HOW TO SURVIVE THE VIRUS

a Practical Guide to Face

Anxiety and Social Distancing
with a Positive Mindset
in the Era of Pandemic

Robert Lawrence
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1.Social Distancing/Self-Isolation
Chapter 2.How to Deal with the Dangers of Self -Isolation
Chapter 3.Right Mindset
Chapter 4.Staying Positive and Active
Chapter 5.Balancing Your Mental State Due to the COVID-19 Fear
Chapter 6.Ways to Stay Sane During the Lockdown
Chapter 7.Strategies to Manage Lockdown Anxiety
Chapter 8.Letter Writing
Chapter 9.Meaningful Home Activities
Chapter 10. Stay Healthy
Chapter 11. Sleep
Chapter 12. How to Work from Home Effectively
Chapter 13. Tips for Adults Working from Home
Chapter 14. Tips to Survive Lockdown Without Losing Your Mind
Conclusion
Introduction
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases from the common
cold to more serious diseases like SARS and Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS), according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Originally, these viruses were spread among animals and humans. SARS, for
example, was thought to have been spread to people from civet cats when
MERS transferred to humans from the camel type. Among species that have
not yet bitten humans, many known coronaviruses circulate.
The name Coronavirus is derived from the Latin word crown or halo. The
picture of the virus is reminiscent of a solar corona under an electron
microscope. A novel coronavirus found on 7 January 2020 and named 2019-
nCoV by the Chinese authorities is a new strain not previously identified in
humans.
It is little understood, even though transmission from human to human has
been confirmed.
The coronavirus incubation period remains unknown. Some sources say that
it could take 10 to 14 days.

How Dangerous Is It?

Some professionals say it may not be as deadly as other forms of coronavirus,
including SARS, that killed almost 800 people in the world and over 300
alone in China–during an outbreak in 2002-03, which also occurred in China.
MERS was more deadly, killing one-third of those affected, which was not
spread as widely.
Across China, though, the virus is more common across case numbers than
SARS.
This virus has spread to numerous Asian countries, Australia, Europe, North
America, and the Middle East. For all dozens of cases outside of China are
among those who have recently visited China.
There is no new virus vaccine whatsoever.

What Is The Source Of The Wuhan Coronavirus?

We have heard different opinions on this since the 31st of December 2019.
However, the most proximate truth is that the infection came from the Human
Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. So why did we think this could
be true? A lot of the stalls used at the market were tested and found positive
for the Wuhan Coronavirus, also known as Novel Coronavirus Acute
Respiratory Disease.
Another issue of debate is whether it came from animals, and so far, that
seems to be the possible truth. And this is not the end of the discussion. If it
came from animals, then which animals? This question had also led us to
believe that bats and snakes could be the carrier of the deadly virus before it
was detected in man. There was a scientific discovery on the 7th of February
that also stated that pangolins must have infected bats, as they were found to
be the most likely host of the disease.
Some Thoughts about the Eating Habit of The People of Wuhan China.
Since scientists have been able to prove that the 2019-nCoV ARD was not
spread to humans through bites or attacks by bats and snakes, people have
blamed the outbreak on the dietary exploration of the people. There are
indications that these people were buying live animals from the Wuhan
market and eating them. There are claims that some of these people eat live
animals alive without cooking or even killing them.
Are we endangering our lives with the choice of what we eat? It is a painful
thing to consider, especially considering the global economic impact of the
2019-nCoV ARD.

Known Symptoms Of The Wuhan Coronavirus

The 2019-nCoV ARD has symptoms similar to those of other diseases.
Hence the difficulty in self-diagnosing. The combination of the following
symptoms might be an indication that an individual is harboring the deadly
virus and should get medical attention as quickly as possible.
• Cough
• Fever
• Runny Nose
• Muscle Pain
• Headache
 • Shortness of Breath
• Fatigue
• Breathing Difficulties
• Diarrhea
If the disease is left to worsen, the symptoms may develop into the following:
• High fever (usually above 100 F)
• Pneumonia
• Seizures
• Sepsis
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Passing Out
• Kidney Failure
• Nausea (sometimes this can come early)
• Abdominal Pain
This virus is capable of making its victim a fatality if medical help is not
gotten soon enough.
How Can I Protect Myself?
Your risk of contracting the disease should be your concern, hence the need
to put some safety measures into place. The following actions were
confirmed effective by the CDC and the WHO, and you must make them a
part of your day-to-day activities.

Frequently use soap and hot water to wash your hands, each
washing lasting for at least 20 seconds.
Where you don’t have access to soap and water, you can apply an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Never used unwashed hands to touch your nose, eyes, or mouth.
People who have touched shared surfaces or other people should
take this seriously
Don’t go near sick people, at least until you are sure they are not
infected
 If you are sick, avoid further spreading the disease by staying at
home. If you have a sick child, let them stay at home and not go to
school with the illness
If you think you might be infected, never visit people who are
immunocompromised or even infants and elderly ones.
If you have a feeling to cough or sneeze, make sure to cover your
mouth and nose with a tissue fully. Any used tissue should be
disposed of correctly before this method can be classified as
effective.
Disinfect shared surfaces regularly
Don’t share food, cups, spoons, and any utensils
Kissing someone who may be infected should be avoided
Getting a flu shot can prevent a rundown immune system. Though
this will not prevent the coronavirus.
Drink lots of water and get a good rest at night. At least eight
hours of sleep is needed to keep you healthy.
Raw meat or eggs could become carriers of the disease, according
to some research. Therefore, you should avoid contact with them
Don’t go near wild animals
Exercise regularly, prevent stress, and eat lots of leafy greens to
improve your health.
Should I get a Mask?
As opposed to what we see around us, the use of face masks is supposed to
prevent already infected people from spreading the disease through sneezing
or coughing.
We carefully considered the history of the spread of the coronavirus and
followed updates from the heart of the epidemic. As a result, we know that
the most common means of contracting the coronavirus is through surfaces.
Droplets from infected persons carry the virus, which survives for some time
on the surfaces. People in offices or other places with shared surfaces like
chairs and tables are at high risk of contracting the disease. Where hands are
not washed, touching your face may be a disaster about to happen.
As simple as it sounds not to touch your face with an unwashed hand, this is
very difficult in reality. Especially for uninfected people wearing masks. The
need to frequently adjust the face mask predisposes an individual to the 2019-
nCoV ARD.
Will a Hand Dryer Kill the Coronavirus?
Interestingly, people are in search of ways of managing the aggressive virus
that is now killing men and women, young and old. This search has led to the
question of whether hand driers can kill the virus. Well, according to a
statement from a reliable source, the WHO, hand driers are not effective in
killing the 2019-nCoV ARD. We are advised to stick to the use of an alcohol-
based wash or soap and water.
How about UV Disinfection Lamp?
The use of ultraviolet disinfection lamp can kill the virus. The answer from
the WHO seems to steer us in another direction. We were told not to go that
lane because exposing the skin to UV lamps can cause skin irritation.
The Question About Thermal Scanners and their Effectiveness in Spotting
the Coronavirus
Yes, people have wondered if thermal scanners are a sure way of detecting
that an individual has the coronavirus. The scanners usually detect when a
person has “above normal” body temperature. And this is one of the signs of
the coronavirus. The clause, however, is that people who have been infected
but are yet to be sick with fever cannot be detected using thermal scanners.
Will Garlic Help to Avoid the Wuhan Coronavirus Infection?
Undoubtedly, garlic is a proven antimicrobial agent. But the truth remains
that there is no evidence related to the current outbreak that indicates that
garlic is effective in preventing the infection. So, it’s good to take garlic, but
we cannot tell if it can avert the coronavirus
Here are Some Trusted Chemical Disinfectants That Will Destroy the 2019-
nCoV ARD
• Bleach
• Chlorine-based disinfectants
• 75% ethanol
• Chloroform
• Peracetic acid
Chapter 1. Social Distancing/Self-Isolation
What Is Social Distancing/Self-Isolation
Social distancing, sometimes called self-isolation, is the process of getting
withdrawn from the public, usually for health reasons. The terms social
distancing and self-isolation have generally been used (especially in
mainstream media) interchangeably. However, there exist subtle differences
between the two terms. On the one hand, social distancing – as in the case of
an epidemic – is the process of maintaining a safe distance from people or
places that are either already affected by the epidemic or are at risk of
becoming infected. Self-isolation, on the other hand, and in the same light as
stated above, is the process of getting away from people and public places
because you are already infected or showing symptoms of infection and do
not want to transmit the infectious disease to others. One might ask that since
the symptoms of infection are not always apparent during a disease outbreak,
what term is then appropriate for describing getting away from the public in a
situation where they do not know if they are infected or not.
We fall into a category of animals called social animals – we enjoy moving
and living in groups. We can hardly live alone, on our own for very long.
However, certain reasons necessitate the need to sacrifice our social nature, to
become distant from others. These reasons include, but are not limited to,
health (as in the case of epidemics and pandemics), fear of the past, self-
esteem issues, and lack of social interest. We will now espouse these reasons
in more detail:
Though it can be quite applicable to a range of usage scenarios, social
distancing is usually used to prevent the spread of contagious diseases, a
category into which many viral diseases fall, like SARS, Ebola, and
Coronavirus. Since the mode of spread of these infections is typically by
contact with an infected person or surface, social distancing helps to take out
the crucial factor of transmission: contact. It is important to note that contact
comes in various forms – direct physical contact (such as handshake and
sexual contact) and indirect physical contact (such as touching a surface
infected with the offending pathogen). In the sphere of contagious diseases,
the sole aim of social distancing is to reduce cases of infection and,
ultimately, to prevent or minimize deaths.
Another reason people are drawn to self-isolation is one that stems from
experience. Our past experiences have a way of affecting our future
decisions. If there was a time in the past, however long into the past, it
happened, that you were made fun of within a social circle, or you got
ignored or neglected by people you hold dear, then, you may be predisposed
to self-isolating to prevent that awful experience from happening again.
Low self-esteem is a risk factor for depression, binge-eating, and a plethora
of other psychological disorders. Unsurprisingly, low self-esteem can
severely impede your social interaction. Low self-esteem, with or without
excessive shyness and an inferiority complex, can make you seek out a way
to get away from people, to self-isolate.
We, humans, learn to connect and interact with people from the moment we
step into the world for the first time. We are not social beings by accident.
Naturally, the first people we get to connect and interact with are the people
closest to us: family members. Little wonder then, why a child whose family
was unavailable, cold, or even abusive tends to grow into an adult who is not
very fascinated about the idea of interacting with people. Self-isolation is
usually more pleasant to such a person than the risk of sitting uncomfortably
around a group of people.
These factors and others constitute the reasons why social animals like us
might want to give up the need to be socially active and self-isolate.
Self-Quarantine, Self-Isolation, And Social Distancing:
Know The Difference
Self-quarantine
Self-quarantine is the process of isolating and monitoring oneself for
symptoms of a disease for some time if one had come in contact with a
person carrying the disease.
Self-isolation
Self-isolation is a measure applied to isolate oneself from others if it has been
established that one has symptoms of a disease.
Social distancing
Social distancing is the act of staying away from physical contact or
abstaining from proximity, with the general public, either to prevent been
infected with disease or to avoid possibly transmitting the same to others.
 How To Self-Isolate Effectively?
BEST PRACTICES AND EXPERT TIPS
Self-isolation means getting away from people. There are several ways to
practice social distancing. In the case of an epidemic, social distancing
becomes not just a thing of personal preference but a matter of obligation. To
consider yourself truly socially distant under epidemic circumstances, you
must exercise specific measures. You should:

