FIVE WAYS TO BEAT SELF-ISOLATION BLUES
What’s the first piece of advice people often give when you’re feeling down? Get outside and socialise. It’s no wonder, then, in a time when we’re being told to stay indoors and see no one, that many of us are struggling to stay positive. But self-isolation doesn’t need to be gloomy. With just a few tweaks to your daily routine, you’ll be feeling motivated to make the best of the situation in no time. Don’t believe us? Just try these tips for yourself.
If you’re feeling lethargic and unmotivated, you’ll be surprised at just how much of a difference some fresh air and daylight will make. It can be scary to even think of it with constant updates telling us to stay indoors, but if you’re lucky enough to have a local park, an isolated walk once a day is allowed and encouraged. Sunlight has been scientifically proven to benefit the immune system, so setting some time aside to get outside is especially important if your home setup is lacking natural light.
Whether you have a whole hour to step away from your desk at lunch, or pockets of time through the day to run for a bite to eat, every little counts.
No one’s expecting you to be on top form with the pandemic looming over us all, so it’s all right to want some alone time. But once you’ve restored your inner zen, making virtual plans with friends can give you quality time to catch up and clear your heads.
You may not be able to visit your usual brunch spot or favourite eatery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in your own living room.
Change things up and break your normal routine with a new hobby. Bonus points if you can rope in your significant other or group of friends to keep you accountable!
It doesn’t need to be expensive either. You could set a goal to explore a new East London borough on your daily run, try your hand at an instrument or simply tackle that whopper of a book you’ve been putting off until now.
Shake things up at home too with a brand new menu for your weekly meals. Perhaps it’s time to test out that recipe book you received for Christmas, or you fancy recreating your favourite dish from a local restaurant. Bonus points if you can make do with your pantry items in this time of shortage. The finished product will taste even better if you know you can keep making it without going out!
It can be easy to forget the beauty of where you live after you’ve been there a while. The usual tourist spots become somewhere to avoid at peak times but guess what? Right now there’s no one. We’re not suggesting, of course, that you make a day of flouting government guidelines. But if you happen to live near a constantly-busy tourist attraction, now’s your chance to get that shot that you would ordinarily have to wait until the wee hours for.