There’s no sugar coating it; the next few weeks are going to be tough while we wait the Coronavirus out at home and wait to flatten the curve. But this time of self-isolation doesn’t mean that we have to turn into couch potatoes. Below are two simple but incredibly productive ways to keep yourself busy while we adjust to our temporary new realities.
Stop putting things off and start investing in yourself again
Now there is no longer an excuse not to do all the things that you have been putting off for a rainy day – as long as you can do it indoors of course! Sure, everyone deserves a little relaxation during this stressful time, but don’t use it as an excuse to Netflix yourself to death either. Start investing in yourself again and stop spending useless time scrolling through social media on your phone. This downtime won’t last forever so while it’s frustrating now, and all you want to do is get out and socialise, use this time wisely. Read more and continue to learn. If reading literature isn’t your thing, read an online article or how-to guide instead and gain knowledge about a topic that you can put to good use later. Learn a new skill, whether it’s finally teaching yourself how to create a website from scratch, updating your knowledge on coding and graphic design, or teaching yourself a new language that you’ve always wanted to learn, but never had the time for.
And if you are after an activity that’s a bit more active but still rewarding, Improve your culinary skills and try out some new recipes and see what’s the most inventive dish you can muster out of your cupboard food. Whatever it is, keep your mind active and engaged.
Exercise
Not precisely a rivetingly new idea, is it? And yet it is more important now than ever to keep ourselves moving, for our mental health as well as our physical. Perhaps you were one of those people who had a religiously strict fitness routine that’s now been massively disrupted, or were part of a fitness class that’s now been put on hold? It can be frustrating for those who have been used to carrying out an active lifestyle and are now forced to stay at home. But the good news is that your fitness levels don’t have to go down the drain until you can get back in the gym. You can put your home gym equipment to good use and try one of the many online fitness routines available online, such as on Pinterest, or you can download fitness apps and adapt them to meet your specific needs. No gym equipment, you say? No problem! Use your imagination and use what you can around the home, substituting heavier items such as food cans as weights.
Even if you aren’t a fitness fanatic, with all the extra time on our hands, now is the perfect moment to start and work on your fitness. Ease into it with some yoga, which will not only improve your flexibility and strength, but will help ease any anxiety or unease that you could be feeling. Order yourself some yoga straps and mats online to be delivered straight to your doorstep, find an online tutorial that takes your fancy, and you’ll be a yoga pro before you know it! Staying at home is no excuse not to keep fit and move your body! Your mental and emotional health will definitely thank you later.