Currently, we don’t know how long the self-isolation due to the Corona Virus outbreak is going to last for, and most of us are either ‘working from home’ or just ‘staying in’, it gets boring and repetitive. Not to forget the social media messages, posts and videos make it all the more overwhelming and you just want a break from all this for a few minutes of your day.
It may sound all doom and gloom at the moment, but if you look at it from a different perspective, self-isolation is an opportunity for you to do a lot of things that you cannot do or don’t have the time to do in your routine life. Luckily, there are a lot of things that you can do in your home to keep yourself occupied and to get away from the depressing circumstances that everyone is going through at the moment. We have given you a guide and several ideas on what you can do during self-isolation.
Contents
There are many different things to get involved with during self-isolation. We’ve collated some of our favourites to share with you to help you keep busy during these times. We’ve collated all sorts of different things to do, such as:
• Keeping fit and healthy
• Being productive
• Making some great memories
• Discovering some new things!
There’s plenty in the below to keep you busy. See some of our favourite things to do below!
PE With Joe
Atonement Podcast
This is an excellent idea for self- reflection and your relationship with yourself. Francesca Specter is a journalist for your soul that is much needed at this time. Nowadays when all news and social media is full of negative and sad news, this podcast celebrates the joy of spending time alone.
Francesca has interviewed high profile interviews including Alain de Botton and Jada Sezer about how they spend their alone time and why it is important to them. It is an amazing way to enjoy solitude and get inspirational ideas. New episodes are released every Friday.
Disney+
If you can’t decide what to watch on Netflix and you find yourself staring at the menu for hours, worry not! Disney+ is in town now and what else could be better than watching those Disney classics from your childhood? Even better, watch it with your loved ones and kids, relive the moments from your childhood with your children or even on your own! Disney+ has enlisted all Disney movies from new to old. Subscription is only £59.99/year for the first year (in the UK).
This Too Shall Pass
This Too Shall Pass is a brilliant read by Julia Samuel. She talks about the struggle and that change is a way of life. Everything and every time in our lives pass no matter how good or how hard it is. There are some unavoidable milestones like children leaving home, retirement, first job and first love etc.
Life is complex and so are the choices we make or are made for us. Acclaimed psychotherapist Julia writes about conversations with her patients from their personal experiences on how they learned to adapt during the most difficult and transformative times of their lives. The book is an amazing read especially during this hard time of social change that everyone is going through, as it talks about family, love, work, health and identity of self.
Discover Podcast
You might have thought about it a lot of times but never got a chance to try it on, but now you can! There is a lot of variety in different genres of podcasting. Just pick your favourite from a big range, from comedy, murder mystery, celebrity interviews and political podcasts, there is something for everyone.
You even also try the podcast app Spotify, it is a great place to start into podcasting where you can listen to a local author, get inspiration regarding career or learn some bits about art, this is a brilliant opportunity to discover the world of podcasting and you will surely find something you love and enjoy.
Family Time
Take a Trip Down Memory Lane
Plan a Holiday
Karaoke Night
Plan your very own karaoke night contest with family members, be silly and just enjoy the time with your loved ones. We all have a bathroom singer living inside us and now is the perfect chance to bring it out. You can even make a video and upload on social media to share with friends and get them inspired too!
Audible
Self-Made on Netflix
Meditate With Calm
Practice Yoga
Puzzles
Colouring
Knitting
Knitting is a lifelong skill and a therapeutic hobby enjoyed by a lot of people. It not only gives you a sense of being productive but also helps you to concentrate and kill time while doing something useful. Knitting is often underrated and is classified as an activity only grannies would do, however, if you ask a person who is interested in crafts and they will tell you how calming this hobby is.
If you have ever tried knitting and failed or have thought of learning it but never got a chance, now is your perfect chance. You can buy a DIY knit kit and start learning simple things first, and before you know it, you will be making scarfs, gloves and what not!
Makeup/Hairstyle Tutorials
House Party
Write a Blog
Take an Online Course
Cooking
Cleaning
It may not sound very exciting but in fact, it is the best time for you to deep clean a few things in your home. For example, you can clean your oven, hoover under the bed and take out and dust off all the books from that bookshelf that you have been planning to do for ages.
