Master List: At-Home Coronavirus Sanity Strategy
(digitally gather, of course!)
(this blog post contains both regular and affiliate links)
Connection
See a dog, share a dog via Zoom with the family
Zoom, Facetime, Google Hangouts, Houseparty and Whereby are just a few of the services I have used in the last two weeks. Staying in touch with people is crucial to your sanity while on lockdown. Here are some great ideas for your next video chat with friends, family, colleagues or complete strangers if you’re up to it!
Host a;
Virtual pub-quiz
Surprise birthday party
Wine and cheese night
Dinner party
Movie night (via Netflix Party, which I have yet to try)
#Selfcare party(whip out those facemasks and the nail polish)
Cards Against Humanity night - click here and you can thank me later
For the first time, I truly felt like I was one notch down from the techiest generation when I first tried Houseparty. We started out chatting with a friend and next thing you know, their cousin, aunt, then mum turned up to the chat group. It’s basically a Snapchat married with a friend-of-a-friend version of Chatroulette but without dicks (so far).
If you want to get top-level video chat service, Zoom has been FANTASTIC at handling digital family gatherings. It automatically dips in and out of different people’s audio which solves the annoying problem of lags and people talking over each other by accident. You can use Zoom for up to 40 min per group for free. Go pro for £11.99 p/m to get up to 100 people in the same video chat.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to #wine with a few pals (up to 4 people to be specific), checkout Whereby’s free plan. If you’re looking to increase to 12 people per meeting, check out the $10 plan. All you have to do is send a link to your pals and they can start chatting with you via mobile or desktop in a pinch. This is also great for anyone trying to connect with those who need technological help.
Movement
Since the gym is closed (despite always being an utter Petry dish), we’re pleased to be forced to take workouts at home. Throughout our home workouts, we’ve been training our brains to get creative when it comes to makeshift weights as well as substitutes when our workout videos demand suicide sprints in our small London space. We’ve also discovered other channels worth checking out when it comes to keeping fit. If I am being honest, they’re even inspiring us to work out more than we did during normal times.
First things first, we as a couple have been doing P.E. with Joe Wicks workouts. Joe has essentially volunteered to be the nation’s P.E. teacher which was a total underestimate. What’s amazing about his free YouTube daily workouts is the millions of people all around the world who are tuning in together for it. And we’re here for it. He’s also got an amazing instructor presence that is motivating when trying to kick your ass into gear. If you’re based in another time-zone, don’t fret. After his classes go live, you can play catchup in your time zone to stay healthy during isolation.
While in isolation, I have also been taking advantage of a yoga app called Down Dog. They’re currently making their Yoga, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre and 7-Minute workout apps free from now until the 1st of May, so have a go while playing around with different workouts. I personally like to mix up my days, some with P.E. with Joe and doing yoga on the days in between.
Food
Like many others, we’ve been buying what we need and as in-frequent as possible so that we can avoid the grocery store lines and hectic shopping atmosphere. There is no better time than now to get on-board with home delivery service when it comes to produce or recipes. Lately, it has been difficult for many to organize online grocery deliveries from the usual shops. Try out one of these direct-to-your-door food services which (luckily) aren’t oversubscribed at the moment.
We’ve been using Oddbox to get healthy ingredients (ie veg) without having to go to the supermarket every week. It is exciting to receive the random bunch of the week because it forces us to get creative with the produce we get. You can also add fruit to your weekly box if you’re interested!
If you are seeking out healthy meals as well as some more practice in the kitchen during your newly acquired free time, try Mindful Chef (affiliate link)! They’ll have you chopping and trying new things that you never imagined cooking. With each weekly Mindful Chef box, you only get the ingredients (and quantities of them) that you need so you don’t end up with a massive tub of Tahini when you really only needed it once.
We have to admit, we’ve also been pretty inspired by our friends on social media lately. Our friends @mssr.farenheit have been cooking up a storm with these amazing world-class #foodporn meals that you can certainly try at home. Mssr. Fahrenheit is run by a high-school friend of mine, Rachel. She documents her partner and Brooklyn-based Chef, Sean as he serves up #sexy masterpieces. The content is drool-worthy and we highly recommend checking them out ASAP for your next meal’s inspo.
