wood for a fire in the backyard, and then make s’mores! —Erin

We can go hiking and still maintain the 6-foot distance. —Leslie

Creative thinking can also take you a long way.

Creativity differs between people, but find what works for you and keep doing it. We have this journal activity available, and many people have told us their kids are doing it. Here are some other positive ideas to stimulate creativity.

We can start a new painting project together. —Mary

We can make pancake art. —Jennifer

We can set up a tent in the house. —Mary

We can cook homemade meals every single day. —Angela

We can paint rocks to leave around the neighborhood. —Heather

We can have yard picnics. —Kelly

We can take advantage of all the free classes offered online. —Diane

Some of our daily favorites are still possible.

Daily chores and activities can still keep you busy. For ways to encourage your kids to thrive on their own, check out our free Let Grow Independence Kit.

We can climb trees. —Marcy (thanks for the photo, Marcy!)

We can play with LEGOs nonstop. —Dena

We can make pillow and blanket forts. —Lauren

We can plant our veggies for the year (that’s 13 flats of veggies). —Jennifer

We can read. —Anna

We can listen to audiobooks. —Sara

And sometimes it’s your attitude that matters most.

No matter what day it is, try to bring a little positivity to it and focus on what you can do, like trying some of the positive ideas we shared. To help you further, here’s our latest printable, an April calendar to help you keep looking forward.

We can smile. Even at a social distance, whenever we cross someone’s path, we can smile. —Stacy

We can take our dogs for walks. (And if you don’t have a dog, just steal one.) —Seamus