It’s not often you get downsized right before the plague hits the country. But guess what: it happens.

You find yourself hiding in your home, watching the world stop turning as businesses shut down, sports postpone or cancel entire seasons, stocks plummet, politicians point fingers, grocery shoppers battle for toilet paper and Purell, and potential employers proceed to temporary hiring freezes in order to protect their workers and help slow the spread of the pandemic.

This is how my March started. I found myself suddenly out of a job. I found myself at home on a Tuesday morning facing a daunting job hunt and an uncertain future, with a wife working two jobs and 14 month old with a compromised immune system needing special care.

And then the coronavirus came to the United States. Talk about timing…

As the U.S. and the world went into emergency mode, my wife’s job as a nanny was suspended as the father of that family is teacher, whose school system shut down for at least a month, leaving her only with her very part time position at a winery 45 minutes away. So, for the safety of our son, we’ve been hunkered down in our two-bedroom condo, avoiding the rest of the world as much as humanly possible.

But there is no excuse to not make the best use of our time during this critical crisis, and we’re making best use of our time as we wait things out. If you just lost your job right before the apocalypse, here’s how you can best use your time without losing your mind, work ethic, or dignity.

1. Look for work

This goes without saying. You have a family to provide for and you’ve lost your job, so your new full time job is to find a full time job. Apply for unemployment to be safe, but also update and upgrade your resume, portfolio, website and LinkedIn. Check in with your network and, if needed, make sure you have recommendations lined up.

To double your efforts, set up a profile on job recruiter sites like ZipRecruiter or, if your in marketing or the creative fields, Creative Circle.

2. Go out

You may be thinking, “wait, isn’t that what the CDC is telling us not to do?”

Not quite.

I’m not saying throw all caution to the wind find the biggest coronavirus rave you can fine, but strict solitary confinement is not the healthiest of ideas either. If you need to go out for groceries or supplies, do so but be safe.

When I say go out, I mean get out of the house  It’s a virus, not an airborne pathogen. As the weather is changing to more spring-like temperatures, it’s the perfect opportunity to get ahead on that resolution to live healthier. Find some trails; go for walks or runs. Make the outdoors your gym. A simple walk in the park, around the soccer field or your neighborhood allows you time with little to no distractions to reflect on everything: work, hunt for work, personal matters, emotions. If you’re into the mobile university, it gives you a chance to learn through podcasts, audiobooks, or even live seminars or training if your data plan allows. After a session with my therapist, I go for a walk in the office parking lot. That simple exercise of movement is enough to release the right amount of anxiety, frustration and worry that’s weighing on your mind.

But whether you’re getting out to grab food or embracing the trails, bring hand sanitizer and avoid touching your face or shaking hands with others.

3. Watch TV

This may seem counter intuitive, and if you’re not a TV viewer or don’t own a TV, skip this step. It would be a damn shame for you to get smacked with the coronavirus because you wen to buy a smart TV so you can binge watch everything on Disney+.

And I’m not saying that you should use this newly acquired time to binge watch anything. How many times have you gone on vacation or been on a break from work proclaiming you’re going to hit every item on your to-do list–get things around the house done, do your taxes, write that book–and not do anything on that list? You’re probably falling into that trap right now because you realized you can finally watch Scorsese’s three hour Netflix original or the entire Star Wars saga from start to finish, or that you can finish the last 12 seasons on Playstation’s FIFA 20 career mode because that’s the only sport the pandemic hasn’t cancelled indefinitely…yet. Catch yourself before you fall.

What I’m saying is that, after everything that’s happened and with everything you are doing in looking for new work during a global pandemic, you deserve a little down time by catching up on some of your favorite flicks, or having a movie date night with whoever your quarantined with. This will allow you to not live entirely in fear (unless you’re watching a horror flick), and also put things into greater perspective in terms of your own time management at home between leisure, chores and family.

4. Read

Like #3, you have a lot more time to catch up on that reading you’ve postponed. This will keep your mind afloat (depending on what you’re reading) and looks a lot better to in your wife’s eyes than screaming at the television while playing Fortnite.

Read the books on your shelf. Read the ones on your Kindle. Read the board books to your baby. Read Stephen King’s It to your baby while mommy watches, horrified. Invest in some online learning or training courses. There are plenty of free online resources for learning new skills.

5. Get artsy

This is a time for artists. For all you creatives–novelists, essayists, poets, painters, musicians, bloggers–this is the time to get creative. There is no excuse to put it off any longer. Get writing, get painting, get jamming, get blogging!

6. Talk to your wife

For those locked in with families, this is a time to reconnect. Communication in married couples, believe it or not, can actually be a great challenge, especially for those who are already going through some difficult problems or issues. As the husband and father in a family where mom and dad both work full time with infant son with specific deficiencies and needs–and then suddenly finding ourselves without work–I can attest to the fact that suddenly being locked in with the fear of a deadly virus being close to our boy creates a defensive barrier around the heart, mind and soul that can interfere with marital or family communication.

Take this time to open up–or rather, build up your ability to open up. Your spouse and your family is just as uncertain and scared as you, and the one thing that overcomes fear is love and companionship.

Also, if you’ve stocked up on wine, that helps too…with all these bullets.

Stay safe and healthy.