After a year of constant unrest and confusion, the prospect of continuing lockdowns and increasing measures still lies heavily on our shoulders. Whilst waking up at 6am for a yoga session and sampling different viral recipes may have kept us sane last March, a year on those activities seem like a distant memory and we have all reached our peaks of boredom – but fear not! I am inviting you to join me in thinking outside of the box for new ways to occupy ourselves as we continue to stay at home. Without further ado, here are the little ways I have spiced up my quarantine life to keep me in good spirits…
Music to My Ears
Numerous times I have dabbled in and out of learning different instruments, but have never had the time to dedicate to it… until lockdown cam around. Yep, there has been no better time to hone a musical skill. So if you’ve not given that guitar you bought a few months ago a strum, or the keys of your keyboard have gathered some dust recently, I urge you to learn that song you have been itching to play for years. An electric piano sits proudly in my living room, and it has become my best friend when I need to shake off the stress of the working day. Beethoven would be proud as I have already learnt his famous ‘Moonlight Sonata’, and plan to keep learning more as the year flies by. Whether it is a tuba, ukulele or even a recorder, anyone will discover the immense enjoyment that can be achieved from picking up an instrument that they once believed they would never be able to play.
Chef’s Kiss!
I bet you didn’t know that cooking is a type of therapy! Though sometimes even making the tiniest of meals can seem like a laborious task, the new addition of Hello Fresh orders into my routine has been a blessing. I might not be Nigella, but I certainly feel like I can cook to her standard once I’ve whipped up an Instagram worthy dish. Fantastic for a busy lifestyle, Hello Fresh provides its subscribers with a plethora of new meals to make with fresh and measured ingredients that are delivered directly to your doorstep. Sustainable, healthy, and affordable – what more could you want? There is something so incredibly satisfying in the creation of a delectably gorgeous meal bursting with flavours, and each dish that can be made with the help of Hello Fresh is certainly no exception. So, I challenge you to cook up a marvellous mouth-watering wonder tonight – you deserve it!
Getting Crafty “Around the World”!
It’s no secret that I am missing travel nowadays. Gone are the days of booking a spontaneous flight to a foreign place, and so instead I’ve started to bring a taste of the countries to my living room in the form of crafts and activities! I’ve made a trip to Korea in the form of an origami class and a calligraphy lesson. My living room trip to Italy saw me making pasta and whipping up some aperol spritz, and I ventured to Thailand with some Thai beer and a cooking class. Even without the country spin, I encourage you to get crafty! Whether you fancy having a go at making rugs, sculpting cute ornaments from air drying clay, or hunting out some online graffiti fonts to dabble in some graphic design, you’ll be surprised at how far your artistic imagination can stretch!
Go on That One-Walk-A-Day!
At the start of the first lockdown, most of us became vampires and refused to leave the house – I think I can safely say I was one of them. However, what we do not realise are the many benefits that taking a brisk stroll in the sunshine can provide. Whether you live in the city, countryside, or the seaside, we are lucky enough to live in a country that is never short of green spaces or places to meander round. Not only is taking up that one-walk-a-day that Boris promised us beneficial to our physical health, during times of uncertainty it is equally as important to keep on top of our mental health and walking is an excellent way to ensure that. So, put on those trainers and get yourself out and about!
Finally, An Excuse to Stay Inside and Play Video Games
Ever met a grown woman that enjoys playing video games? Yep – that is me! After a super busy day of work, you can often catch me running through the Fortnite map or attempting to get to grips with a new character on League of Legends with my friends Kirsty, Nate and Sanj, also full-grown adults. There’s a tonne of fun to be found in escapism, whether unleashed in films, video games or even books, and whilst we continue to live in such a strange reality, an outlet is exactly what we need. Though they may make your eyes go square – or at least that is what we were told as kids – there’s so much enjoyment to be had in a virtual world and escaping to an alternative universe for a couple of hours is sometimes all that I crave.
Face to Face Coffee Dates are So Last Year!
With the new normal consisting of carrying out the working day from the comfort of your own home, there is no better way to spend coffee breaks than on a virtual group call. Though Discord is not as popular as Zoom, the capabilities on the platform are endless and are perfect at creating a comfy workspace for a group of work colleagues. Need a sprinkle of inspiration whilst working on that piece of content? Creating a Discord server for yourself and your friends who are working from home makes bouncing ideas off one another incredibly easy and efficient. Although some of us may have found adjusting to the new world online, it has its small benefits, and this is certainly one of them.