Are you feeling stuck at home and wondering how long this will go on for? Many of us are on the same boat!!! We are absolutely living in unprecedented times and no one would have expected the scale of this health crisis! A lot of people around now find themselves being stuck at home and limited to what they can do especially if you cannot work from home.
We have seen a lot of layoffs from companies that cannot afford to pay their employees due to financial constraints. No one was prepared for this, but it’s happening now and we have to find ways around this to survive.
We have heard of the effects of depression in the last century and how the current situation could be worse! That’s why I have decided to share some ideas on how while stuck at home, you could do something. Something that would hopefully help you overcome boredom and reduce stress levels.
One thing for sure is that being stuck at home will lead to boredom which is being seen as the result of not being engaged meaningfully. Because of social distancing, we are home to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus which leads to COVID-19. Your responsibilities will obviously be reduced significantly from what you’re used to. While off work and home, there is a highly likely chance to indulge in too much television (Netflix, Stan, Amazon).
This is not the time to slow down, you may be off your normal work/job but you can do something to bring you a little closer to your usual routine. If you’re able to work from home, it’s vital to keep as close to your daily routine as possible. However, if you have been laid off, this is the time for you to believe in yourself for something new while waiting.
The time is now to venture into something new that will make you proud, you just have to start something and give it all you can. The internet is full of opportunities for everyone who will give anything a go and you may as well use this time while stuck at home.
What we know is that this will come to pass. As painful as it is right now, nothing lasts forever and the same goes for this crisis. What we want as a people is to come out on the other side of this and be proud of our resilience and perseverance.
Below are the ideas and tips to help you get through this challenging time and survive any negativity that may encroach into your mind. These will also assist you to look for something that could help you in providing financial, personal and professional development without much cost.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~Victor Frankl
Keep Your Routines If Working From Home
If you are able to work from home, try and keep your routines as close as possible to prior quarantine times. You can designate an area in your home as a home office and only go in there for your work. Make sure everyone knows that you’re working so there is a reduction in frequent distractions. This important if you’re going to be productive.
At the same time recognise that you’re at home and that it may be challenging but stick as closely to your normal routine as possible. Only do work stuff in that area and anything that is not work-related must be done somewhere else. This where your discipline will be very important for productivity to take place. I usually work with low background music playing as it helps me remove distractions.
One important thing to make this work is for you to wake up as early as you can, maybe not your usual time but the idea is to make this as close to your normal day as possible. Make your bed, having a shower, preparing your breakfast and then off to your office.
If you have children, this will even the best thing to do to avoid being caught up in lazing around all day. It is also important to make you go to bed around your usual bedtime.
Setup A Positive Vibe In Your Home
Currently, your home is your everything due to self-isolating measures so it is important to make more conducive. Positive vibes are the key to your sanity especially now and you need to make sure your home is as comfortable as it can be. Keep it inviting and you’ll find to do things at home!
Mindset is everything and it stems from feeling that positivity within you to allow you to believe you can get through this. You can start your day with some inspiring personal development audio or video to help you start your day on a positive note. It’s the best thing you can do right now as you don’t want to be caught up with all going negativity around.
Have a reason to wake up in the morning, clean your room or house, organise it if you have to and make it as calming as it can be. You don’t want to have a chaotic, cluttered home when we already have a health crisis like this. Open the windows or curtains in the morning and bring light into the house and keep it well-ventilated. Always avoid eating in bed or sofa instead use the kitchen or dinner table.
Your Opportunity To Learn Something New
This is the time, your time now that you have time at home while self-isolating! There is no better time to learn a new skill than now. This may be something related to your current job that will help you get a raise when you get back. It may also be something you have always wanted to learn but didn’t have time, something for your side hustle.
We all know that it’s not safe to put all your eggs in one basket in case the unthinkable happens! By learning a new skill you’re putting yourself at an advantage and right now there is no excuse. Think of what you want to do or always wanted to do, then make a decision to use this lockdown time to learn that. It’s your time to invest in yourself and master that new skill and come out as a new person when this crisis is all over.
You may be asking yourself, where can I find all the information? I am glad you asked! Well, surprisingly you don’t have to look any further than your home. If you have the internet, which most people do nowadays you can find all different courses online. There are almost all courses you can think of online and you can do them via coursework enrolment, different forums, LinkedIn website or the most popular YouTube videos.
There are literally endless courses or skills you can learn online and help you make extra income. I am currently doing two things I have never done before, one to help me make extra income while the other is a new language just for my mental and brain development. This is actually an enjoyable experience and I am becoming psychologically richer as studies have proven!
I totally understand that you may be discouraged and hurting with what’s happening right now. However, you have to think about the future now, that is has happened and we can’t change it. What we can do is get ourselves prepared for what is to come when we get back to work. We have on our hands a unique time on our hands and it’s time we utilise it wisely.
Keep Healthy As Much As Possible
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of staying healthy during this health crisis. The fact that we’re all in lockdown can lead to being lazy to even do anything health-related. I believe in the majority of places you’re allowed to have one exercise a day including a walk, so use this opportunity to keep your body moving to promote circulation to all vital organs.
Being stuck at home will lead indulgence in unhealthy activities, sedentary behaviours which will undo what you’ve been working hard to achieve. There are a lot of easy home workouts you can do at home and keep pushing towards a healthy goal.
YouTube will definitely help you with some great workout videos, jogging and avoiding sitting in one spot for longer periods will be of assistance to you. Your daily commitment to regular exercises no matter how small they’re will definitely pay off in the end.