If you still have a pile of DVDs and CDs at your home, that just gathering dust, now is the time to clean them and put them away or get rid of them if not in use. Also, to help reduce the risk of spreading Coronavirus, wipe all the surfaces with a good disinfectant and mop the floors with a disinfecting floor cleaner.
Gardening
As we are now in spring and the weather is getting better, it is the perfect time for gardening. Since you cannot go out of the house, you can spend a few hours in your garden and tend to the plants and flowers, cut the grass and trim the hedge. If you are planning to plant some new plants, why not go for some fruit and vegetable plants too and grow your vegetable garden? Who knows when you might need it, as the shops may run out of their fresh fruit and vegetable stock!
Sorting Out
Self-isolation is also a good opportunity for you to sort out things around the house, especially your personal belongings. We often tend to clean and sort out the things that are visible around the house but neglect the ones that are hidden inside the drawers, cupboards and wardrobes etc. Especially, items of personal use that neglected the most.
We can now take this time to sort out various things in our lives such as sorting out our wardrobes; take everything out that is not in use and put them in separate bags for charity. Clean bedside drawers and bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Sort out your makeup and throw away all the old ones, also wash makeup brushes.
Take a Bubble Bath
How many times in a month do you get a chance to take a bubble bath in peace? Not too often, or maybe never! Now that you have time in your hands and kids are home too, you can probably take some time out for yourself and take a bubble bath whilst going through a magazine.
Make A Diary
When you clean up and sort things out, you are bound to find a diary or notebook for sure. There are several things you can do with this notebook like, write and maintain a daily diary log of things you did, how you made your self-isolation productive and enjoyable or use it to make lists of your things to do, write a story or poems to get your inner writer satisfied, or even turn it into a cooking book of your favourite recipes all in one place. There are a lot of things you can do with a diary, the choice is yours!
Have a Virtual Clean Up
How long have you been planning to do a ‘clean up’ of your social media lists of friends for? You can now spare a day or a few hours to delete all those unwanted people on your Facebook, Instagram and whatever social media you use so you are only connected with those you want to. This also goes for those unwanted junk emails that you have unwillingly and unknowingly subscribed to that keep filling your inbox; you can now unsubscribe to all of them one by one.
Finish DIY Projects
Do The Difficult Tasks
Take a Hobby
You may think that you are too old to find a new hobby now but think of it this way; there are things that you always wanted to do but never got a chance. So now is your time to try them out, and if it doesn’t work out, you have nothing to lose. At least, you spent your time trying and doing something you enjoy. How about finishing off the giant jigsaw puzzle or the Lego set that has been waiting for your attention for ages? Or starting painting or crafts activities that had always dreamed of trying one day.
You may even take out some old albums and go through them, organise them or you can even make a soft copy of them to keep them safe forever. Also, take out all the pictures from old phones, DVDs, tablets and cameras and keep them all in one place, like a hard disk or online on OneDrive or iCloud.
Work on Your IT Skills
Visit a Museum
Really? Yes, you can visit a museum during self-isolation although it’s only a virtual tour. Google Arts and Culture have partnered with 2500 museums and galleries from around the world and they have shared the pictures of their displays online for a virtual tour for people during self-isolation. You can screen share with a friend to make it more interesting and for a company. An added advantage of a virtual visit is that you can look up for different things for more information on Google, maybe even more than when you visit the place.
Pick up Litter While Walking Your Dog
Relax
Take an afternoon nap, have a lazy morning or sunbathe when the weather allows it. Normally we are always rushing around between dropping kids to school, getting ready for work, school run and whatnot, but now that everything has calmed down, so should you. Make the most of it while you can. It is said that a nap of 30 to 60 minutes is good for your health. Remember, there is very little in life that can’t wait and your health is the most important thing. Only if you are fit and healthy you will be able to do things around the house and look after your loved ones.
Write a Letter to Your Future Self
Volunteer
Donate
If you can afford, don’t forget to help out the people in need of money at this crucial time. There is a Coronavirus charity where you can donate money to help those suffering from this illness or you can give it to any charity of your choice.
If you know of any elderly that are suffering on their own, you can volunteer to help them by doing their shopping, picking up their medicine from the chemist or giving them a meal. Helping each other and the community out is the most satisfying thing and the best use of one’s time! Whatever you choose to do, remember social distancing is the key here, so you can leave the items on their doorstep or speak to them from at least a distance of 2 meters to keep them and yourself safe.
