{"id":11991,"date":"2020-05-04T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T10:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=11991"},"modified":"2020-05-02T09:05:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-02T13:05:06","slug":"boredom-busters-for-quarantine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/05\/boredom-busters-for-quarantine.html","title":{"rendered":"Boredom Busters for Quarantine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-12096\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/04\/laughter-1369402_1920-550x368.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"368\" \/><br \/>\nLet\u2019s face it, in families where everyone is healthy, there are only so many games of Yahtzee that can be played every night! After a while, video games get old. And walking the dog only takes about a half an hour. So, what can we do to pass the time in healthy ways?<\/p>\n<p>How about humor? While some people may think it is inappropriate to be laughing and attempting humor during a pandemic, humor is a positive coping strategy for stress. Certainly, we don\u2019t want to joke about the virus itself as some people are dying and very ill, but we can use humor to distract us from so much loss, uncertainty and bad news. We need positive coping strategies. Laughter is one of those positive strategies because<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>it brings people together.<\/li>\n<li>it lessens tensions \u2013we certainly need that!<\/li>\n<li>it helps resolve conflicts\u2014when people are getting worked up during an argument or fight, adding humor can really break the tension and help calm things down.<\/li>\n<li>it helps us cope with life\u2019s disappointments and right now there are a lot of disappointments of cancelled graduations, weddings, jobs on hold, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Proverbs 17:22 tells us that a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Jokes and fun do ease tension. And laughter helps your physical body too. Laughing helps relax muscles, increases hormones, antibodies and killer cells necessary to fight certain diseases. And laughter has been proven to reduce negative symptoms of anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n<p>We are doing our best to cope with the stay at home orders. Creative ways to laugh and play together have emerged. Some families have started their own version of Quarantine Olympics. For example, a family in North Caroline plays dodgeball in their house. Now, before you think of all the damage that could do to the house, they play dodgeball with rolls of toilet paper and are blindfolded. To make the game even more challenging, they spin themselves in circles before they begin. Once you are hit with a roll of toilet paper you are out! It\u2019s silly but fun. And the family is making positive memories together.<\/p>\n<p>So maybe it\u2019s time to get in touch with your inner child, laugh and be inventive with family fun. Find some good jokes and do a family standup hour. Watch a funny movie together, play a game that requires creativity like Pictionary or Charades. Whatever you choose to break the tension, remember, laughter is good medicine!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s face it, in families where everyone is healthy, there are only so many games of Yahtzee that can be played every night! After a while, video games get old. And walking the dog only takes about a half an hour. So, what can we do to pass the time in healthy ways? How about&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[914],"tags":[4776,1690,1422],"class_list":["post-11991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-relationships-2","tag-coping-strategies","tag-humor","tag-laughter"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Boredom Busters for Quarantine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/05\/boredom-busters-for-quarantine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boredom Busters for Quarantine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Let\u2019s face it, in families where everyone is healthy, there are only so many games of Yahtzee that can be played every night! After a while, video games get old. And walking the dog only takes about a half an hour. So, what can we do to pass the time in healthy ways? How about&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/05\/boredom-busters-for-quarantine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-04T10:00:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-02T13:05:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/04\/laughter-1369402_1920-550x368.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Boredom Busters for Quarantine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/05\/boredom-busters-for-quarantine.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Boredom Busters for Quarantine","og_description":"Let\u2019s face it, in families where everyone is healthy, there are only so many games of Yahtzee that can be played every night! After a while, video games get old. And walking the dog only takes about a half an hour. So, what can we do to pass the time in healthy ways? 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Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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