You cannot have any excuses now to eat anything you feel like and forgetting the importance of healthy eating. The good thing is that the supermarkets are still open so you try and do your best to buy those fruits and vegetables. Think of it as looking out for your immune system which will keep you guarded against this virus. There are so many minerals and vitamins that our bodies can’t produce, so it is important to supplement as much as we can. Fruits and vegetables are a great help, you can also use some trusted beneficial supplements around to cover you. By all means, try to avoid indulging in stress eating!
As we all know, being stuck at home in this lockdown isn’t helping our mental and physical wellbeing. So it is important to ensure you take of yourself. This will reduce the level of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. So getting outside more and having a daily exercise routine will help our immune system get stronger to fight this fight we’re in.
Practice Meal Prep While In Lockdown
Despite feeling stuck now, this time on our hands can be a great way to practice things like preparing your meals in advance, that is if you haven’t been. Meal prepping right now help you have even more time on your hands so you can carry on doing other vital things you want to achieve.
All you have to do is set up a day to go and get all your groceries, then prepared all different dishes you would have. Now you have time to try different dishes, then freeze them for next time when you are ready to eat! You can get this amazing FREE eBook I created called Your Healthy Eating Made Easy. Check it out it’s really helpful and the meals are easy to prepare.
Right now all you have to think of is saving some money while stuck at home and meal prepping is one of the best ways to do just that rather than takeaway food every night especially when you have a family. Its time to master things that you already like having! Since everyone is home, the kids might find it fun to be involved in preparing the meals!
Review Your Regular Recurring Bills Again
This may sound a bit off but it’s worth doing. You might have done it in recent times however, you’re now in tight situations and may want to revisit this task again. This includes all those recurring bills or gyms memberships, TV contracts, credit card payments and general online payments.
Look at your statements and see where you can afford to cut expenses. You may want to reduce the data your phone now that you’re at home and can only use home data, these little changes make a huge difference.
Most of the time you’ll find that we have bills that we don’t really need especially now when the bank balance is very tight. A lot of them can be canceled or put on hold, then you can later re-establish them when things have settled. As much time as this may take (you have time now anyway) you may find that it has saved you a lot of money.
Remain Connected With Others and Self-Reflect
It is very important to make sure this time is used to reconnect and strengthen the relationships within family members. If you’re living with family within the same household, use the time build, rekindle and be there for each other even if you’re still in quarantine. For those whose families are in different places, we now have a lot of options to still maintain that connection. Text, Phone Call, Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom meeting and Microsoft teams are all applications that will definitely help bring families and friends together.
Nowadays there is no excuse to not communicate with anyone because technology has made it easy for us. This is the opportunity to talk about some of the things you don’t always find time to talk about, or even go in-depth in your normal conversations. Make this a special moment to remember for a long time and cherish every conversation, this is important!
At the same time, use this time to help you reflect on your journey through life. Often times we forget that we matter the most and keep going without a little break! Let this social isolation or being stuck at home as one might put it, be the opportunity to find out how you’re doing. There is nothing tremendously important as self-reflection; it allows you to genuinely look inside you and see where you’re at.
Take this time look back at the things that matter to you, what you stand for as a person, your values, passions and desires and your how your journey has been so far. Reflect on your goals if you have to and ask yourself important questions to help you have a clear picture. Sometimes when you’re stuck in a certain predicament, you become best at solving your problems because you don’t have a choice but to find other means to get back up!
Read A Book You Have Been Meaning To
It is highly likely that you will be tempted to indulge in watching box series’ on Netflix during this time. While it’s okay to have a little bit of downtime and enjoy it, try and do different things so you can engage your brain differently. One thing to do is read a book or a novel you haven’t read, or dust off your library and read one of your old classics! or a recipe book and even a kids’ book, why not!
Reading is an important aspect of your brain enhancement and every time you ready you know you’re looking after your mental capacity. Books are so full of emotions and as a result of your reading you always. learn something new including how to deal with varying emotional states. When you read your book, especially in a state we are in now, you enhance your creativity and prop your imaginative mind.
The best way to stay consistent is to try and read a chapter a day, whether it is before you go to bed or when you wake up. However, don’t make it obligatory as you don’t want to increase that feeling of being stuck and feeling forced into doing things! You can treat it as your way of getting into your daily personal development.
Practice Gratitude Always
While considering yourself to being stuck at home, maybe its time to look at the brighter things around you. The fact that you still have the opportunity to take a breath of fresh air. The fact that you have family around you, have someone to call and connect with. For some people this is not the case, their struggle and uncertainty are real and they just don’t know what is coming next.
Being grateful doesn’t necessarily mean giving thanks when you receive something or for things we have. But it’s been found that even the smallest act of kindness to other fellow human beings around is a form of gratitude that can bring a lot of happiness in your life.
For the people in your life, make it a habit of practicing daily acts of kindness and relay your gratitude verbally and watch as your life unfolds the way you never expected. Don’t just think it, act on it and communicate it to the person. Sometimes that person may have been looking to hear that specific word as a confirmation and their lives are transformed because of it!
Things like being a good listener, checking if the person is alright, getting a surprise for them or even just expressing how important they are to you! This may seem small to you but they can bring a real shift of emotions and energy for the other person hence making you happy at the same time.
In Closing
As we find ourselves in these unchartered waters, our resilience, perseverance and staying focused will lead us towards the end of the tunnel. We are in this together as a people and that is why it is so important to do your part and remain socially isolated and quarantined as required. Maybe this is the time to utilise being stuck at home to enhance ourselves into becoming our better versions!
The ideas, tips, and information above are for your own benefit to try and help your cope with these unprecedented times. You can pick one that works for you and help you stop feeling stuck and instead look forward to what you can do and ready yourself for when life resumes again. Shift your mindset and enlarge your territory to prepare yourself for your becoming, only you can do that because you know where you’re at on your journey.
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