One of my favorite quotes is "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I think that's what we're all trying to do during this difficult time. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.

1. Get in touch with a higher power.
For me, this is God. I've been making it a point to read my Bible and pray each morning. I want to make a habit to speak to God throughout my day and listen for His guidance. The higher power you serve may be different from mine, but the same concept applies.

2. Get in shape.
The gym might be closed, but that doesn't mean you have to stop working out. Exercise is as good for your mental health as it is for your physical health, so log in to YouTube, and find an equipment-free workout to get your blood pumping.

3. Learn something new.
I've been wanting to learn a second language for years, and have been putting it off for just as long. Now, I no longer have the excuse of not having enough time to study, so I've been working on learning Spanish for just a couple of minutes everyday. Yo practico todos las dias.

4. Journal
One of my 2020 goals was to journal everyday, and I'm proud to say I stuck to it. Writing in a journal is a great way to process your thoughts and feelings, and the possibilities are literally endless. You could start an art journal, a bullet journal, or maybe a combination of both. We're living through a historical event. Someday, that journal entry you wrote about how empty the bead aisle was at the supermarket could be used as a primary source in a history class.

5. Get cooking.
Since there's no way I'm going anywhere near a fast-food place until at-least June, I have been trying my hand at the culinary arts. I'm getting so much more confident in the kitchen, and developing a necessary skill. Maybe I'll even try out some new recipes next week. If your local grocery story offers grocery pick-up or delivery, please make use of it.

6. Get yourself together.
I started a new job this year, and suddenly had next to no time to take care of my hair, skin, or nails. Now, I actually have the time to break the bad habit of putting my grooming on the back-burner. I've been taking better care of my hair, trying out some different makeup looks, I just ordered some nail supplies on Amazon, and my skin has never been clearer.

7. Declutter / Clean
Now is the perfect time to go through your things, and decide what you want in your life and what you don't need to keep around anymore. Go through your clothes, cabinets, and yes, even the dreaded phone photo gallery, and purge away! Also, it's spring, which means spring cleaning, so take this quarantine as a blessing in disguise, clean whatever you've been avoiding looking at since you cleaned it last spring.

8. Create something new.
This blog is one example of what I mean by creating something new. Another one is the novel I just started posting over on Wattpad. I've had the idea for this book series in my head for so long, and now, I'm finally putting it down on paper. Check it out here - https://www.wattpad.com/story/221981488-sparks-shadows-forestview-academy-book-1

9. Do some professional development.
I have to believe that this pandemic will eventually end, and life as we know it will resume. When that happens, I want to be ready to step back into my career as a teacher as if I never left. I actually want to be twice the teacher I was last year (my first year). For me, that means improving my lesson plans and being honest with myself about things I need to work on to make sure that my students reach their full potential.

10. Waist time productively.
What I mean by this is that we all need a little down-time. My advice to you would be to spend yours reading your favorite genre of book, or getting lost in a fun series on Netflix rather than lying in bed all day depressed about the state of the world.