Modify your greetings,

Quit going to work,
Stop attending school,
Put a hold on mass gatherings,
Limit public transit and traveling, and
Possibly get quarantined.
Modify your greeting
How should one greet in self-isolation? Research conducted by a group of
scientists at Aberystwyth University in 2014 purported that through contact
greeting (especially handshake), more bacteria were passed among people
than through any other form of contact greeting. If we are to go by the
findings of this research, then we know that handshake is not best practice as
regards social distancing. How shall we then greet in this case? Various non-
contact greeting conventions have been practiced all over the world for
centuries. Two popular examples of these are waving and placing the palm of
your hand on the region of your heart. The latter is a system still practiced in
parts of Iran today. Another non-contact greeting convention, one that has
been recommended by the Director-General of the World Health
Organization, TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus, and practiced by Prince Charles
during the 2020 Corona-virus pandemic, is the Namaste. To do the Namaste,
place your palms together and align the union vertically so that your fingers
point upwards, and move the hands to your heart. Other alternatives include
thumbs up and double thumbs-up, high-brows (raising your brows), nodding
and shrugging.
Quit going to work
When you have decided to self-isolate, you must stay away from work,
unless you work from home. This is a no-brainer. In a widespread case of
infection, such as in a pandemic, workplaces should ideally be closed in the
first place, so you may not have the option of going to work. If, on the other
hand, you are self-isolating for reasons other than infection control, then you
would have the luxury of going out to work. You must, in this case, consider
it appropriate to either work from home or stay off work for the duration of
your self-isolation. You must also abstain from going to work if the reason
for your self-isolation is a contagious disease you contracted, which you do
not want to spread to others.
Stop going to school
There is scientific merit in shutting schools down in the case of an epidemic.
During the epidemics of times past, such as the UK Swine Flu outbreak of
2009, schools were closed to reduce the rate of spread of infection. The
effectiveness of self-isolation, especially in the case of infection control, lies
in the extent to which physical interaction with people is decreased. Schools
are breeding grounds for social interactions; therefore, if you aim to be
socially distant, you must be as far away from your schooling environment as
reasonably achievable.
Cancel mass gatherings
Mass gatherings provide an avenue for physical contact. That is precisely the
reason you must avoid midscale to large gatherings, particularly during an
epidemic. In cases of an influenza outbreak, when a disease can be
transmitted airborne, then it becomes crucial to cancel any group meetings or
gatherings you may have in your schedule.
Limit public transit and traveling
Restricting public transit while self-isolating yields positive results. However,
the fruits of exercising this measure can only be reaped when this measure is
carried out in conjunction with other social distancing actions. To illustrate,
studies from a Northeastern University published at the earliest stages of the
corona-virus outbreak, in March 2020, reported that travel ban to and from
China only decelerate the spread of the corona-virus disease when
complemented by measures on a per-individual level.
THE DON’TS OF SELF-ISOLATION
Self-isolation is a necessary measure to prevent or minimize the spread of
pathogens. When done right, social distancing can offer immense profits and
immeasurable benefits. When done wrong, however, you may quickly find
yourself on the negative side of things. How can self-isolation be done
wrong? Here is an enumeration of the wrong things to do while self-
isolating:
Don’t binge during the self-isolation period
Bingeing means to indulge excessively in a specific activity over a relatively
short period. Self-isolation is a process that can take a toll on your
psychological health. Therefore, during your self-isolation period, you must
caution against indulging in any manner of bingeing, especially binge-eating.
(Socially distant people have a higher inclination to binge-eat, compared to
socially active ones.) Binge-eating is easy to indulge in and yet often difficult
to quit, and the destructive effects it has on your physical, mental, and
psychological health are countless.
Don’t take your dog for a walk
This should be straightforward. Self-isolation entails staying away from not
only people but also animals, including pets.
Don’t put the kids to bed
The idea of having to abstain from putting your children to bed is difficult to
conceive. Yet, before you decide to take your children to bed, you must think
of why you are self-isolating in the first place. Here is a reminder: you are
self-isolating to reduce your chances of contracting the virus, or, if you
already have it, to minimize the risk of passing it to another person. If you
have tested positive to an infection or are awaiting results to confirm your
infection status, then the people around you, including your kids, become
undoubtedly at risk of getting infected. So, you may do well to stay off
contact with them.
Don’t reach out to your ex
There is a reason you broke up with your ex-partner; self-isolation does not
change that reason. As tempting as it might get, do not entertain any thoughts
of texting or calling your ex, especially if you are sure that by so doing, you
reopen healed or healing wounds. On the other hand, do not reply or return
their messages or calls. Note that this is a rather conditional measure, with
‘if’s’ and ‘then’s.’ If having your ex-partner around causes you any kind of
harm – be it emotional or psychological – then, don’t allow self-isolation to
drag you into it.
Don’t get a pet during self-isolation
It is generally a bad idea to be in contact with animals during the self-
isolation period. If you didn’t have a pet up until then, your self-isolation
period is not the right time to get one. There is a reason you haven’t had one
for this long. Moreover, self-isolation will not last forever; you may be out
and about again before you know it. What will happen to that pet then?
Don’t use your phone all-day
Regardless of whether you are self-isolating or not, there is a chance you are
currently dealing with the modern-day affliction: Smartphone addiction.
While all those twitter posts deserve a read and YouTube videos are hot and
ready to watch, you can only do yourself a disservice by spending too much
time on your mobile device. There are tons of more benefitting affairs to
engage in during your self-isolation period, as you will soon find out.
TIPS TO KEEP BOREDOM AT BAY
Self-isolation is no easy task. It takes considerable discipline and an
unyielding consistency. Since we are naturally predisposed to living in
groups, getting away from social contact comes with its negatives. Some of
these negative effects are immediate and short-lived, while others are long-
term and persistent. Boredom is a somewhat mild, short-lived effect of self-
isolation, but one whose presence can trigger a host of other negative
behaviors. You may binge-eat to get over boredom; you may shop
indiscriminately to deal with the pangs of boredom. Indeed, many of the
negative behaviors one develops during self-isolation can be brought about
by the pangs of boredom. Boredom is a big deal, one you shall have to deal
with during your social distancing period, and one you must be well prepared
to keep at bay. Here are 15 tips to help get you busy during self-isolation:
1.Try de-cluttering
Clearing out your wardrobe is a good way to keep things clean and tidy. It’s
also a low-budget, simple way to keep busy when you are confined to the
corners of your home. If you have always been fascinated about de-cluttering
but haven’t had the time to try it, here is your chance to give it a go. You will
be surprised by the amount of valuable unused stuff you would find.
2.Treat yourself to some good manicure
All you need to give yourself a deserved manicure is a simple gel kit, and
some will get started.
3.Read a book
You have had that one book you’ve wanted to read for some time now. Now
is a good time to give it a read. Many popular books have been made into
audiobooks; you could give them a listen in case you are not text friendly.
4.Learn a board game
Board games are great for developing critical thinking and logical deductions.
Chess and Go are two of the most popular strategy board games around.
Playing board games can significantly improve your deductive prowess and
learning one while in self-isolation can provide you with something to brag
about at school or your workplace when you finally get reintegrated into the
society.
5.Organize the moments that mean something to you
Moving your phone photos into prudently created albums is a great way to
keep busy while doing something beneficial. Notice the difference between
doing this and mindlessly spending long hours in front of your device doing
nothing significant. You could also arrange your hardcopy pictures into finely
crafted albums and stowing them neatly away.
6.Grow a flower
The benefits of planting flowers are well-known. Flowers are useful as
ornamental plants; they can help in pest management, and many flowers can
be used as medicinal herbs. Growing a flower is an incredibly positive way of
staying busy while self-isolating. All you need to treat your garden to this
delightful ornamental plant is a gardening kit containing hand trowel, gloves,
flower seeds, and some water. You could even order a flower planting kit
online and have it delivered to your home.
7.Start a blog/ ‘vlog’
The process of starting a blog has been largely trivialized thanks to advances
in technology and the proliferation of the internet. Anyone could own a blog
nowadays. Consider starting a blog in your self-isolation period. You could
use the blog to, for instance, document your daily routines or fashion taste.
You could even blog about your social distancing, let people know how you
do it and what measures you are taking to ensure its effectiveness. A ‘vlog’ is
a term coined to mean a video blog – a platform for posting video content. A
vlog is best suited to explanatory content, so you could use one to showcase
your culinary skills.
8.Go into Marie Kondo mode
An organization trend that has made the rounds in recent times is the Marie
Kondo method. According to the Japanese organization expert, Marie Kondo,
after whom the method is named, the Marie Kondo method involves keeping
only the things that spark joy in your life and letting the rest go. Get into your
closet, sift through item after item of clothing; remove the ones that matter to
you and fold them nicely into boxes, and then donate, resell, or dispose of the
rest. This is how to Marie-Kondo your closet.
9.Learn to knit
Knitting is an age-old way of passing the time while building something of
value. In addition to the great feeling that comes making something from
nothing but thread and needle, knitting has also been reported as an effective
technique of distressing and getting calm.
10.Dance
Do you have a collection of your favorite songs of all time? Your self-
isolation period is the perfect time to dust your dancing shoes and put that
body to good use.
11.Get some physical exercise in
Unfortunately, your physical shape might suffer when you self-isolate, since
you do not have the luxury to go out for a walk or hit the gym. Even in the
face of your confinement, you still can get your body in good shape and
maintain your physical health. You can get some squats, push-ups, and
burpees in, all without the use of equipment. You may also brisk-walk around
the living room to get those joints stretching.
12.Learn a language
The period of self-isolation may be too short of becoming fluent in a new
language, but not too short to learn the basics – greetings, common nouns,
