The pandemic has hit my family's mental health hard. My 81 year old mother lives in a high rise condo in Philadelphia. It is considered a high risk due to air circulation in the building. Additionally, she has some preexisting conditions. Therefore, she moved in with us for safety. It is our job to keep Coronavirus away from her. So my kids stopped going to playgrounds, and they stopped playing with other kids. Eventually my entire family got depressed.

Recently, I changed our routine. I take a bike ride with the kids, my youngest daughter is 4 so we keep it around a mile. During the ride we stop and climb a tree....it's so much fun to watch a little girl climb a massive tree. After the bike ride and tree excursion we get some food.

Later in the day we take a walk with grandma, and sometimes we kayak ( weather dependent ). Overall, this has brought alot more smiles. Slowly we are adjusting to the new normal.

Try slow group cycling, tree climbing, walking, hiking, or anything else outside to help you smile.