I think there’s two main mindsets that people have during this coronavirus self-quarantine/stay at home situation many of us are in. There is one camp of people who is thinking of themselves (and perhaps their family unit) and another camp that is thinking of others.
It’s understandable and necessary to make sure you have your basic needs met and are doing things to take care of yourself. However, once you feel like you have your grounding, it’s a nice thing to lend a helping hand for your fellow humans.
Let me also say that lending a helping hand isn’t something we do out of obligation but out of good conscience. It feels good to help others. During times like this, the worst is brought out in some people, but there is also tremendous opportunity to lessen the woes and burdens of humanity by showing some compassion and assisting where you can.
If you’ve been wondering how you can make a difference for others during the COVID-19 Self-Quarantine, here are some ideas:
Create a supply basket
If you’ve already loaded up on non-perishables, hygienic supplies, toilet paper, and such, then consider making a basket for an elderly relative, a neighbor, an expecting mama, or any friend who might have trouble getting to the grocery store for supplies. You can drop them off at their doorstep and give them a call right after. Alternatively, you could package up a box and send it to them in the mail if they live further away. Tip: USPS can deliver packing materials to your home free of charge.
Miscellaneous chores
Speaking of helping friends, neighbors, and individuals in need, ask them how you can be of service. Maybe their lawn is getting out of control and you can help mow it. Over half of the population takes medication, often for chronic illness treatment. It’s not the ideal time to be in stores for the immune-compromised individuals so perhaps you can pick up prescription medications for them.
Support small/local business
Tons of businesses are affected by the current situation. Small and local businesses, in particular, are suffering. Many small businesses rely on their physical shop, community events, or pop-up carts to sell products. Some have turned to online selling, whether through their own website or Etsy, as a means to get by. If neither is available, reach out to those businesses and see if they can ship items to you in the mail. You could Paypal or Zelle them so they get paid and you get your products.
Construct face masks
We all know, or can imagine, that healthcare service-providers are being impacted the most as doctor’s offices, hospitals, clinics, and more are flooded with increasing numbers of people showing symptoms of COVID-19. Whether their cases are severe or not, healthcare workers are at risk all day long! There is a shortage of face masks in the country. Part of that is because the public has been buying up these medical-grade masks, which takes from the medical suppliers, and, thus, healthcare workers, who really need them.
The CDC has information on a couple of ways you can make your face mask at home. Civilians: please use these when leaving your home or interacting with others. If you have the means to, you could also make extra and donate them to a local hospital. Healthcare workers can use the DIY face masks as a coverage for their limited-supply medical-grade ones so that they can keep reusing them.
Share your services
Are you self-employed or do you hold learned skills of any kind? People are still interested in consuming your services but you’re in a unique position to stick with what you’ve been doing or adapt to the current climate. Many individuals/businesses are offering free workshops, webinars, and e-books in any topic you can think of. Free or discounted services are especially helpful for laid off or displaced workers and their families.
Services can also be in the form of entertainment. I’ve seen authors creating short stories to post on their website for free, YouTubers creating more frequent/daily videos or vlogs to keep people educated/entertained, musicians offering charity donations from proceeds of their pay-what-you-can downloaded music, and yoga teachers filming meditations and flows to help their community, since in-person classes aren’t an option right now. Think of what skills you have and how you can share those online at low or no-cost for others.
Adopt a pet
You might be thinking: isn’t this a list of how to help other people? Yes, it is, but helping animals also helps people! Think of it: those who are running or volunteering at animal shelters still have to tend to the shelter animals daily. It might be difficult for them to obtain the amount of volunteers necessary (always but especially now) to keep things running. You can also do a search on Facebook, Craigslist, or any website for local-to-you news and see if anyone has pets for adoption. If you can adopt an animal, that helps lighten the load on shelters or people with more pets than they can comfortably manage. Plus, you end up with a furry friend to care for and keep you company while staying home!
Meet the rabbit I adopted here!
Offer your listening ears
When it comes down to the basics, people might be well-covered but it’s the staying home part that can eat away at our sanity. We can go a little stir-crazy and miss some face to face interaction. A simple but amazing way to help others is by reaching out and offering your listening ears. Sometimes there are physical things you can do to help like some of the things on this list! Yet, other times people may just want to vent, decompress, or chat about something other than the coronavirus. It’s nice to chat and rekindle friendships that we may not have had time for in a while. Reconnect through any of the fabulous video chatting apps we have nowadays or via a phone call.
Don’t forget to celebrate!
You might be reading this and thinking: celebrate WHAT?! Nothing good is happening!! With all due respect, there is still a lot of good happening on a daily basis, even in times like these. Just as it is important to reach out to your friends and family to see how they are doing, reach out to acknowledge their special moments. Many people feel bummed to have to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other occasions at home. Celebrate the moments with those you know and be proud of the accomplishments of those you don’t know, like the kind-spirits featured on John Krasinski’s Some Good News YouTube Channel!
How is this list for feasible and helpful things you can do right now? In what way do you plan to help? If you have other ideas or tips to offer assistance during coronavirus self-quarantine then feel free to leave those in the comments below.