simple verbs, prepositions, and articles. Saying just ‘hello’ to a person in their
language could make them warm up to you.
13.Test your DIY
Look around, and you will find some interior improvements waiting to be
made. Paint your faded walls; upholster that furniture; change those curtains.
Make your home and life sharper during the time you are confined to it.
14.Reach out to your family
If you work and live in a different city than where your family resides and
have not had the time to talk to them, you may want to give them a call,
message them, or take it a notch further and give them a ‘FaceTime’ during
this period.
Chapter 2. How to Deal with the Dangers of
Self -Isolation
Humans are a social species, and through the thousands of years, we have
existed in this world, we have developed mechanisms to live together more
effectively. As a result, we have evolved into a species whose survival is
hinged on social interactions. Social distancing is a process that goes in the
opposite direction to our natural social predisposition, and as such, it comes
with a slew of effects ranging from physical too emotional to psychological
effects. Without any doubt, the effects of self-isolation are more pronounced
in people living alone; such people will be used as the backdrop of the
discussion.
The reason why social distancing is difficult for us to handle is that we are
social beings. Some people who have had to live in an isolated environment –
such as Antarctica – have reported that one of the biggest issues they had to
deal with in their isolation was loneliness. An Israeli researcher, Yossi
Ghinsberg, reported that while in Antarctica, he had to create imaginary
friends to cope with loneliness. Loneliness, a direct effect of social
distancing, can be quite destructive to our physical and mental health. Self-
isolating people are more prone to stress and less capable of dealing with it.
Furthermore, self-isolating people are more susceptible to depression,
typically have trouble making decisions, and may develop problems with
memory retention. Scientists have also confirmed that people in self-isolation
are more likely to come down with an illness than are socially active people.
Self-isolation can be advised or even enforced in times of disease outbreak.
You may be asked to self-isolate either as a means of keeping you away from
becoming infected or as a way to prevent you from possibly spreading an
infection to healthy people. If it is confirmed that you are indeed infected,
then you may be required to self-quarantine or check into a quarantine center.
Getting quarantined comes with a mix of emotions. You may:
• Feel relief if you are confirmed to be free of infection
• Feel scared about the state of your health and that of your loved
ones
• Develop stress in response to having monitored yourself or being
monitored by other people for symptoms of a disease
 • Get angry at your loved ones for being cautious about being infected
by you, even when you have been declared free of infection
• Feel guilty about abandoning your normal routines during the
quarantine period
• Experience some other emotional and mental changes
Self-isolation during a disease outbreak can be very stressful for adults and
children alike. Stress caused by the spread of disease often comes from fear
and worry about contracting the illness. It could also result from a disruption
in sleep cycles, insomnia, and increased indulgence in drugs and alcohol.
Stress is a common effect of self-isolation, one that very often persists even
after the removal of the cause of self-isolation. The kind of stress that lingers
well beyond a self-isolation period is called secondary traumatic stress (STS).
Here are some tips to help you prevent or minimize the severity of STS:
• The first step to take is to know what STS is and to know that it is a
real possibility for people on self-isolation.
• Get educated about the physical symptoms (such as illness and
tiredness) and mental symptoms (including the feeling of guilt, fear,
and withdrawal) of STS.
• Give yourself and your family time to recover from the self-
isolation. If possible, see a professional and discuss any signs of
STS you may be experiencing.
• Spend a lot of time with the people you care about, get some
physical exercising under your belt, read a book, or do anything else
that can impact your mental health positively.
Apart from stress and loneliness, self-isolation also causes myriads of other
psychological illnesses. People who have practiced self-isolation at some
point in their lives have reported having bouts of anxiety and depression as a
result. These effects of self-isolation can be persistent; they can last months,
even years after the self-isolated person has reintegrated into society. Social
distancing has also been reported to have certain effects on the mental
processes, especially cognitive functions. While we may not necessarily
delve into the nuances of how social distancing impacts our brain, here are
tips to help you deal with some of its harmful effects:
Monitor yourself objectively
You must endeavor to observe your emotional responses in a clear, logical
manner. It is difficult to observe yourself clearly while you are emotional, but
a clear assessment of your thought and behavioral processes is crucial to
helping yourself through the dilemma.
Have a plan to distress
Many people have that one thing they do when they are in a state of stress. If
yours is taking a nice bath, strolling down the street, or anything else, make
sure to get on with it when you notice you are showing any of the negative
symptoms.
Take a break from the media
During the 2020 Corona-virus pandemic, news of the disease engulfed media
outlets worldwide. While information helps you stay safe, a lot of it becomes
fear mongering after a while and can begin to weigh down on your emotional
health. Experts warn that people must take breaks from hearing, reading, or
watching TV content about the pandemic, to maintain sanity.
Ingest healthy foods
Eat only healthy meals while in self-isolation and eat moderately. Stay away
from drugs, alcohol, and any other substance that can harm your health.
Try to meditate
Meditation, as established in a study in the Journal of the Medical
Association, can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Connect with the people around you
There is no better time to connect with your loved ones than when you have
all the time in the world to stay together. Watch movies, play games, and
build things together. These build connections and kill loneliness, stress, and
anxiety. If you don’t live with your family, then do some ‘FaceTime’ or make
a conference call with them.
Spend some time with nature
Get into your garden and trim the plants, plant a flower, or simply admire the
masterful design of Mother Nature.
Seek support
Many professional and community-based services assist people in self-
isolation like you. Seek out those support groups and let them know how you
feel and what you need to cope with.
How To Sustain Your Relationship Through The Self-
Isolation Period
Having to stay at home, alone, to self-isolate can have unprecedented effects
on your love life. You cannot have your significant other over, or meet up at
a cozy restraint for dinner, since you are keeping a distance away from
others. It is a tough but necessary step. But it does not have to be the end of
your relationship. Here are tips to ensure that your relationship gives a good
fight against self-isolation:
Do not compromise on video chats
It is appropriate to make voice calls or send messages to stay in contact in
normal times. However, if you are in self-isolation and do not have the option
of making physical contact with your partner, hearing your significant other’s
voice while seeing their face is vital to keeping the relationship sailing.
Try to make them understand
Self-isolation is not routine; it takes a highly understanding partner to adjust
to the new way things have to be during your self-isolation period. You just
understand their points of view. When they freak out, calmly dismantle their
fears and worries, tell them self-isolation is not permanent, and that things are
certain to get back to the way they used to be. If you both are self-isolating in
different locations, then it’s immeasurably easier to explain yourself.
How To Keep Physically Fit In Self-Isolation
One of the most common issues associated with self-isolation is the lack of
space and machinery with which routine exercising can be done. Many
people are already so used to deriving some physical fitness from working
their jobs that abstinence from work may lead such people into leading
sedentary lives. If your job provides your only means of exercising, then now
is the time to put in an effort to create an in-home exercise regimen. If, on the
other hand, you were signed up at a gym before self-isolating, you must not
allow your social distancing should not cause a termination of exercise
routines. Whatever the category you fall into, here are ideas to get your body
in shape while in self-isolation:
Get on a treadmill
A treadmill is a machine with a conveyor belt that allows you to simulate
walking, jogging, or running. You could run miles on a treadmill within the
comfort of your space. If you don’t have one in your home already, you can
easily pick one up online and have it delivered to your home.
Use an exercise bike
Exercise bikes are a common exercise feature in many modern homes. They
are a great indoor option for keeping in shape during a social distancing
regimen. Similar in action to treadmills, exercise bikes are stationary
machines that mimic real-life bikes, allowing you to simulate riding.
Use a gaming console
Another great option for exercising indoors is a console that offers physical
gaming, such as the Wii Switch. The gaming console, introduced by
Nintendo in 2017, features plenty of games that can get your joints creaking
and muscles stretching. Games like virtual tennis, fishing, archery and others
can be total game changers.
Get fitness DVDs
Though fitness DVDs have been around for a long time, many people still do
not possess any or have a personal, dedicated trainer. This is due in part to
hectic work routines and tight weekend schedules. Thanks to self-isolation,
you now have ample time to pay these cheap personal trainer alternatives the
attention they deserve. Slide one of them into your DVD player and get ten to
fifteen minutes of fitness training, preferably every morning.
Yoga
Yoga is a great tool for getting your mind and body in good shape and offers
countless benefits to overall health. You can get yoga lessons on YouTube
videos, or buy a yoga guidebook to learn from.
Chapter 3. Right Mindset
How you calibrate your mindset is going to make a big difference in how the
14+days of self-isolation, quarantine, or shutdown unfold for you.
Characteristics Of An Unhealthy Mindset
Here are some qualities of an unhealthy mindset.
1 Self-pity. “Why did this happen to me? What wrong did I do to deserve this
fate?” “I feel so helpless.” These are feelings of self-pity. If you are entering
this zone of self-isolation, quarantine, or shutdown wrapping yourself in self-
pity, then, chances are, you are entering with an unhealthy mindset. Get rid of
the pity parties. Feeling sad or disappointed is a healthy state of emotional
intelligence. Self-pity involves convincing yourself that your problems are
worse than anyone else's. Self-pity will keep you emotionally stuck. You are
likely to attract more Debbie Downers into your life and repel the good
quality folks who can actually make a healthy difference in your life.
2 Anger. Entering your period of self-isolation kicking and screaming will
only make things difficult for you and for those trying to help you. Yes, there
may be reasons for you to feel angry but there is nothing you can do to
change where things are at, today. Accept it.
3 Blame. Blaming others for where you have ended up will only intensify the
pain that you are already in. Sure, you have every reason to blame someone
