Some of us are already experiencing another lockdown, and many more are heading that way shortly which means we are going to need to maintain our sanity while social distancing at home. The best way forward is to take advantage of the time we are given by developing healthy and sustainable habits that make our lives better in both the short term and the long term.
A good bottle of wine is nice every now and then during lockdown, but it doesn’t compare with the benefits of integrating the following items into your daily life.
Photo by Manuel Peris Tirado on Unsplash
1 – Meditation
Meditation can be the best cure for boredom and those moments when we feel lethargic and unmotivated after being stuck inside for too long. If we are feeling anger, frustration, depression, or any other negative emotion, we can use the loving-kindness meditation technique, also called Metta meditation, to grow positive emotions. To relax and regain energy, we can use the body scan meditation method, breath awareness, and mindfulness meditation.
We are mentioning meditation first on this list because if we begin to slowly integrate meditation into our morning routines, even if it is an easy 5 minutes at first, then we will generally have more energy, focus, and a heightened positive attitude for the rest of the day.
2 – Home Workouts
Home workouts don’t have to involve expensive equipment or having someone there in person to guide you through exercises, and it doesn’t matter if it’s something you haven’t really done before. What matters is that you get started. Anyone can begin a home workout and wellness journey from scratch, and the benefits of having more energy, a sense of accomplishment, and improved physical strength can impact every aspect of your life.
You can start an online martial arts course from home, or get back into some training which you already have experience in. Maybe yoga is more your thing, or perhaps you want to design a personal workout routine to target specific areas of your body. The important thing is that you first sit down and decide what results you want to get out of your workouts, such as toning up, becoming more flexible, or preparing for when martial arts classes start again after lockdown.
3 – Wellness
Wellness naturally extends from exercise, as it is the act of living a healthy lifestyle in terms of physical, mental, and social wellbeing. As well as exercising, plan out your diet to cut back on fatty and sugary foods, design a meal plan focusing on muscle growth or weight loss, call your friends regularly for a chat, and stay involved in the lives of those that matter to you so that you feel connected while at home.
Get into a routine, and be mindful if you start to feel down or depressed in lockdown by focusing on the positive things you are achieving and by being kind to yourself.
4 – Take an Online Course
Staying intellectually stimulated while in lockdown can turn a glum, difficult, or boring time into a fun, energetic, and entertaining experience. The key is to learn about something that actually interests you; something that will have an impact on your life. Websites such as Edx and Udemy have an awesome selection of both free and paid online courses for everybody, and it’s also a good idea to check any university websites you can think of to see what they offer online.
You can choose something that is going to improve your career opportunities, such as courses in coding, web development, career management, or anything related to a field you want to pursue. Maybe a course in teaching, or something that matches with your kid’s interests will help you guide them on a journey of theirs so you can bond while at home.
This may also give you the opportunity to pick up that hobby you have always been interested in but never got around to. You can begin learning to play a musical instrument like the guitar, or start painting, learning a new language, or what ever you have always wanted to do in the past.
5 – Earn Some Extra Cash from Home
If you aren’t already working from home and want to get some extra cash, there are some things you can do to get the ball rolling. There are many sites where you can teach others about something you are passionate about and get paid, or you can create products such as art pieces for sale online. Freelance writing, editing, or putting anything you have learned from online courses to work can create a nice little side-hustle while stuck at home.
6 – Write
Writing can benefit anybody, regardless of your level of creativity. Something as simple as writing a diary or journal to collect your daily thoughts, feelings, and ideas can be an effective way of processing and dealing with emotions when things get tough. Journaling can also be a great way of monitoring your progress towards a goal, whether it’s a new skill you are learning or a fitness goal you are training towards.
We can also write for others, such as books we can give to our kids once they are older detailing their early life and your favorite moments with them, or a memoir that can be shared amongst the family for nostalgia’s sake. Maybe you have had a story you wanted to get down on paper, or poetry that has been floating around in your head. Now is your chance.
7 – Start a Book Club with Your Best Friends
Whether you are sharing something you have written, or you just finished reading a life changing book, connecting with friends and family who have also read the same piece and sharing your thoughts is a great way to gain a heightened understanding of pieces of writing, and of each other as well.
Not only will you have something to talk about when lockdown becomes boring, but you will also get to see how your friends and family see the world by learning what details they focus on in a story. This is a great way of staying connected with friends online, and you might even learn a thing or two about yourself from the conversations and observations that grow from a book club.