The pandemic and the government's response to it has changed the lives of many people. The "new normal" is a rather dystopian and uncomfortable existence. Going places and watching people skitter around with their faces covered, following arrows on the floor, no longer making eye contact with their fellow shoppers, is a surreal experience. In at least one state, visiting with friends or family is forbidden and could leave you without running water or electricity if your get-together is deemed a "party."

Mental health issues are skyrocketing. Many elderly people are just fading away while their family keeps them isolated to keep them safer. For many, these changes have been emotionally difficult.

I know they have been for me and I'm about the furthest thing from a social butterfly you could ever meet. So if you are craving some normalcy in this currently abnormal world, read on for a few things that may help you feel like yourself again.

Go outside and enjoy the solitude.

Spending time outdoors is about the only time the world seems normal to me. Once my daughter's lease ran out, I rented a place near an isolated beach. The beach is private and there's no place to park, so particularly if I go early in the morning, there's nobody there. Every day, I go to the beach and play with one of my dogs. I throw the ball, watch as she fruitlessly chases seagulls, and I sit on a rock and contemplate the waves of the day.

It's meditative, it's calming, and the ocean always feels like hom