else. That is not becoming a part of the solution, however. Blaming someone
fuels the need to control something or someone. This is a good time to let go
and to release those strongholds. Rather than blaming someone else for where
you have ended up, accept your current predicament.
4 Guilt. Feeling guilty about what you did or what you should have done can
have a crippling effect. Thoughts of guilt can be self-defeating and can create
negative ripple effects. Guilt can weigh you down and can become a gateway
to regret. When we are driven by guilt, we can make decisions that can
damage us and others. Guilt makes you punish yourself, which can be an
unhealthy emotional state to be in, during self-isolation, quarantine, or
shutdown.
5 Panic. Hitting the panic button will only intensify your situation. When we
go into panic mode we don’t think clearly. We become overcome with fear,
anxiety, and trepidation. This can lead to us making damaging decisions that
can have serious consequences later on in life.
6 Mind Games. Playing mind games on yourself or on others is an unhealthy
emotional state to be in, during self-isolation, quarantine, or shutdown. Mind
games can be toxic. They can lead to fertilizing unhealthy relationships and
destroying the healthy ones. Take an inventory of the mind games and clean
them out. The person who will benefit the most in this process is you.
7 Crisis Mode. Being in crisis mode makes us think, act, and behave
irrationally. Crisis-mode thinking can cause destruction down the road. Crisis
decisions are never good decisions. If you nurture a crisis frame of mind you
are likely to make crisis decisions during this time of self-isolation,
quarantine, or shutdown.
Characteristics Of A Healthy Mindset
Here are some suggestions to entering your period of self-isolation,
quarantine, or shutdown with a healthy mindset.
1 See yourself as being able. This is fundamental to getting through this time
period in a healthy way. How you view yourself determines how you handle
yourself during this time period. If you view yourself as not being able, then
you are likely to come out of this period exhausted, drained, and perhaps with
more health problems than you had. If you see yourself as being able, then
more than likely, you are entering this zone with a healthy mindset.
2 State of acceptance. Kicking and screaming about your situation is not
going to change things. Accepting your temporary confinement and
restriction of 14+ days will be a positive step towards healthy emotional
intelligence.
3 Taking responsibility. Yes, you have every right to blame someone else,
blame a country, or blame a situation which has led to your being in self
isolation, quarantine, or shutdown. What will help you at this junction,
however, is to see yourself as being responsible for where you are at. Most
importantly, take responsibility to where you want to be heading after this
ordeal has passed. Moving away from blame to responsibility makes you
more proactive in taking responsibility for your life.
4 This is a test. Mentally prepare yourself for a test. Not a college exam nor a
Board exam, but a life test. We experience millions of life tests along the
way. Living in self isolation, quarantine, or shutdown is one of them. As with
any test, preparation is key to how you face it and the outcome. Proper
emotional, mental, and spiritual preparation can play a heavy role in how you
handle this test of self-isolation, quarantine, or shutdown.
5 Resilience. Being resilient makes you more open to embracing this time
period with acceptance, rather than apprehension. The quality of resilience
makes us more flexible, thus making us adapt more quickly to our
circumstance.
Chapter 4. Staying Positive and Active
How To Stay Positive
Mental health is a serious problem with the coronavirus pandemic. A lot of
people are worried that isolation is going to cause further problems as people
are being cut off from their support groups and friends. Some people will be
alone throughout the crisis, particularly older people.
Throughout it all, it’s incredibly important to stay positive-minded and look
at everything with a clear head. Making sure that you’re in a good state of
mind is absolutely key and a priority. Read on for expert tips on how to make
sure you’re approaching the pandemic with the right energy.
Self-Care Is Important
The practise of ‘self-care’ is a relatively modern concept in theory, but people
have been doing it a long time. At its heart, self-care is about taking care of
yourself, your mind, and your body.
This could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But most
crucially, it’s all about you.
What do you enjoy doing? What makes you feel good?
For some people, it’s a nice hot bath and a book. For others, it might be
working on a particular project or engaging in a hobby they find appealing.
The most important thing is finding what makes you happy and doing it.
Check Up On YOU
Be your own best friend. It’s important to stay in touch with your own
emotions and feelings.
Take some time out of your day if you can explore how all of this is making
you feel. Are you happy? Sad? Angry? Stressed? Scared? Numb? However,
you’re feeling, recognising that emotion and coming to terms with it will
leave you much more in tune with your own mental state.
If possible, you might be able to spot some early warning signs when it
comes to your mental health. Is a certain activity making you feel bad? It
might be helpful to keep a mood diary where you write down how you’re
feeling each day. Being able to keep track of your emotions in one place can
lend some perspective on why you might be feeling a particular way… and
what you can do to remedy that.
Understand That Things Have Changed
Retreating into ignorance might seem tempting, but it’s probably not good for
you.
Some people might like to pretend that the pandemic isn’t happening or that
the crisis isn’t serious in order to take care of their mental health. While
finding healthy distractions is a key part of the coping process, you should be
aware of what is going on around you in order to be best prepared.
Habits you’re used to like shopping, impulse buying, and socialising with
friends will have to adapt to the crisis. Follow the advice of your government
to determine what kind of activity is appropriate to do without putting anyone
at risk.
Events that you’ve been looking forward to might be postponed or even
cancelled entirely due to the spread of the virus. Although this might be
disappointing, it’s important to put things into perspective.
The important thing right now is that you have enough food and supplies to
keep you going in the short term. Although treats and the luxuries of modern
life are nice, it’s vital to remember that you should be grateful for what you
have, and the biggest priority right now is keeping safe.
The pandemic won’t last forever, and you’ll be able to return to the
enjoyments of the outside world eventually. For now, take pride in what you
have and focus on maintaining your health.
Take Care of Your Self-Esteem
With the world in chaos, doing simple activities to take care of yourself and
your appearance might seem vain and trivial. But actually, making sure that
you’re looking your best can help you to feel your best.
If you have any usual morning rituals to get ready for a big day, don’t forget
to do them. Using deodorant or perfume/aftershave is still important. Even if
you’re working from home or even not working at all, try to get changed out
of pajamas and wear something more appropriate to face the day. You’ll feel
a lot better for it.
And although it sounds obvious, you can’t forget about basic tasks just
because we’re in a time of crisis. Things like brushing your teeth and
showering are going to make you feel a lot better in the long run.
Your body is a big part of you. It’s important to take pride in your appearance
because that feeds into taking pride in yourself.
Manage Your Social Media Intake
How are you meant to concentrate or relax when your phone getting
notifications every few minutes is a fixture of modern life?
It was already known to cause some people stress in the pre-pandemic world.
Now when our social media feeds are filled with scary warnings and updates,
being constantly tapped into the online world isn’t always a good thing. Your
anxiety levels are in danger of skyrocketing if all it takes is a few quick
swipes to read posts that are guaranteed to make you nervous.
You don’t have to cut out social media entirely. Checking up on your online
family and friends is an important part of many people’s lives.
Instead, perhaps just try to LIMIT your intake. Set hours where it’s
acceptable for you to check social media. Checking your phone immediately
before you go to bed can damage your quality of sleep.
If you can, try to limit yourself to a limited number of checks per day lasting
no more than five minutes. This might be a tricky leap to make in a modern
world which has made us feel we have to be constantly available and
connected but give it a go. Your nervous brain might thank you for it.
Staying Active: How To Keep Fit During The Pandemic
If you’re isolating, socially distancing, or even in lockdown, the idea of
staying active might seem quite daunting. Your time outside could be limited,
or you might not even be able to leave the house.
But there are ways to keep moving and fit during the Coronavirus. Although
you might have to adjust some of your routines, it’s possible to stay safe and
also keep your body in good shape.
Take Advantage of The Outside World
This one might not apply to everyone depending on the rules your
government has put in place, but some places still allow time outside for
exercise as long as it is done in moderation and away from others.
Try to keep your exercise to more rural locations or places away from a lot of
people. It’s incredibly vital to avoid crowds or anywhere where you might be
closer to people than the recommended safe distance.
The change of environment that walking brings can really help you to adjust
to life under coronavirus. If you’re walking places close to nature, you might
even get to see some beautiful sights. The fresh air will also be important in
helping you stay healthy.
If you’re physically able, why not try running or jogging? Even if you’ve
never tried it before, a lot of people find the physical motions involved in
intensive exercise to be calming. You can always start slow and work your
way up. There are a lot of applications you can find on your phone to help
you with learning to jog or run properly.
Exercise at Home
If going outside isn’t an option, that can be worked around.
If you have access to equipment, consider exercising indoors. Use a home
gym if you’re lucky enough to have one. If not, ordering one or two exercise
items from the internet like weights or skipping ropes can help you practice
workout routines simply and effectively.
Look at YouTube and other streaming services. A lot of videos exist to help
you exercise at home without paying a penny.
If you’re looking for something in real time, some exercise streamers have
times that they do a live video where they help their viewers work through an
exercise routine. The encouragement might just be what you need to keep
grinding without the help of other people around you to spur you on.
Get Non-Conventional
Break the mold. It might seem strange to you but try to shake up your
exercise routine to fit into this new pandemic lifestyle.
You might be shy to try it, but activities you can do yourself in limited space
like dancing are a great way to burn off calories and keep yourself moving.
If you’re into team sports, this adjustment might be hard for you. Exercising
on your own is going to have to become the norm for a while until social
distancing is no longer needed.
But take up more solo sports if you can. Order a yoga mat and look for starter
tips and videos online.
If you have a games console, there are sometimes games that use motion
sensors to make you do physical activity. Try using one of these to take parts
in sports you wouldn’t otherwise be able to take part in due to the confines of
your home.
Top Tips

