Well, the world is a crazy place right now. And a large part of the population is stuck at home. Coronavirus is the most recent, and just one of the many many trials placed on us in the last year. Part of me is thinking mother nature is pretty pissed and letting us know that. Frankly, Karma’s a bitch friends. We need to start making the health of the environment, along with our own health, a priority (post on that later). But today we are discussing what in the world to do when you are practicing social distancing (as we all should be!), and self isolation.

Stuck? Do we have to think of it that way?

Many of us are simply not used to being at home without a million places to run off to; work, gym, appointments, shopping, school, chauffeuring our kiddies around….you name it. We are a busy society. And keeping busy makes us feel useful, productive, and somehow validated. BUT what if, we take this very serious situation and embrace these moments to just breathe.

Even if we are still going to work; without the pressure of social engagements and the like, we will have more time. Time to do things we never make room for. Time to rest, and rejuvenate ourselves. Instead of thinking of this self isolation as some sort of cruel punishment, let’s think of it as a blessing in disguise. A silver lining if you will. And let’s take this time to be totally self indulgent and productive, but on our own terms.

Introverts unite

I am an introvert by nature so being ‘stuck’ at home doesn’t generally bother me, but anyone can go stir crazy when stuck inside for too long. Plus, during my cancer surgeries, and treatments, I got pretty dang good at being at home lol. You are not feeling up to much and so susceptible to catching everything, you basically don’t venture out much, aside from doctor’s appointments.

How do we not go stir crazy?

In that vein, I thought to share some ideas on how to allow yourself time to breathe, but also being productive, and staying sane while we’re at it. So, here we go, a list of 31 things, that can be wonderful ways to take advantage of just being.

Catch up on your reading.

I don’t know about you but I have many many books waiting to be devoured.

Unapologetic binge watching.

That’s right, watch all 76 seasons of that show you have been wanting to see. No apologies or guilt necessary.

Meditate.

Seriously. Some may think it hokey, but it is a great way to just quiet the mind and be still. Most of us do not take the time for this on a regular day.

Stuck at the spa you mean!

At home of course. Have a 2 hour bath with candles, essential oils and the like, give yourself a mani pedi, deep condition your locks, have a facial, slather yourself in the expensive moisturizer. Indulge! It’ll feel amazing.

Spring Clean Extravaganza.

Okay so this may sound less fun than a spa day but think of how great you will feel once your home is bright and sparkly 😀

Make new themed Spotify playlists.

We all need music in our lives. I have always loved making playlists. One for road trips, one for cleaning, one for workouts, one for when I just feel like dancing; the possibilities are endless! Have some fun with it!

Discover new bands to adore.

In line with the above idea, take time to scour for new bands to obsess over. It is always thrilling to discover someone new and then proceed to memorize every song lyric they’ve ever written.

Clean out your closet.

Press play on one of those new playlists and get to it. Cleaning out your closet just feels so damn good. You know you have things in there you haven’t worn in 10 years. I do too, so absolutely no judgement here!

Try out new recipes.

Give yourself a little extra time to cook up some new yummy meals you have been wanting to try. And hey, the grocery stores are one of the acceptable places to head out to. 😉

Bake some deliciousness.

 The same as above, though different from cooking meals. I don’t know about you but when I have time at home, especially in the chillier months, baking is on my mind! There are always 101 recipes saved on a Pinterest board of mine (HERE) that I have wanted to attempt, but just haven’t made the time to. Now is that time!

Write in your journal.

Or start one if you currently don’t do this. Writing is incredibly therapeutic. The process of getting those thoughts out of your mind and onto paper has a profound effect on your mental health. There is a sense of joy and lightness that arises after pumping out a journal entry.

Exercise your creativity.

Let your inner artist shine. Paint, draw, knit, write a poem, sew, make soap, there are so many ways to use your creativity. Many of us have these such hobbies and they always get pushed to the back burner. Not today!

Discover a new hobby.

This goes well with the above suggestion. If you actually currently do not have a creative outlet, explore a new one. There are Youtube videos on absolutely everything, and ordering online from Amazon does not require you to go outside. So, get those creative juices flowing, and think how might you express yourself?

Colour therapy.

The colouring craze has died down, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still do it. Grab a colouring book, put your mind at ease and let the colours guide you.

Have sex.

Whether with your partner or with yourself (no outside visitors lol). It’s healthy, a perfect way to release pent up energy, and yet another thing that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves in our busy lives. You may just find yourself wanting to be stuck a while longer!

Game night!

If you do live with another you can do an old school board game night which is always a gag. But even if you live solo, you can still enjoy a game night! There are so many online games to take advantage of, or if you have a crossword, or word find book (pretty old school right? Lol.), take a couple of hours and fill out some pages.

Free trial of every streaming app you don’t already subscribe to. (just remember to cancel before the payments kick in!)