We’re also aware that we need to play a role in supporting our communities, and therefore have been buying meat and fish from local grocers, butchers, and fishmongers. On top of that, we try and balance our at-home cooking with the occasional takeaway with our local restaurants. We’re planning to do a dinner date night soon complete with nice outfits, real cutlery/plates and a candlelit meal neither of us cooked.
Routines
Poppy reporting for d̶u̶t̶y̶ daily routines!
I’ve had my fair share of working from home experience, in fact, it was the only work environment I knew before getting my first in-office job last spring. During this current work-from-home climate, I am realizing how different and difficult this experience can be for those who do not regularly do their work from home. I wanted to share some of my best tips for staying sane even if you haven’t seen people (in real life) for weeks!
While working from home, it is incredibly important to keep a routine within your house despite your old routine being thrown out the door during the lockdown. Get excited about this opportunity to not only keep but also add to your routine. You may even find yourself building in some healthy habits like working out with Joe Wicks in the mornings!
Although you are now working from home, that doesn’t mean pajamas 24/7 is the best idea. Dressing up for your work-day is key for setting the tone of motivation. And if you’re still unconvinced, try styling your top half at the very least and incorporating some digital face-to-face meetings for self-accountability. Conversations are not only better understood when paired with body language, but you’ll also feel put together and organized in #realclothes.
Other important parts of your routine include how you treat your eating schedule. Try to make sure your lunch is located somewhere away from your desk so that you can separate the two activities. Lunch is meant to be enjoyed, not stuffed in your face while reading emails.
During this time, it is important to also continue existing routines you had, from the time you wake up to your skincare or makeup routine. However, you’ll need to replace certain parts of your routine, like the end of your workday, with in-home counterparts. Try to be consistent with when you end your workday and set boundaries by shutting down and logging out of your computer and desk altogether to replace your usual commute home from the office. I like to do a little desk tidy to wrap things up and then make sure I’ve closed out apps and software on my computer so that I have a fresh workspace the following day. If you don’t have a desk, this is the perfect opportunity to clear the dining table or kitchen countertop so that it can resume its usual purpose.
Mind
Obviously staying at home doesn’t seem super inspiring at first, but you would be surprised by how many options you may not have considered when it comes to keeping busy. Besides hitting that long-awaited pile of books, here’s what I’m up to!
I have been using Skillshare lately to keep busy even before partnering with them. I’ve been taking their podcasting course to get started on building ideas around a show as well as to practical setup I need to understand. I also have a Color Theory class lined up along with some classes to help improve my Adobe InDesign skills. Skillshare has so much to offer when it comes to building on or creating some new skills. Now that we’re all stuck inside, it’s the perfect time to try them out. Take advantage and get 2 free months of Skillshare (affiliate link) to get creative during isolation.
Looking for something more hands-on? The timing couldn’t be more perfect when it comes to indoor and outdoor gardening. Spring is the time to sow seeds and I’ve been keeping myself busy with building my own vegetable garden from scratch. I’m starting it out indoors with some grow lights (affiliate link) to speed up the process then I’ll aim to move them outside into the garden when the weather gets warmer.
Then I make sure to wind down with one of my favorite apps, Headspace. Whether it’s morning, afternoon or nighttime, Headspace offers my mind a breath of fresh air and helps center me. If you’re competitive, this is probably the healthiest way to do so. The app keeps track of consecutive minutes meditated and there is nothing worse than starting again from scratch. Luckily, competitive meditation, with to intention of mindfulness, can be a great thing to add to your to-do list.
Stay home, stay well, stay connected 💛
If this inspires one person to improve or add to their lockdown strategy, then I will be over the moon. I sincerely hope that everyone is supporting themselves and others through this difficult time and if you feel at all like you’re lost, you’re not alone. As if anyone is truly prepared for unprecedented circumstances anyways!? Remember, it’s ok to not be inspired or feel creative as well as having moments of laziness or cravings for comfort food, and so on. Nothing about lockdown is perfect and all that matters is nurturing yourself and doing your best to do the things that make you happy and content. Leave a comment if you’ve liked any of these ideas or share any other new quarantine ideas you’ve thought of! I’d love to hear about what you’re up to!