Make the most of your opportunities to go outside

Find an indoor workout routine
Try something new
Stay active

Keeping Sharp: How To Stay Mentally Active Amongst

The Madness
While a lot of people are still working from home, the coronavirus outbreak
means that many out there have been forced to stop working and stay in
isolation. Although time away from work can be good, some people really do
struggle with the lack of purpose that having no work brings. On top of that, a
lot of vulnerable ‘at risk’ people or people living alone have been stripped of
the outside world for their own safety.
So just how do you stay mentally active during the pandemic?
Take Up A New Hobby
Is there something you’ve always wanted to try but you’ve never had time to
do, a new recipe you’d like to learn, a book you want to read?
Although the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic can make it hard to
concentrate, the positive actions you take when you open your brain up to
new experiences can really help to make your days feel more fulfilled.
For a lot of people, having so much alone time is a usual experience. Using it
to better yourself and your skills will only make you a better person when
this is all over.
While we can’t promise you’ll be able to do absolutely everything - a lot of
outdoor activities are inadvisable due to the spread of the virus - there is so
much you can learn, see, and do from your home in 2020.
Learn A New Language
Ever fancied learning a new language? Luckily, there’s so much out there
online to help you no matter which language you decide to learn. If you need
some help finding it, give it a quick Google or try the app Duolingo on your
phone to give you a good starting point.
There are textbooks you can order online if you want to go an extra step.
Above all, don’t place too much pressure on yourself. Language learning is
an ideal way to keep your brain occupied and busy, but don’t expect to
become an expert overnight. Learning a language is an investment and can
take years and years to really pay off.
Achieve Daily Goals
A big part of working is that feeling of ‘getting things done’... or at least it’s
supposed to be in most workplaces!
Your brain likes that feeling of achievement. If you’re struggling to stay
mentally active during the pandemic, it might be a good idea to try and
replicate that feeling.
At the start of each day, consider giving yourself a mental checklist (or a
written one) of the different activities you want to get done. These can be
simple things or more complicated ones, from household chores to bigger
projects.
That feeling of satisfaction you get from meeting targets makes you feel good
and also want to achieve more. Before you know it, you might have
completed your whole list.
If you’re struggling to think of things to do, why not come up with ways to
help your friends and family during this time? If you live with people, ask
them if there’s any chores or activities they’d like you to do or if there’s
anything they want to do together. If you’re separated from your loved ones,
there are things you can do from a distance. Write them a greeting card or ask
them if there’s anything you can help with in the future.
Tips:

Use the lockdown to learn something new

Keep improving yourself
Challenge yourself to something new
Set daily goals
Chapter 5. Balancing Your Mental State Due
to the COVID-19 Fear
Drastic changes in regular routines might be challenging for most people
during this period. Boredom is likely to bring about emotional instability and
you might lose it altogether. How do you put your emotions on check in the
course of this pandemic? While working from home, you will only stay
productive when mentally healthy. Covid-19 might be stressful for most
people so what you have to do is fighting anxiety and fear so that you won't
be overwhelmed by the strong emotions that comes with it. While coping
with stress, ensure those who care about you and other members of your
family are there for you. We all have different reactions to stressful
situations. However, when responding to these stressful situations, do ensure
your emotions are on the check. In case you feel overwhelmed by emotions
such as anxiety, depression or sadness, immediately call a professional
counselor. Avoid taking drugs such as alcohol and tobacco as stress can often
lead to addiction. To have a balanced state of mind, you need to:
Start a workout routine: The benefits of work out cannot be overemphasized.
Engaging in exercise is another way of balancing your state of mind. It is also
a great way to unwind and put your body in shape. Many people are
concerned that the lockdown will affect their exercise routine especially those
who have no exercise equipment or enough space to engage in exercise but
instructors have advised that there are simple yet effective exercises that one
can do in the comfort of their homes. The key is readjusting and making the
most out of your bedrooms or living rooms. Also, you can register online to
get live workout sections in the comfort of your home.
Below are a few workouts to do at home:
1- Pushups: This is a great workout that works in putting you in shape
while burning tummy fats and arm fats. While at it, make sure to align
your shoulder, spine, and hips.
2- Jump jacks: This is another great exercise to start a day as anybody can
do it. It is done by spreading your arms and legs apart as you leap.
3- Sit up: This is helps in strengthening your abdominal walls. To do this,
sit with your legs together to the floor, lie on your back with your hands
above your head. As you bring your upper body up towards your knee,
 slightly bend your knees.
4- Jogging: Jogging helps tone all muscles; jogging through your garden
down to the road and back is a great idea to keep fit.
5- Skipping: Skipping is not just an exercise but can serve as a fun play.
You can engage the family in skipping exercise, each taking turns and
recording to know who has the highest skips. It’s all fun.
6- Single leg jump: This is known to help correct any imbalance muscle
while improving coordination and acceleration. As the name implies,
you can do it by slightly raising one foot, while balancing your entire
body on the other leg before you start jumping.
7- Squats: This workout helps in strengthening all muscles located below
your belt. Stretch out both hands forward, bend your knees facing out
and carefully go down and up.
8- Enroll in online meditation classes and live stream yoga to unwind.
This helps too in keeping your state of mind in check.
9- Take proper care of your body by eating healthily, having deep breaths,
having enough rest, avoiding drugs and getting plenty of sleep.
10- If you are feeling stressed, avoid watching, listening or
reading-related news about what is happening currently as this can
cause anxiety levels to increase.
11- Take breaks from working, have a me-time and take part in the
activities you enjoy as this allows you to unwind.
12- Take this opportunity to connect with other people and talk to
them about your concerns.
13- Find yourself a good friend(s): You will be more productive
when you interact more with your chatty colleagues and coworkers.
Having social interactions with coworkers often alleviates your feelings
of loneliness and isolation. Team bonding plays a major role in
eliminating the effects of solitude for an extended period and also helps
in balancing our mental well-being. Confide in your friends on your
thoughts on covid-19 so that you ease your mental state.
14- Have a fun time with your children. Bake, try new dishes, go
for a walk or run in your neighborhood.
15- Connect to your friends via calls, chats, video calls and
encourage your children to do so with their friends.
16- Establish a consistent family routine that should be followed.
These routines should include nap time, work time, screen time,
mealtime, bedtime, study time, playtime, and exercise time. These set
down routines will help promote a sense of security especially these
trying times.
Chapter 6. Ways to Stay Sane During the
Lockdown
Self-Care Suggestions
You can’t help to care for anyone else if you are at breaking point. Take steps
to ensure that you look after your own mental, physical and emotional
wellbeing.
This is in no way selfish.
In fact, it is crucial in order to help you manage stress and continue to support
those who need you. Take some time for yourself every day and do at least
one of the following (or anything else that feeds your soul and makes you
feel comforted).
Take a long, luxurious shower or bubble bath, light a candle, deep condition
your hair, read a magazine, or slap on a face mask.
Meditate. This could be as simple as focusing on your breath. Try an app like
Smiling Mind for guided meditations and mindfulness exercises.
Write a letter or postcard to a friend or family member. Happy mail is like a
paper hug and they may even send one back to you. If you’re not sure what to
write, here are a few ideas to start you off:
Share your favorite joke

