Let’s face it, we are facing an unknown length of time on our hands and the thought of confining ourselves to our homes for the most part is a rather daunting prospect for many. Light-hearted memes mention higher divorce rates and stressed parents finding the cure quicker than scientists, but on a serious note, it is so important to keep yourself healthy throughout this time, whether you catch this virus or not.
If you’re stuck at home and need advice or medication then Medicine Direct and the NHS website will be good sources to turn to, but if you’re looking for general tips on how to stay healthy, physically and mentally, then read on.
Keep active
Whether it’s an online workout or redecorating your house, keeping active and moving is so important. Perhaps it’s time to sort out your wardrobe or clear out the garage, maybe a garden redesign is what’s calling, staying active equals staying healthy too.
Lots of professional athletes and personal trainers are now offering free workouts online so, whether you are a regular of the gym or you’ve been meaning to start, now is a good a time as any to try out personal training at home, there’s simply no excuse. If you have kids at home they can join in too, perhaps set up an area inside or out where you can exercise, if you have some equipment lying around dust it off and make yourself an at-home gym, if you don’t have one already. It will take a fair bit of motivation and will need scheduling in, but it will be worth it for the physical and mental benefits.
Eat and drink well
Now that we are literally unable to dine out (shout out to the hospitality industry) this offers the perfect opportunity to reconnect with the food you are eating, get creative in the kitchen and produce some delicious nutritious food for yourself and your loved ones. Dust off your fancy kitchen gadgets, dig out those ingredients from the back of your cupboard and see what you have to work with. The Internet is brimming with recipes and replacement ingredient tips if you don’t have something required for the recipe. Top chefs are also offering online cooking tutorials, which is amazing! When in the past have, we had such a dedicated time to learn the craft of cooking from scratch from the best in the industry?
Without wanting to sound like a complete party popper try and avoid too much alcohol or, if possible, any at this time. It may seem like a great opportunity to party or drown your sorrows, but it won’t do much for your general health.
Mental health
This time will be a struggle for many, especially those social butterflies who thrive on socialising in the pub, with friends at a restaurant or at the gym. Make sure you find the time to look after yourself and if it means avoiding social media and the news for a bit then that’s OK. Claiming a sense of normality and routine is really important to those who are fearful of what these drastic changes to our everyday lives will mean, so schedule in your activities. Swap a morning at the gym for a YouTube exercise class, working from home? Fine – set up a working area, get comfy and carry on as best you can, can’t see your mates or family in person? Break your no social media rule and get on the Houseparty app where you can video chat and play games and quizzes with up to eight people.
Get crafty and creative too in your spare time. Have you been wanting to learn a new language? Now is the time! Sitting down and watching every film and box set available on Sky, Netflix or Amazon may seem like a fun idea but it will soon get boring. Challenge yourself by taking up a new skill, learn a craft, teach yourself to cook, become an expert at crochet or take up painting and channel your inner Picasso – you don’t have to be perfect at something to enjoy it, just make sure it brings you joy and not frustration!
Treat yourself and make plans
Just because you are limited with so many other aspects of living it doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself and enjoy the finer things from time to time. Buy yourself something online if you need a pick-me-up, dress up for dinner one night with your house buddies and order in a nice takeaway (or put your new found cooking skills to the test), dig out the nice bottle of wine and break out the decent dinnerware. Make plans for when freedom is upon you, once again; plan the most amazing trip abroad and organise an event for your friends when this is all over, as it will be.
