How to Stay Sane & Make the Most Out of Lockdown
How’s everybody doing out there? We hope you’re living life well at home, but if you need a little help getting through, we at Social Circle are here for you!
Now, we’ll be the first to admit, as a business grounded in social interactions (“social” is in our name, after all), it’s been tough to stay positive, but we’re doing our best, and channeling our hearts and minds into working on our new online Social Circle Community. Soon we hope to bring you fun online events, like coffee catch-ups, quizzes, movie nights, and more, so be sure to check back soon.
In the meantime, we’ve put together our top ten ways to beat back boredom and combat loneliness while we’re all staying safely at home.
1. Find a routine and stick to it.
When you’re stuck inside, it’s easy to lose track of time. Nights, days, weeks… it all starts to feel the same, but one of the best ways to fight off that feeling of monotony is by establishing a routine.
Resist the urge to stay in your pajamas all day. Take a shower, get dressed, have breakfast… do all the things that keep you feeling human and as normal as possible. If you’re working from home, block out times for breaks, too. Then use those breaktimes to go for a quick walk outside if you can, or at least around your home.
2. Start a new book.
Dive deep into your been-meaning-to-read list and take your mind on a trip to a fantasy world. No list? No problem. Reach out to friends and family for their favourites, or check out goodreads.com for personalized recommendations based on the books you’ve read and loved in the past. LINK to social circle book club
3. Keep moving.
The physical benefits of exercise are well known. You know, benefits such as making you stronger, burning calories, and helping to prevent or improve conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. But regular cardio can also help up your mental game.
Through the release of endorphins, exercise can help boost your mood, reduce stress, and improve your sleep—all great moves if you’re looking to combat that cooped-up quarantine feeling.
There are many free workouts available on YouTube, and more can be found floating around Facebook right now as personal trainers and the like look to keep in touch with their clients online. You can even combine your activity with social time by video chatting with a friend and doing your favorite workouts together.
4. Unplug.
Too much news—especially right now—can most definitely be a bad thing. Constant live news updates are a surefire way to disrupt your concentration and make it very hard to stay positive. Resist the urge to hit that subscribe button!
Choose a single news source you trust, then limit yourself to just a few checks a day—and the same goes for social media. Step away from the scroll and immerse yourself in other activities, whether that’s work-from-home or any of the other suggestions on this list, and give your nerves a break.
5. Get organized.
Been meaning to tackle that overflowing closet? Or finally organize the kitchen? Start now. There’s no better time to focus on straightening up your home life than when you’re stuck spending so much time there.
But first things first: choose your guru. From Marie Kondo’s mindful, joy-based method of Tidying Up, to the minimalist style of Joshua Becker, there are numerous ways to finally conquer the clutter and create a comfortable oasis in your home.
6. Put your sewing skills to work.
When your mind is reeling from the latest headlines, sometimes a sense of purpose can be all it takes to get you on firmer mental footing. One idea? Pull out that sewing machine and get to work sewing masks.
As hospitals the world over struggle to secure enough PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers, many are turning to homemade cloth masks for whatever protection they can get—and that means anyone with a sewing machine, some cloth, and a bit of elastic or hair ties can help.
A quick Google search will lead you to hundreds of how-tos for homemade masks, and YouTube is full of DIY videos as well.
7. Learn something new.
Make the most of your time at home to learn a new skill. Maybe you’ve always wanted to play the guitar or learn to sew. The internet is full of how-to videos, walk-throughs, and DIY guides to help you learn how to do just about anything.
If you don’t have a burning desire to try something personally? Consider some career development instead. Sites like LinkedIn offer premium subscribers a wealth of classes and courses to help you do your job better. And with experts predicting a tough job market once the pandemic has ended, it could be a smart move to give you an edge over any future competition.
8. Get social.
Social distancing doesn’t have to mean your social life is over. Now is the time to get creative while getting the gang back together—virtually of course.
Apps like Zoom, FaceTime, and others make it easy to gather for an online happy hour. But if that’s getting old, try other online gatherings instead. Perhaps a virtual dinner party where everyone makes (and eats!) their own dish. Or a virtual game night. The possibilities really are endless.
9. Take up a new hobby.
Maybe it’s the next great novel idea that’s been floating around in your head for years, a burning desire to bake, or a love for painting.
Mark some items off your bucket list while you have the time, and you just might find something worth keeping up long after this is all over.
10. Watch something.
And finally, we couldn’t sign off without mentioning the streaming elephant in the room. From Netflix to Amazon Prime, and everything in between, the catalogue of film and television content waiting to be streamed is enormous.
So go ahead, grab a bowl of your favorite snacks and binge-watch that new series everyone’s talking about. Even better? Get some friends together for an online watch party and chat your way through the whole thing.
