Staying In
I think we’re all struggling a little bit with this new reality of life. “Am I doing too little?”, “Am I doing enough?”, “What else is there to do?”, “How can I keep myself positive during this time?”, “Is it ok to just lay on the sofa a whole day?” might be questions rushing through our heads during this time (and then there’s parents with younger kids who are just happy if they get five minutes of a lone time when the kids are asleep at 22:00 – props to you guys!). For me the answer to all of those questions above is: do what feels right for you. There is no “should” during this time. We are all in a situation we most likely have never been in before and we’re all learning to cope with it. I think the key is listening to your own body and doing what feels best for you. If you want to work out, great. If you want to eat ice cream, super. If you want to take a three hour long bubble bath, fantastic (and also, I’m, kind of jealous of the fact that you have a bathtub). The best thing you can do, is just to listen to your own body and what you feel like doing. Not what that little voice in your head might tell you that you “should” be doing.
The dangerous thing is to compare yourself to others. There is always going to be someone who does more, who wakes up earlier and who you think might look better or have a more spacious home than you. Do not compare yourself to others. Ever. But especially during this time. It doesn’t do anything good for us and, most of the time, it just makes us feel worse about ourselves. So if you want to do nothing, that’s definitely more than ok. And if you want to do something, that’s absolutely fine too. For those of you who are feeling uninspired or like you want to do something but don’t really know what, here are some suggestions.
Paint!
It can be almost therapeutic to grab a brush and just start painting a blank canvas. Don’t worry if it' doesn’t come out great. I think the process can be the best part of this!
Read a book
Why not pick up that book you’ve been dying to read for a while now? Even if it’s just 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes before bed.
Do yoga
I find it very hard to have any motivation to work out right now. But what I do feel like I could do, is some yoga. Focus on breathing and just taking care of yourself.
Paint your nails
What usually makes me feel better if I’m a little bit down, is to take care of myself. I love putting on something that I like to watch, prepare a nice snack, put on a facemark and do my nails.
Organise your closet
There’s no better time to be cleaning out your closet. It gives you something to do, I can guarantee that you’ll feel better afterwards. Plus, you can donate unwanted items to a charity.
Learn a new language
If you feel like learning something new during this time, I think a language would a great investment. I wish (!) I had the energy and self discipline for this, haha.
Write a journal
Practice gratitude, learn more about yourself and don’t be afraid to feel all of the feelings you’re feeling right now (and always). Putting it down in words and journaling during this time can be really helpful.
Learn to cook something new
I love cooking and I love to learn new recipes. Now is the time to try and have fun with it.
Have a movie marathon!
Personal suggestions include: a romantic comedy marathon, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and James Bond.
Take a masterclass
My mom gave me a gift card for Masterclass a while back and so far I’ve taken cooking classes and have Annie Leibovitz’s photography course and a negotiating course on my wish-list.
Play around with make-up
Try that make-up look you’ve always been admiring, or play around with products you never gotten around to.
Virtual apéro
Have a virtual apéro via Zoom, FaceTime or any of the other apps. It’s so nice to see friends and family again over a glass of wine!
Enjoy the view
It’s important to just be able to do nothing as well. So if you have somewhat of a pretty view, or any view really, just stop and observe. Sit and enjoy what you see.
Spend a day in bed
As I mentioned, there’s nothing with doing nothing. Why not just spend a whole day cosy in bed?
Dream about travelling…
Daydream about where you’d like to go (when we’re able to again), what places you’d love to visit and let your fantasy take you away for a minute.
Balcony picnic!
If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony or a garden: have a picnic! If not for you, but for the rest of us haha. And if you have a window that opens, that will do too!
Play a boardgame
Bring out an old-school board game (or a newer one like "We’re not really strangers”) and play a game together. If you’re alone, you can also play boardgames and the “We’re not really strangers” game, online or via Zoom.
See if you can help
See if you can help someone in your building or neighbourhood. Perhaps someone needs help with doing groceries, walking their dog or going to the pharmacy. You can put up a note in the hallway/elevator.