I know you are going crazy at home, I know.
But let me remind you, we are all on the same boat. And my first sentence is: scrolling down on social media and watching series till 3 am will not solve our problems. It can help passing the time, doing it from time to time can be good BUT I came up with a list of 10 things that I believe can help us to go through this quarantine time feeling way better about ourselves. The secret is not to try to change everything from one day to another. No, no, no. The idea is to start implementing step by step each one of these things. Maybe some will resonate more with you than others. Just pick the ones you like and go for it.
1. Start a new course
How many times have you said you want to learn something but you never have the time? Now we have it so find something you want to improve or learn and go for it. Coursera and so many other MOOCS have online courses for free. This week I started a course from Yale available through Coursera called: ‘The Science of Well-Being‘. You can find more information HERE. It is amazing how this course drives us to be more active about what we love doing and more aware about developing who we truly are.
2. Call at least one friend a day
I am very, very social. Those who know me also know I need people around me all the time. I cannot go through the day without speaking to anyone. Now that I cannot leave the house, I make sure I always have a friend or someone from family to catch up with. Sometimes it is just trivial conversation and sometimes we have breakfast or lunch together. It might not seem like much, but for me it helps me to feel connected. Have you tried this?
2. Exercise at home
Maybe you are not used to exercise, but I promise moving your butt will help you to feel better about yourself. I have used a tone of online live streams to help me to move my body. Let me share a few of them with you: YOGA (many online course for free) ; Cardio and home workouts (all videos are less than 20 minutes).
4. Go SOCIAL
Have you seen the amount of social lives, workshops, and hangouts online? Find one you like and make sure to join weekly/daily. That will help you to feel part of a community. If you do not know any cool group to join or are unsure where to find one, just create one yourself. For example, I have created a Covid-19 miniseries about productivity during coronavirus with girls from all around the world. Every 2 days we meet to talk about the situation in different countries, the measures and how to handle the situation. Follow us on my Instagram: @danielamatinho
5. Cooking can be a relaxing exercise
No one ever has time to cook. Now, I guess everyone does. I, personally, do not like cooking but I find cooking an incredible exercise to relax and not think about anything. NOW, during quarantine, I have been cooking a bit more. What about you? Do you like cooking? Do you have any suggestions of vegetarian recipes?
6. Reading… Reading… Reading
I love reading . I have mentioned this here several times. So why not enjoy this period to read more? I am struggling to concentrate and turn off the phone most of the time at night but forcing myself to read at least 2 pages is already something. Are you also struggling to keep reading a habit? If yes, I found placing the book next to your bed and ‘forcing’ myself to read at least 10 minutes has helped a bit. Let me know if you have other tips.
7. Cleaning
Who likes cleaning? No one likes cleaning but when you are at home all day, every day of the week staying in an unclean space is very unpleasant. Last week I changed the disposition of my entire room, I cleaned a ton of papers, and threw a way a tone of little notes I have in my desk. Have you done anything like that in this quarantine?
8. Sleeping
My alarm clock has not been ringing at all. I usually wake up at 6:30 am but during this period I am allowing myself to sleep as many hours as my body wants. 😀 We might not get the chance to relax like this during the Summer so let’s enjoy this little treat for now. Correct?
9. Learning a new skill
Can you believe I have a piano at home and I have never found the time to learn how to play? Can you also believe there are ton of YouTube videos that teach how to play? How many of you have always said that want to practice or learn something but never found the time? Maybe it is a language, maybe it is how to cook, or how to talk to others. Whatever it is, just do it. Being creative and using time wisely is a skill we should all develop during this time.
10. Updating social media and blog
Do you have a blog? Or maybe you have just a social media account that you keep saying you have to update or put some pictures. Maybe you have to update your resume or github page… I know these tasks can be painful but putting some effort on them will help you to feel better about yourself, believe me ( you have no idea how much joy I have every time I hit the publish bottom on the blog). My advice to you is: JUST DO IT. Even if companies are not recruiting now or if companies are not doing partnerships now, you may want to put yourself ahead once everything get back to normal. If we place ourselves well enough now, maybe good opportunities will come up once we finish this quarantine thing.
What do you think? At least, that is the way I see it.
I hope you liked this post.
Photo by Vernon Raineil Cenzon on Unsplash, Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash Photo by Zen Bear Yoga on Unsplash Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash
Daniela