we are all anxious about a period of quarantine, not sure what to do, how to work, financial worries and children being stuck indoors and getting bored of learning from home. i wanted to write up a few things you can try and add into your daily routine to keep everyone feeling upbeat and energised. i’ve written up a post about things you can do during self isolation which has a few more ideas and explains the differences between self isolation and a nation wide lockdown.
the most important thing during a nation wide quarentine or lockdown is to maintain and observe social distance of at least 2 metre or around six foot, but more if you can. most places will be closed and shops like supermarkets will likely only allow certain amount of people in at a time. it’s also not advisable to visit family or have people over as a preventative measure and if someone becomes ill in the household, attempt to maintain social distance from the family member in the house too. most importantly, wash your hands frequently through the day and encourage children to do the same.
start the day together by opening up the windows to get some fresh air into the home and getting everyone to make their bed. then enjoy breakfast together if you’re feeling well enough to do that. we are in a flat and the air can feel stagnant quickly if we can’t get out and about. we also don’t have access to a garden as i’ve mentioned many times before but getting plenty of natural light and fresh air into the home to circulate can be a mood booster for me.
the schools are closing during the spring term which means more daylight and that is a positive for me. i feel so much better during the lighter months of the year, more productive and more able to get up and get things done. this would have been harder in january for me for sure.
find a way to enjoy movement together. this could be a walk together, providing people are allowed to leave the house for a walk together. joining in with joe wicks early morning pe classes on his youtube channel. doing some yoga or having a daily dance party.
get creative with your pantry. people are stockpilling all kinds of crazy things and this will die down when people move to acceptance of this weird kind of world. i feel like i’m at the acceptance stage really, and my fears and worries are more about adam’s place of work than anything else now that schools have announced closure. i know we will be able to still continue feeding our family. before we head back to the shops for supplies we will be using as much as we possibly can that we already have. that might include some weird and wonderful creations but at least we will not be going hungry. getting the kids involved can be a great way to give them something to do and keep them occupied too.
use this as a chance to get things changed in this country. working from home has never been so important. show your employers that home working is doable, show them how beneficial flexible working can be. perhaps this will lead to some changes in work patterns that are desperately needed in this country to support parents, part time workers, those requiring flexi hours or those that have additional needs. if we can show our employers how working from home can work well for all involved it could go hand in hand with changing some key leglisation and work from home policies.
now is your chance to try and do something new if you’re having to stay away from work and observing social distancing. if you have the time and you’re well enough to do so try something new. learn a language or pick up an instrument, have a go at creating or crafting. try some new recipes together. perfect your baking skills. do an online course. there are plenty of things you can do that will help keep your mind occupied. we’ve likely got around 12 weeks of this isolation period and that’s quite a lot of time to try something different. fitting this into your every day life will mean that you have something to look forward to.
take some time to read together. not only will this really help children with their reading, writing and vocabularly, it will give you some quiet time to pick up a book you’ve wanted to read for ages. a kindle is a great source of entertainment for me and allows me to have a library in my lap. i have a shelf of books i want to read this year and i’m trying to complete a reading challenge of 52 books. the time ahead will probably mean i reach that challenge much sooner than i anticipated.
whilst many of us will have to work and will struggle with the isolation there are things we can do to keep in contact with loved ones. write letters, face time and video chat regularly, email people and participate in groups on facebook or other social media. keep in touch with people. stay safe. it’s easy to feel uncertain about this, this is pretty overwhelming for many but we will get through this. this too shall pass.
maintain social distancing, only go out if for exercise or supplies as and when you need them. don’t take more than you need unless you’re helping vulnerable people. wash your hands.
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