We’re all in the midst of either social distancing or self isolation which I think you’ll agree is pretty surreal so I thought I’d write a short blog of my personal views and thoughts ('personal' being the key word here.)
Look after yourself
There’s a lot of stuff online telling us to look out for others and care for others which is something you should definitely be doing (I’ll get into this a bit more in a minute) BUT you can’t look after others if you don’t look after yourself first right?!
A great tip is to get up and start your day fresh, don’t think to yourself “well I don’t have work so I may as well have a lie in.” Instead, get up at a reasonable time, have a shower, get dressed, do your hair, do everything you would normally if you were going out somewhere. This could quite possibly keep you sane!
I thought it was weird at first too but now it’s quite nice getting up early and getting all fresh just to sit on the sofa and watch TV (or write a blog).
As we’re on the subject of watching TV... Try not to watch the news too much! I think it’s important to stay up to date but don’t spend all day watching it. It’s all doom and gloom and it’s surely bad for your mental health! Watch the daily update from Boris Johnson and then switch it off! Instead you could watch movies, binge a series or catch up on soaps.
This also goes for social media! Use it to keep in-touch with friends and family but don’t read into the stuff regarding CV. There’s a lot of fake news on there and again it will just make you worry.
Look after others
See, I said I was getting onto this. Obviously we’re social distancing ourselves or self isolating so going around to somebody‘s house to look after them kind of defeats the point... There‘a still so much you can do though!
Stay in contact with friends and loved ones by phonecall, text, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype etc. We’ve been doing this a lot lately and it’s so nice to see a friendly face on the other end of the call. It also brings a bit of normality to the day and it passes time. You can be talking to somebody for ages without even knowing.
Join your local Facebook group, these are great places to stay connected to your community. In my area I’ve just seen an ‘isolation group’ set up. These are places where asking for help is encouraged!
I’ve seen so many great examples of how people are helping each other out and we should all take note. People have been dropping off supplies on their neighbours doorsteps, so not making contact but still helping. I’ve seen people performing music on balconies and porch ways for those on lockdown and I’ve seen magic being done through a window.
It’s great to see so many examples of how people are coming together at this time of need... There are however some people who are not so nice during times like these which brings me onto my next point...
DO NOT PANIC BUY!
This is definitely one of those things that just winds me up. You do not need to panic buy and it’s because of your panic buying that people are struggling! This is triggering a chain reaction resulting in even more people unnecessary panic buying!
I tried three times this week to get toilet roll, not because I was panic buying but because we actually NEEDED it. We had two rolls left in the house (bad admin you might say but hey ho) so we went out to do our normal shop and the shelves were empty! We did eventually manage to get some but we had to go to a 24 hour supermarket at 01:30 in the morning to get them.
If everybody just did their normal shop everybody would be fine. I get the whole social distancing thing but look at how other countries are dealing with this, they’re still allowing people to go shopping and do their normal weekly shop, they’re just making sure people are the correct distance apart, so you don’t need two months worth of toilet roll and pasta!
It’s the people who can’t afford to bulk buy and the elderly/vunerable who I feel sorry for. Don’t be selfish, please think of these people the next time you grab so much toilet roll, soap, pasta, calpol etc. as they might be missing out because of you.
Do you remember just last month where everybody was saying BE KIND? Well that still applies folks! Be kind, think of others and don’t be selfish!
Try to keep busy
There are loads of things you can do at home to keep yourself busy... This should be fairly easy for the younger generation who spend so much time behind screens and on computer games that they don’t physically interact and talk to people as much as the older generation. Regardless of age though, here are some things you can do around the home to keep busy/entertained.
DIY/odd Jobs - Take the time to get all of the little things done around the house, stuff that every day you look at and think “ah I really need to get that done, maybe tomorrow if I have time”, but never seem to get around to... Well there’s no excuse now!
Games - Play games with the family, or if you’re on your own you can play computer games or still play cards. Get up in the loft and fetch all the board games down.. You know the ones, those that usually only come down at Christmas time! Do a puzzle maybe, we’ve actually just started a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle and I never thought I’d be doing a jigsaw puzzle at the age of 31 but it is quite fun and certainly passes the time.
...Bored of your games, or finished that jigsaw puzzle? How about swapping them with other families on your street, or giving them on to someone else in need who don’t have them?
Craft - Do some crafting, use your imagination and create something. Especially if you have children, this is a great way to pass the time, keeping them entertained. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, and you don’t need lots of fancy tools.. Start with the basic pencil/paint and paper and get creative!
Bake/Cook - Get your apron on and create some beautiful food (if you can get the ingredients, if not just make up your own twist on it). Look what you’ve got left in your cupboards and get creative.
Learn a new skill - This one is a great idea because when else can you think of a time where you’ve been forced to stay at home looking for things to do? Learn something you’ve always wanted to learn.. There are plenty of online tutorials to follow, so set yourself a challenge. Borrow a musical instrument or some knitting needles maybe?
Read a book - I’ve never been a big book reader but I might give it a go during this period of self isolation. We've got loads of children books for Holly from her christening, so I might start with those!
Exercise - Even when social distancing, you can still exercise... Try to at least go for a walk around the block, or a jog for those that are up to it. Don’t forget the dogs who are probably loving all the extra company they're getting in the house, they'll still need their exercise too. If you don’t want to start out the front door, you can set up your own mini circuits in the house, or even in the back garden if the weather holds out.
Do your work - Let’s not forget that many people are still working but are now working from home. It can be quite tough to keep motivated if you’re having to work from home but like I said at the start, get up fresh ready to start your day and this will really help.
Make the most of it
When we get back to ’normal’, weirdly I’m sure you'll miss this time at home. So make the most of the time doing all those little jobs and getting creative with the children before you go back to the working all week routine, counting down the days until the weekend!
Finally... Try not to worry
I’m a massive worrier and it’s horrible but I keep telling myself that as long as we’re following the guidelines set out by Bojo and his team, what else can we do?
What's the point in worrying, it will only make you sick. I’m also a big believer that ’Everything happens for a reason,’ what will be will be... Keep calm and carry on.
Stay safe, stay sane, be kind and look out for others!
Thanks for reading