There are so many streaming avenues right now, aside from Netflix, most of which have free introductory periods. Take advantage and discover your new favourite show, or that movie you had no idea you needed to see. There couldn’t be a better time to take advantage of free trials.

Sustainability.

In these trying times we should all be striving to live more mindfully. Sit down and write out a list of the ways you can live a more sustainable lifestyle and start to implement them. Check out my green living post HERE. 

Virtual Museum Tours.

Yes, this is a thing! Here is a link for 12 famous museums you can visit from the comfort of your own home. Click HERE.

Start a blog.

Hey, maybe you have been thinking about it for a while but it’s so time consuming to set up. I agree with this! Lol, it can be time consuming to set up. But it’s also so nice to have a space to share your thoughts and ideas with other like minded individuals. On that note, thank you all for being here!

Rearrange your furniture.

I am not saying you have to feng shui your whole house, but doing a little switch-aroo with even a few pieces of furniture can breathe fresh life into a room. And the imminent arrival of spring time is such a wonderful moment for it.

At home workout.

This may not sound fun to some, but there is no reason you can’t, and you should, get your body moving while you are stuck at home. No need to become a total couch potato right? 😛 

Organize your inbox.

I don’t know about you, but my inbox gets swiftly out of control and it takes me forever to get it cleaned up. Organize your important messages and unsubscribe from junk. You know, all of those stores you signed up to just to get a discount, but don’t really care about their weekly, or sometimes daily, newsletter.

Do your taxes.

It’s that time of year again and if you are always slow on getting these done (like I am!), take advantage of the extra downtime and crunch those numbers. Get it out of the way!

Living room dance party.

Throw on your favourite tunes, bust a move, and get a healthy dose of exercise to boot.

Walk in nature.

We all need a tad bit of fresh air. Now I am not saying walk down to your local mall and have a spending spree. I simply mean to take a walk around your block or through a park. If you live next to trails or a forest that’s a bonus. Keep your distance from others if you are in a populated area and keep your hands to yourself!

Plan your next trip.

For when this is all over of course. Fantasize about the next country you would like to visit and research the must do things for your destination. At some point we will be able to travel freely again, and gosh darn it, you will be ready.

Practice gratefulness.

We all get caught up in our daily lives sometimes and do not make the time to take a step back, be appreciative for all that we have and acknowledge how lucky we are in so many ways. Take this time to reflect and recite, or write down, daily affirmations. Perhaps it is a habit that will stick once this is all over.

Catch up with friends or relatives.

Days fly by and we often do not check in with people that are indeed important to us. Perhaps you have family or old friends that no longer live in the same city as you, pick up the phone and give them a call, or connect on whatever online platform suits your fancy. It’ll feel incredible catching up.

Sign up for online classes!

Take this time to expand your knowledge. There are online classes for everything these days. You can learn a new language, study nutrition, fashion design, business, personal development, pretty much anything you can imagine! What have you always wanted to learn?

Loosen up that routine a little bit.

I know some say you should maintain your routine as much as possible during this time; I say throw caution to the wind and mix it up a little! You want to take an hour to savour that morning coffee, do it! Have a second cup, go ahead! Work in the evening as opposed to during the day? As long as you have some flexibility, do it. Change is good and refreshing. Take a break from routine, relax a little, and breathe.

Still feel stuck?

Okay, there you have it. 30 ways to help keep you entertained and moving these next few weeks. You see, there are so many awesome ways to fill our time. You probably will not even have time to do everything you would like to!

Teachable Moment

Every ounce of me is hoping that we, the human race, learn from this horrific ordeal and change our ways. This mandatory downtime is the perfect time for reflection and taking a look inward. I realize that change needs to happen on a large global scale, but each one of us can do things every single day to take better care of our dear planet. Mother nature has forced us to take a break, in turn, also giving her a minute to heal. Let’s try and keep up this momentum, even when we are back to normal. We can all be less wasteful and more mindful every single day. Check out my post, 10 Ways to Greener Living, for some easy ways to do this.

Special THANK YOU Note

Lastly, if you are one of the workers on the front lines, reading this and thinking you are busier than ever. I thank you, the doctors, nurses, emergency services, utility workers, grocery store workers, pharmacists, etc. Thank you all for being out there and weathering this storm so that we may all have access to the care and essentials we require to get through this. You are all amazing!

I want to hear you!

So tell me, how are you spending your extra hours? Are you trying to be productive or devoting yourself to the Netflix gods? Any ideas that I haven’t mentioned that you would like to share?

Thank you all for reading and I hope you are inspired to try out some things. We are all in this together folks. Stay home and stay healthy! Until next time.

And Remember!

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Until next time loves. Stay healthy.

xo

Krystle

thewholesomewitch@gmail.com