Describe a funny or meaningful memory about the person you are

writing to
Write a limerick about them (find out how to write a limerick here)
Play a game of mail tag (find out what mail tag is and how it
works here)
Share your favorite family recipe
Listen to your favorite music. Revisit that album that you played endlessly as
an angst-ridden teenager or the songs you danced to at your wedding. Or find
new music suggestions based on artists and songs that you already love at
Music Roamer.
Declutter your home. Decluttering is hugely cathartic and will make everyone
living in your space feel better. Chose just one area to focus on at a time (for
example wardrobe, kitchen or playroom) and tackle that. For more
information and tips on decluttering, visit the Watermark Homes website.
Try cooking a new recipe. Food52 has lots of delicious ideas to choose from.
Get creative with your limited cupboard ingredients!
Get outside as much as possible. Perhaps you can go for a walk alone or
cycle in the park or woodlands near you, while keeping well away from
others? Even a little fresh air in your garden, yard or balcony will help lift
your spirits. Allow your skin to absorb vitamin D, which will help to turbo-
charge your immune system and ward off depression.
Get lost in a book.
“The beauty of reading is that it lets you travel in a way you could never
know.”
- Alek Wek
Ask friends for recommendations
Start a gratitude journal. Regular gratitude practice can help you focus on
what truly matters to you and on down days, you can read back through it.
Visit this website for 120 prompts to get you started.
Learning
Take advantage of the extra time you’ve gained at home to gain a new skill or
broaden your education. These ideas can all be done from your own home.
Take a virtual tour of one of these world-famous museums and galleries.
Learn a language (for free) with Duolingo. Perhaps your partner or family
can learn along with you and you can practice together over dinner?
Learn to play a musical instrument. Maybe you already own one, but have
never had the time to properly get started with it? Lifehacker has plenty of
online tools and suggestions to help you.
Go back to (virtual) school. Learn something new, gain skills, improve your
job prospects and become a lifelong learner. Browse Udemy or Coursera to
find something that sparks your interest.
Listen to an educational podcast and learn about philosophy, history,
economics, investment, science, technology and pretty much anything else
you can think of!
College Info Geek has a list of 40 educational podcasts to get you started.
Watch a documentary. Netflix has incredibly well-researched film-length and
mini-series crime documentaries. Start with When They See Us, the true
story of the Central Park Five. Or if you need something lighter, take a look
at BBC nature documentaries, particularly those voiced by the great Sir
David Attenborough.
Expand your cultural education without leaving home. Here are a few ideas:

Enjoy Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets.

The Shakespeare Study Guide will help you with plot summaries,
annotated texts, word definitions and text explanations.
Read poetry. All Poetry has a list of 500 famous poems for
starters.
Work your way through Complex’s 100 classic must-see movies.
Watch opera LIVE from the Met via their website.
Find the listings schedule here.
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden are also offering free
online content for the culturally curious.

Exercise Ideas
Exercise is proven to fight depression and help alleviate stress. It’s therefore
important to try to do a little every day, especially since you can’t go to the
gym, as you usually would.
I’ve included ideas here both of exercises that you can do in a small space,
such as your lounge or yard and also some that involve going outside but
keeping a safe distance from others. You never know, you might even find a
new favorite exercise!
Try yoga for beginners. I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene. She
produces a wide selection of free instructional yoga videos for all abilities
and she always keep a sense of humor. You can browse her website, try yoga
for anxiety and stress, or start with her videos for beginners.
A home circuit workout can be done in your garden or lounge. CosmoBody
circuit workout requires no equipment, so you can do it anytime, anywhere.
A more gentle exercise idea is to walk up and down your stairs. However,
this can get repetitive fast, so listen to music, a podcast or audiobook while
you do it.
Interval training is a way of exercising whereby you complete a series of high
intensity workouts interspersed with short rest periods. It’s an effective way
to burn fat in a small amount of time and improves your heart health. Try Joe
Wick’s HIIT Home Workout or a Hip Hop tabata workout including ‘twerk
legs’!
Have a kitchen disco. Turn up the tunes and get grooving. Find your perfect
playlist on Spotify (I love these classic disco dancefloor fillers).
If you have a little outdoor space, skipping or hopscotch are both easy to do
and great for getting your heart pumping.
Cycling is the perfect exercise to blow away the cobwebs while social
distancing. You can take a bike ride alone in the park, woods or along a
towpath, while keeping a safe distance from others.
If you want to increase overall body strength and come out the other side of
this absolutely shredded, try the 7 weeks to 100 push-ups challenge.
Get Creative
Creative pursuits increase self-esteem, alleviate anxiety, improve cognitive
health and even restore the immune system. As well as all this, creative
activities are fun!
The following ideas require a little equipment, which you may already have
at home, or can order to be delivered. They can be great to include as part of
home-schooling too, if your children are at home with you right now.
Which of these inspire you?
Paint. Paint anything you like. Paint something you can see or go abstract and
paint how you feel. Take a look at The Spruce for beginners painting tips.
Or if you want some more guidance, try a painting-by-numbers kit.
Draw. You need only a pen or pencil and some paper. Draw from observation
(something you can see). Choose still life (something that won’t move) or
challenge yourself to draw a family member or pet. If you’re anxious, upset
or angry, try drawing your emotions instead.
Learn to embroider. Embroidery is a calming, tactile and mindful process.
You can even do it while listening to the radio or watching (listening to) the
TV. And it’s incredibly satisfying to create something beautiful from just
thread.
Start with a ‘sampler’ to learn the basic stitches and then move on to a printed
kit.
Use a hoop to help keep the fabric taught.
Knit or crochet. Similar to embroidery, these are repetitive, relaxing activities
where you produce something useful and beautiful. YouTube has tutorials
such as knitting for absolute beginners and crochet for total beginners.
Write your life story (so far!). Writer’s Digest provides 10 legacy themes to
help you. It may not be a bestseller, but your children and grandchildren will
want to read it.
Get creative in your garden. Design a flower bed and plant seeds and bulbs or
start a vegetable patch. Create a raised bed using this tutorial by Good
Housekeeping. Even if you have a tiny space, you can plant up some pretty
pots for your balcony or even a kitchen herb garden.
Try your hand at origami. Paper folding can be meditative and enjoyable, but
it requires patience and practice. If you want to give it a go, start by learning
the basic folds at Origami Online Resource Centre and then move on to one
of these easy models at Origami Fun. You can buy papers online.
Enjoy a grown-up, intricate coloring book. This is addictive!
Start a blog. Share your thoughts and musings with the world.
Stay Social
Human contact is vital for your wellbeing. You may be practicing social
distancing, or self-isolating, but that doesn’t mean you can’t connect with
your partner and children. In fact, this may be an ideal opportunity to focus
on quality time.
Of course, modern technology means that we can virtually connect with
others too via Skype, FaceTime, email or Zoom.
Create a human pyramid with your immediate family or housemates.
Play board games together. Some of my favorites are Carcassonne, Azul and
Wingspan. If you’d like to play co-operatively, rather than competitively, try
(ironically) Pandemic, Spirit Island or Castle Panic.
Challenge yourselves to work as a team and complete an epic 1000+ piece
jigsaw puzzle.
Netflix and chill with your partner (it’s a great stressbuster)!
Bake your family’s favorite cake and decorate it together. Then enjoy eating
every single slice!
Get competitive and see who in your household can hold a plank (top of a
push up position) or hovering cat pose for the longest time.
Gather together a sheet or blanket, some cushions, chairs and pegs, then build
a fort. You can curl up together inside with pets, read a book, or just take a
nap.
Hold a family movie night with popcorn and sweets. If you live alone and
