Finding places where you can have space for yourself to reflect and think and feel is crucial in this moment, said Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Lakshmin pointed out that all of the in between transition times we used to have to ourselves like during our commutes, and after we dropped off our kids at school are gone. So its important to create those spaces for yourself in new ways, she said.

Dr. Lakshmin mentioned meditation as a great option. And in fact, parents with children under 18 at home are more likely to meditate than the general population right now, according to a new report from the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank. Thirty-six percent of these parents say they have meditated to cope with stress in the past week, the report said, compared with 30 percent of Americans overall. If you want to receive the full benefits of meditating, Dr. Lakshmin said, consistency is the most important thing. Five minutes every day is a lot better than 30 minutes every week.

One excellent self-care idea was sent by a reader named Anne Diss. To mark the end of a good day, my husband and I have started having cocktails on some evenings: We sort through our drinks cabinet and pull out the things we never drink (like a bottle of Martini Bianco that has been with us, unopened, for decades) and try to find a nice online cocktail to make with it, Anne emailed us. Anne lives in France, obviously. We look for nice glasses, garnish them with whatever we have around and set out a few nibbles too. Our kids have a soft drink and we all gather around and toast to confinement, she wrote.

Another ritual Dr. Lakshmin suggested is keeping a gratitude, or silver lining, list, which you can either do yourself or as an activity with your family. You can put it up on a white board or on the fridge, for everyone to keep track of unexpectedly fun things that have come up during this time, she said.

To be honest with you, in normal circumstances, meditation and gratitude journals are distinctly Not My Bag. But I am genuinely finding succor in talking to my kids about their favorite part of the day at dinnertime, and by chatting with my husband about what were most thankful for every night before we fall asleep.

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Crying in Your Car Counts as Self-Care - The New York Times