3 tips to make the most out of your isolation time

Hi everyone! This may be a stressful time since most of us are allowed to go out only for essential trips. I’m not aware of how the situation is handled differently in every country worldwide, but most people are limited to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Staying home with our families can get boring at times so, I thought of sharing what activities I’ve been doing to pass time. Maybe some of you did my same mistake during the first few days of isolation, where I just spent hours on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, and watched TV. After two/three days I was so bored I couldn’t stand looking at any screen anymore.

As a result, I decided to organise my free time and actually find some ways to relax but also “exercise” my mind and body.

1. Exercise

Watching Netflix until late and waking up midday, wasn’t an ideal schedule for my mental and physical health. I was grumpy and didn’t sleep well, so I didn’t feel motivated to do anything productive. I then decided to go to bed at a set time (usually 11pm) and wake up around 9am to have a good-quality night of sleep. I started working out in the mornings, which helps wake up my body and keep up my energy throughout the day. Before you reject this idea completely, I want to reassure you that if you don’t have a lot of space and/or equipment, it’s still possible to work out effectively!

There are so many videos on YouTube filmed by fitness instructors to keep physically fit without spending millions on a private gym. For example, my favourite channels are Blogilates and Madfit. They’re inspirational women who strengthen your body through few and effective movements. Blogilates focuses mostly on Pilates, and when I started watching her videos (around 5 years ago) I thought it wasn’t that hard, perhaps because activities, like yoga and Pilates, are stereotypically seen as “easy”. But trust me, she makes you work for it! This month she released a calendar with a selection of her workouts that target different body parts daily. I started following this plan and it’s amazing how the variety of videos she includes, keep me interested enough to train daily. One thing you’ll definitely need to buy is a yoga mat (but they’re not that expensive, I bought one on Amazon under £20), so that you can exercise without hurting your back/knees.

2. Cooking

I’m currently living with my family, so I eat a lot more of home-made dishes. My parents are keen into cooking and trying to vary between recipes, as we get tired really easily of the same food over and over again. My mum is often inspired by videos on Facebook/Instagram. Sometimes the recipes you find there are just so creative and easy to make yourself, that I encourage you to follow foodies accounts (eg. Tastemade, Tropicallylina, Erinireland) to spice up your diet.

So far, my family and I made different types of bread and focaccia. They are easy and delicious recipes that can last several days, if not weeks once you freeze them. I love making these recipes because they require few cheap ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, oil) and you can just leave the base to rise for a few hours while doing other stuff. Plus, it’s always great to wake up with a slice of your delicious home-made bread and a cup of tea to start the day. It keeps you full until lunch, so you don’t have to unnecessary snack in the morning. My favourite spread is peanut butter, and that’s super easy to make too!

3. Make a Schedule

If you haven’t already, do it! I saw an example of a schedule on Instagram and loved it because it keeps you busy and helps you be productive when having a lot of free time. I’m not sure how your life changed, but I used to keep a schedule when going to school and I was busy doing something every day until dinner. And just now I realised that I actually like having stuff to do, otherwise I bore myself and it seems like time never passes.

As I already mentioned before, in the morning I work out, then have breakfast and read the news. I subscribed with my email to the daily updates of The Guardian, The Telegraph and the BBC. I like these news providers in particular because they summarise effectively the top headlines of the day. Whereas in the afternoon, I try to focus on positive and varied articles, as the negativity in headlines can be overwhelming after a while.

After lunch, I watch some TV/Netflix for one hour, spend some time cleaning a different part of our house and then do something more stimulating for my mind. I either read a book, draw and colour pictures or write for this blog. I love writing so this is definitely the activity that makes time pass the fastest. But whatever passion you have, for example photography, sewing or makeup, is great as long as you enjoy it otherwise, you’ll easily lose your motivation to follow the schedule.

I help cook dinner with my family and then watch some TV all together in the living room. It's always nice to view and comment together a programme, we share different opinions and make jokes so it's always enjoyable with them. Before going to bed, I leave some time to read as it makes me sleep better rather than looking at a screen.