want to watch with others, host a Netflix party to watch simultaneously with
friends and live Tweet or WhatsApp along with your friends during the film.
Chapter 7. Strategies to Manage Lockdown
Anxiety
Accept That You Are Anxious
As you may know, acceptance is fundamental since attempts at ignoring,
eliminating or wrangling anxiety usually result in worsened symptoms. This
is due to the fact that such a behavior reinforces the idea that anxiety is
unbearable and intolerable.
Importantly, accepting your anxiety doesn’t mean giving up on identifying
strategies to deal with it and certainly not resigning yourself to a miserable
existence.
Observe Your Thoughts
Whilst experiencing anxiety, we tend to identify with catastrophizing black
and white thoughts instead of simply observing them. We begin believing
whatever worst-case scenario narrative our brain may be producing and
predict the unfolding of a detailed series of negative outcomes.
What years of research in anxiety management have shown is that we would
be much better off simply observing our thoughts and resisting the temptation
to believe them and embrace them as if they were rational and realistic
predictions of an inevitable reality?
Therefore, when you are feeling overwhelmed by the neg ativity of your
thoughts, remind yourself that you are not your thoughts but the awareness
behind them. You are the entity that observes them. You may think of them
as uninvited guests. Once you acknowledge their presence, they will begin to
reach for their coats and depart.
Question Your Thoughts
When we are anxious, our brains begin to creatively produce all kinds of
outlandish ideas, most of which are highly unrealistic and unlikely to occur.
These thoughts predictably increase the anxious state we already find
ourselves in.
Use A Calming Visualization
You may use whichever visualization you associate with a sense of peace,
safety and calm. If you are new to the practice and looking for a place to start,
here is an example.
Picture yourself sitting in your favorite park or maybe it is a beach or a field.
Watch the leaves as they pass by on the lake or the sea or look at the clouds
pass by in the sky.
This technique counteracts what we typically do in anxious situations.
Namely, we tend to assign qualities and judgements to our thoughts,
emotions and physical sensations. These judgements go in the direction of
good or bad, right or wrong. As a consequence, we amplify our agitation. It’s
important to remember that it is all just information.
Concentrate On The Present
When we are anxious, we are usually obsessing about something that might
occur in the future. To counteract this, let’s pause, breathe and direct our
attention to what is happening right now in our room. Even whilst something
very serious is happening in the world and a loved one may be affected by it,
shifting the focus to “right here and right now” will clear our mind and
improve our ability to manage the situation.
Engage In Positive Self-Talk
Anxiety has the bad habit of producing a lot of negative chatter. This can be
counterbalanced by the pronunciation of positive coping statements. For
example, you could tell yourself, “this anxiety feels bad, but I can use
strategies to manage it” or “this situation is truly scary and unprecedented,
but I can do my part to keep safe”.
Practice Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the release of resentment or anger. Whilst it does not equal
reconciliation, it represents an essential component of our mental health as it
prevents us from remaining emotionally engaged in injustice or trauma.
Moreover, it has been shown to increase optimism, improve mood and defend
against anxiety, anger and depression. Namely, a reluctance to forgive is
associated with the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
In a scenario like the current one, you may want to forgive people whom you
feel have acted in a selfish way or in a way that has exacerbated the extent of
the current situation. Furthermore, you may want to forgive yourself for not
foreseeing something that occurred. The latter may, at times, be harder than
forgiving others.
To engage in self-forgiveness, reflect on why the event occurred: Which
forces were in your control and which were outside of your control? Extract
the lessons you learned. From this newly gained perspective, forgive yourself
out loud or maybe write it down. If another person is involved, apologize to
them and take action to improve their life in a meaningful way.
Look Back At Beautiful Memories
Do you remember that beautiful vacation in Southern Europe you took last
year? Do you remember all the other wonderful ones before that? And what
about the celebrated study and career milestones, the birthdays, the important
events you pushed yourself to take part in? Do you remember how you spent
a lot of time taking pictures to freeze the moment so you could relive the joy
it brought over and over again? And do you remember how you never ever
made the time to actually look back at those pictures?
Our obsession with the achievement or the worry, hardly ever lets us take the
time to fully absorb and appreciate the beauty of certain moments in our
lives. Since our feelings take the shape of what we focus on, bringing our
attention to beautiful memories, will help rewriting the script of how we feel
right now. Go look back at those pictures!
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is defined as the human way of acknowledging the good things in
life. It refers to the positive emotional response created whilst giving or
receiving benefits from someone. Thanking others, ourselves, Mother Nature,
or a higher entity has the power to make us feel lighter and happier propelling
a healing effect. The benefits are innumerable. Gratitude improves
interpersonal relationships at home and work, it induces positive emotions,
improves the quality of sleep, builds emotional awareness, produces feelings
of pleasure and contentment, and positively impacts our overall health and
well-being.
Simple practices like maintaining a gratitude journal, paying compliments to
oneself or others, sending thank you notes, or texts can make us feel a lot
better and produce an immediate mood enhancement. Gratitude helps couples
too, as relationship studies showed that subjects who more frequently
expressed gratitude to their partners enjoyed overall healthier and long-
lasting relationships.
Gratitude has been defined as a ‘natural antidepressant’. The effects produced
operate at a physiological, neurotransmitter level. Namely, whilst expressing
gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two key feel-good
neurotransmitters which immediately enhance our happiness. By introducing
a daily gratitude practice, we can strengthen these neural pathways and create
a positive attitude within ourselves.
Play With Your Children Or Pets
Do you remember the times in which your greatest preoccupations concerned
whether your Barbie had taken a bath or whether mom would let you paint
your new bike green because that was a Hulk bike in your imagination?
Children have a light and much simpler way of going through life. They have
an incredible ability to live the present moment and to enjoy the little treats of
life (that’s of course if you’re not spoiling them too much). So do your pets.
Spending time to play with them will force the brain to take a break from
swirling negative thoughts and preoccupations. Even simply contemplating
the smile of a child can bring ripples of joy in your heart. You used to
complain about how hard it was to find time to spend with your kids or pets,
right? Now it’s your chance to catch up.
Practice Positive Imagery
At times, getting rid of our anxious thoughts is as easy as reversing the
imagery that caused them in the first place. If your anxieties are generated by
all the worst-case scenarios you are imagining this situation could escalate
into, try imagining the positive side effects, try concentrating on the good that
will come out of it. Write it down for better results.
Help Someone Else
It may sound counterintuitive as right now you may feel like you are the one
who could use someone else’s help.
Taken together these two effects can trigger a "virtuous circle" in which
improved relationships lead to feeling better leads to improved relationships
and so forth.
You do not need to do something dramatic; a small act will go a long way.
It is not just about gathering physical supplies, but you must also mentally
prepare yourself for a pandemic. Learning to manage stress and anxiety is
quite important. Any fear or anxiety about the disease can trigger
overwhelmingly strong emotions in adults and children alike. Keep in mind
that everyone tends to react differently to various stressful situations. The
way you deal and respond to an outbreak depends on your background and
the community you live in. Some tend to respond more strongly to the stress
of a crisis like children, teenagers, older people, and others who have any
existing mental health conditions and disorders, including substance use.
Different reasons for stress during a pandemic can include some of the
following reasons.

