With everyone being told to stay at home and isolate themselves, you may be worried that the time indoors away from friends and social events will make you feel bored, lonely and depressed.
However, there are some ways to alleviate these feelings, and ensure that you have lots of things to do so you don’t feel at a loose end. Here are some tips to make sure that you stay productive and motivated during self-isolation, while combating low mood.
Create Healthy Distractions
To distract yourself from all of the negativity going on in the world, think of ideas of things you would enjoy doing that would lift your mood. These could be recreational activities such as watching a new TV show or movie, playing board games or reading books. Or perhaps you fancy starting a new hobby or skill, such as learning a new language, cooking new meals or decluttering your home. Take this time to focus on your own self development – practice new relaxation techniques, begin meditating or do at-home workouts.
Plan Your Days Out
Use a diary or planner to plan out the things you want to do that day. This will eliminate the feeling that you have nothing to do, or feeling as though you’re twiddling your thumbs. How you want to plan out your day is up to you, but some ideas could be:
- Setting 3 goals for yourself for the day
- Setting 5 tasks to be done
- Planning your day by the hour
- Planning by the time of day (morning, afternoon, evening)
- Setting a timetable
Make Your Space Somewhere You Enjoy Being
It is essential that the space we are in most (eg. Bedroom, workspace) is somewhere we enjoy being. Make sure it’s kept clean and tidy, and decorated with your favourite things such as plants and photographs. While going out is limited, get fresh air by opening windows and going into your garden for regular breaks. Try not to stay cooped up in one place in your house, instead spend time in different rooms if possible for a change of scenery.
Get Active
Although it may seem that you are limited in terms of activity in exercise at the moment, there are so many ways to get active while being at home. There are millions of at-home workouts that can be done via YouTube that fit your interests and fitness. Perhaps you could begin a fitness challenge or a yoga challenge, and make it a goal to improve daily. Remember that if you feel well, you can leave the house to exercise once a day, so make that a walk, run or cycle.
Prioritise Your Self Care
There is no better time to begin practicing self care, or deepen your existing practice. Take time out to nourish your mind, body and soul in whichever way suits you best. This could mean treating yourself to an at-home spa night where you run yourself a bubble bath, lights candles and put on a face mask. If you like working out, try new workouts that you can do at-home or begin a yoga challenge on YouTube. Looking after yourself will make you feel a little more in control, despite everything going on.
Connect With Family And Friends Via Technology
While people enter into a period of isolation, the thought of not seeing or talking to your loved ones is a huge trigger for stress, anxiety and feelings of loneliness. However, we live in a world where we can easily connect with people pretty much anywhere, anytime. Keep in contact with loved ones through texts, phone calls, and social media and achieve near face-to-face contact via Skype and FaceTime. While not exactly the same, it’ll help you feel a little less far away from them.
I hope this post has helped those who are struggling during this time.
Stay safe and take care,
Natalie
xxx
