There’s a lot of things going in with the world with words like “quarantine,” “lockdown” and “social distancing” has been flanking our feeds and news reports on TV. So if you’ve gone too sore sitting down binge watching series and movies on the different content providers, and have gone through everything that I’ve written to make your staycation more interesting, here’s another list of “to-do’s” that you can consider while spending more time at home.
- FOCUS ON YOU. This will be a good time to focus on yourself and do the things that the regular grind makes it impossible for you to do. Do a body scrub with either used coffee granules, sugar or salt with olive or coconut oil taking away the stress on your skin and allow you to exfoliate. Then soak in a warm salt bath to detox and energize not just your body but also your mind. Simple but definitely rewarding activities that focuses on your wellness allows you to hear yourself think and breathe once again.
- CATCH UP ON SLEEP. Everyone knows that 8 hours of sleep is necessary to help out bodies reset to function properly. More often than not, our desire to excel, “make a difference, “ and even our fear of missing out makes us opt out of sleeping and resting because as some say, “life is too short.” However, lacking enough sleep or even just having 2-3 hours of it every day makes life even shorter because of the body compensates for the lack of proper resetting of your bodily functions which takes a toll on not just your internal organs but also your mental health.
- EXERCISE USING BODY WEIGHT. Easier said than done. But if you’re willing and believe that you just need a little push towards the right direction, there are apps that you can use to help you get back on that exercise path. What I use is the 7 app which allows you to do a consistent 7 minute work-out every day and gives you the option to step up your work-out to focus on specific muscle groups. This 7 minute work-out keeps your cardiovascular health in-check and can be done at a very short amount of time. When you get out of self-quarantine or lockdown, you’d be healthier and looking better.
- READ A BOOK. Not just any book but a book that have been sitting on your shelf for quite a long time. Your busy schedule is not any more an excuse that prevents you from reading it since you’ve got all the time in the world. Find a spot with natural light in your house, light that scented candle you were saving for a special occasion and match it with your favorite drink then you’re all set for an adventure into your thoughts.
- WRITE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. After the reading gets you thinking… get your laptop or better yet, get a pen and a piece of paper and write down your thoughts. This pandemic is going to be part of history as the biggest global crisis our generation will ever see (hopefully). Writing down your experience gives you a better grasp of the whole situation and probably expunge all the emotions that you cannot express. This then become a valuable material that your children’s children can read if and when this pandemic happens again.
- TALK TO FAMILY. This need not be in each other’s physical presence because technology took out the need for it. Do a group SKYPE or ZOOM conversation to just say hello and find out how everyone is. This takes out the “loneliness” factor in your experience and it may be a good time to settle old disputes, tell everyone how you really feel about them or even just say thank you for being there every time you find yourself in trouble.
- MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. List down everything that you think you’re missing out on and rank it from the simple and achievable to the outrageously wild. It could be a simple as hugging your friend, frolicking in the beach, doing a road trip or just watching a movie in a theatre. You can also go wild with activities like sky diving, mountain climbing or even dessert sledding – as wild as your imagination can take you. Then plan it out like your life depended on it. You’d be surprised about what you’ll find out about yourself.
Getting away from the madding crowd may be the universe’s way of telling us the importance of introspection, the value of individual pursuits and the meaning of self-worth. These are matters that are drowned out by our mundane responsibilities of earning a living, satisfying public opinion and keeping up with the norms. Remember that simply existing is not living – and a lockdown might just be the respite that we need from always being one with public opinion.