Fear, worry, and anxiety about your health and the health of your
family members.
Sudden changes in eating or sleeping patterns.
Finding it difficult to concentrate or sleep.
Decline in any of pre-existing chronic health problems.
An increase in the use of tobacco, alcohol, or other substances.
Anyone with pre-existing mental health problems must continue the
treatment while paying close attention to any new symptoms or the
worsening of existing symptoms. You can cope with stress by taking care of
yourself and your family members.
Taking Care Of Yourself
You might want to keep watching, listening to the news, reading news stories
on social media. However, take a break from all this. If you keep hearing
about any escalation in the pandemic or how horrible the situation is, it will
merely worsen the stress you feel. Ensure that you are taking care of your
body. Practice deep breathing exercises, meditation, consume healthy and
well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, avoid alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and
get sufficient sleep. Set some time aside to unwind. Engage in activities that
you enjoy. If you have any concerns or are worried about how you are
feeling, talk to people you trust. If stress starts worsening or doesn’t let up
after a couple of days, immediately call your healthcare provider.
Taking Care Of Children
Children and teenagers tend to react based on the reactions they see from the
adults around them. When the primary caregivers and parents respond
confidently and calmly, it provides more support to their children. Here are a
couple of common changes or responses to stress you must watch out for in
your children or teenagers.
Excessive irritation or crying in young children.
Prolonged periods of sadness or worry.
Unhealthy changes in eating and sleeping patterns.
Young children might return to certain behaviors they have
outgrown like bedwetting or toileting accidents.
Avoiding schoolwork or decrees and academic performance.
Teenagers can start acting out and express extreme irritability.
Difficulty in paying attention and concentrating on specific
tasks.
Not enjoying the activities, they used to enjoy in the past.
Unexplained body aches, and headaches.
There are various things you can do to support your child as a parent during a
pandemic, and they are as follows.
You cannot keep your children in the dark. Spend some time and calmly talk
to them about the pandemic. If they have any questions, answer them
patiently and share all facts you possibly can in a way that your child
understands. However, don’t overwhelm them with too much information.
Children will need plenty of reassurance. So, let them know they are safe and
that it is okay for them to feel upset. You can also show them how you are
dealing with your stress so that they can learn certain coping mechanisms.
Even if schools are closed, try to keep up with regular routines as much as
possible. Create a schedule for the child to indulge in learning and relaxing
activities.
Limit any unnecessary exposure to news coverage of the pandemic, including
social media. Children can easily misinterpret whatever they hear or read
about and can become frightened. Therefore, you must help them understand
what the situation is.
Lead by example. Take breaks, stick to your routine, sleep properly, and eat
well.
Note: If you notice that either you or someone you care about is feeling, or
expressing overwhelmingly strong emotions like depression, sadness,
anxiety, or you feel like harming yourself or others, then immediately seek
professional help or call a disaster distress helpline. Seeking immediate care
and attention must be your priority.
Chapter 8. Letter Writing
Write letters to friends, family, co-workers, and strangers that you never
thought of writing to or didn’t have time to write to. Sometimes, writing a
good old-fashioned letter to someone can be one of the most healing and
cathartic activities that we can do for our soul as well as that of someone else.
It can clear misunderstandings, it can strengthen friendship ties that you have
neglected for decades, it can renew and revive relationships that have
deteriorated, and it can be a simple way to restore our humanness. Writing
helps to connect with another person at a basic level.
Writing is therapeutic because at the core of writing is self-expression. Being
able to express how we feel and what we think impacts us on a cellular level.
Writing a letter is different from writing a scientific paper, a budget, or a
legal document. Writing a letter gives us the chance to express what we feel
and to convey it in a way that comes comfortably to us.
Benefits Of Letter Writing
Here are some good things that can come out of letter writing if the activity is
approached with a healthy attitude.
1 You receive clarity to how you feel about a situation
The luggage that we carry with us for days, weeks, sometimes decades can
slowly chip away at us and have a negative impact on our daily living.
Writing a letter is a healthy way to reach deep down, pick out what has been
cluttering us, and toss unnecessary thoughts and feelings away. Do you owe
an apology to someone? Is there a relative that you said something to, twenty
years ago, whom you never said sorry to? Do they owe you an apology?
Doing it face to face can be daunting sometimes. That is where a letter can
bridge the awkwardness. Sometimes, the geographical distance makes a face-
to-face meeting difficult. Writing a letter in this type of situation can help you
to receive clarity about a situation. It can help you to explain yourself, in
hindsight.
2 You release negative feelings and thoughts
Writing a letter helps you to trash the emotional garbage in a safe, healthy,
and constructive way. When you put your thoughts down on paper,
particularly about a situation that has been bothering you, there is a type of an
emotional release that happens. If this thought is a negative one that you have
been burying inside for years, writing a letter can almost become like rubbing
a disinfectant to a wound that has been festering for a long time. It may sting
just for a second, but that pain is fleeting compared to the longterm relief you
are likely to receive as a result. The action of letter writing is similar to
rubbing a disinfectant in order to start the healing process.
Negative thoughts can come in the form of anger, resentment, feelings of
jealousy, and hatred. It is far healthier to release these negative emotions by
writing a letter rather than resorting to violence, manipulation, and
destructive behavior.
3 You share gratitude and positive feelings towards a person or circumstance
Writing a letter gives the opportunity to tell someone “thank you very much.”
Is there a friend, a co-worker, or a family member who deserves a long-
awaited appreciation from you? Sometimes the greatest damage we can do to
a loved one is to withhold a sincere word of thanks that they so rightfully
deserve from us. The finest gift we can give such a person is to recognize
them for what they have done and to give a sincere word of thanks. This will
bring them far better satisfaction than a bouquet of flowers, or a gift card.
Many people are starving for a word of thanks from someone that they have
been trying to impress and live up to. Yet, so many have never received it. If
you have withheld a sincere word of thanks from someone, write a letter to
that person today, expressing thanks. A brief postscript sentence in the end,
saying you wish you had thanked them sooner and not have waited for twenty
years can go a long way too. In fact, that short, postscript sentence might be
the turning point towards a renewed and resuscitated relationship. These are
simple ways to change the trajectory of damaged relationships and to start
from the beginning.
4 Writing a personal letter can meaningfully prepare for a conversation with a
loved one
Sometimes, face-to-face conversations are necessary to avoid
misunderstandings, miscommunications, and mind games that may have
occurred in the past. Is there a conversation with a loved one that you have
been postponing? Not everyone is good at making conversations face to face.
Too many people have become comfortable with typing up their thoughts and
feelings behind a screen through e-mails, social media, and texts than having
a face-to-face conversation has become too scary. There is no place to hide
when we are looking at someone in the face. We also have no time to
rehearse and prepare for questions that we might be asked during a face-to-
face conversation.
Use a letter as a steppingstone to prepare for a face-to-face conversation.
When you write a letter ahead of time, it narrows down your thoughts as well
as the thoughts of the person reading the letter. Both parties are more likely to
stay on track during the face-to-face conversation and healthier results are
likely to come out of it. It could also minimize verbal arguments from
erupting during the face-to-face conversation, as both parties may be more
prepared for what is coming. In this type of situation, a letter becomes a
catalyst to opening up the real issue that needs to be addressed and possibly
resolved.
5 A letter allows you to say exactly what you want to say, adjusting your
words as necessary
Writing a personal letter allows you to express your inner most thoughts.
When we type professional e-mails at work for example, we are asked to
exercise great caution in our word choice, what we type and how we message
the correspondence. Sometimes in executing such well thought out e-mails,
by the time we hit the “send” button on the keyboard, the message is far
different, and sugar coated, than what we actually feel. Writing a personal
letter where we truly express ourselves is far different. We can say exactly
what we want to say, especially if we are only planning to write it and not
send or show it to anyone. It is a spontaneous, free flow type of thinking.
6 A letter allows you to let someone know how much he or she means to you
Sometimes the people who do the most for us are taken for granted. We
forget to let them know that they are important to us. If it were not for
someone else carrying the weight and the heavy load, you probably would
not be able to have the down time, the financial means, and the freedom to
engage in many of your activities. This is probably a good time to reflect on
those people and let them know how much they mean to you. If you want to
take it a step further, this is a good time to ask them, what you can do for
them. If it has been a one-way relationship of you receiving in abundance,
then ask them what you can offer them for a change. Writing a letter can help
you to shift such dynamics and alter the course of friendships in healthy
ways.
Here is a simple example of changing the status quo of a friendship through a
personal letter:
Dear Sarah, Over the years of being a kind neighbor, you have helped me a
lot. I remember ten years ago, how you came with me to drive my son to ER
at two in the morning. It was blizzard-like conditions when we drove and
having you in the front seat was such a source of strength for me that day.
You watched my children on short notice, when daycare became too
expensive. The bike rides we took together were really fun. As a single
mother the fear that I experienced was lessened, knowing that if I called you
at two in the morning, I knew that you would not screen my call but would
actually pick it up.
Today, the children have left the home and I am in a different place. My
workload is less now. I am in a stronger and healthier position than I was
back then. So, I want to ask you, what can I do for you, Sarah? I noticed the
other day, you looked tired as you accompanied your ninety-year-old mother
at the grocery store. Can I take her grocery shopping the following few
Saturdays so that you are relieved of that activity? Can I help you with some
yard work this summer? Let me know what activity is adding strain and if it
is something I can do; I will do it for you. It is my simple way of saying
thank you for the many things you did for me when I needed help the most.
Your Friend, Michelle
7 Write a letter and tear it up
Is there someone in your life, who treated you unfairly and the course of your
life changed as a result? It is normal to feel anger, resentment, and bitterness
towards someone who has hurt you and is living a happy, carefree life, while
you are suffering the consequences of their actions. Now is the time to
confront the control that person has been having over you.
Writing a letter to someone who hurt you, but never sending it out, can be a
freeing and therapeutic experience. The key in writing this type of letter is to
write it, let it sit for a few days or few hours, and then tear it up.
Do not mail it.
Chapter 9. Meaningful Home Activities
You’ve probably already cleaned your house from top to bottom and
reorganized your shelves, but the list of meaningful activities you can
undertake at home doesn’t need to end there. Being stuck inside for a few
weeks of quarantine is a fantastic opportunity to try something new,
particularly if your normal schedule doesn’t leave much room for invention
or trying new things.
Getting your feet wet in a new project will help the time pass all the more
quickly, and it’ll also help to keep your mindset more positive about being
inside for an extended period of time. Here are some things you could
consider taking on during these days and weeks of being at home without
your standard routine in place.
Read A Book
Throughout the course of our day-to-day lives, it can sometimes be difficult
to allow ourselves the downtime to read a book, particularly when all we can
think about is how many other obligations we have. On the other hand,
whileyou’re quarantined, books can become your new best friend helping you
to escape to another place (even if it’s only in your mind). It’s a great
opportunity to push the boundaries of what you read and dip your toe into a
whole new kind of literary experience, so don’t be afraid to experiment with
something a little outside your comfort zone.
Unfortunately, many libraries have shut down, but there are countless ways
you can read for free during this chaotic period. First, start with scavenging
your own book stash; many people accumulate books and never end up
reading them. Now is your chance! Exchanging books with friends is another
option, but if you’re on full lockdown and can’t make that happen, here are a
few ways you can get some new reading material without spending a penny:
• Volumes: This mobile app, available for free on iOS and Android,
offers an easy way to find new audiobooks. With Penguin’s Random
House imprint offering free downloads of some classic children’s
titles until April 30th, there’s no better time to borrow and enjoy a
new title.
• FreeBooksy: This service provides a daily selection of free eBooks
for Kindle, Nook, Apple, and Kobo devices.
 • Open Library: The Open Library provides more than a million free
eBooks for you to browse.
• Feedbooks: Lastly, Feedbooks offers easy access to books in the
public domain including a whole host of classic titles.
Start A New Hobby
There are all kinds of new hobbies you can dive into that can be enjoyed from
within the four walls of your home. Crocheting, knitting, and other arts and
crafts are always a good choice, as are baking, putting puzzles together, and
even learning to code. Doing things with your hands helps the time to pass
and produces a sense of satisfaction too.
Of course, starting a hobby isn’t possible for everyone, particularly if the
supply stores near your home have all closed. But that doesn’t mean you
can’t join in on the fun. If you dig through your attic, closets, or drawers, you
just might find some previously unfinished projects or crafts you could now
finish. Whether it’s old hobby equipment you forgot you even had or a board
game you never got around to playing, you may be surprised at all the things
you have lying around that could help you occupy your time at home.
Do What You’ve Been Putting Off
Chances are you have at least a few tasks sitting on the back burner that
you’ve been putting off for a while . . . maybe even for a long while. What
better time than now to finally dive in and get them done?
What about that idea for a novel that you’ve been thinking about for the last
few years? There’s no better time than now to get the thoughts from your
head onto the page. If you don’t know where to start, check out some of these
simple outlining strategies that authors have used for decades. With the extra
time on your hands, why not venture into online scrapbooking? It’s a fun way
to organize the hundreds (or thousands) of photos you have on your phone or
computer. Later, you can look back on the memories and share them with
others. This link will help you get started.
Unless you’re a total clean freak, your house could probably use some deep
cleaning. Whether it’s the inside of the fridge or oven, your attic, or even that
messy office drowning under the weight of a thousand pages, cleaning and
organizing always leaves you feeling better than before. You’ll feel
satisfaction from doing something productive and walking around a sparkling
home is guaranteed to give your mood a boost.
Why not rearrange your furniture? Create a drawing of each room and cut-
outs of your furniture. How could you move things around to create better
flow and energy in each room? What could you repurpose from one room and
use in another? Reorganizing a room is an enjoyable way to spend some your
time at home.
Finally, going through old clothes you’ve been planning to donate but never
got around to checking is another way to keep yourself busy. As you sort
through clothes you don’t wear or need anymore, think about all the people
you’ll be helping. And when the quarantine period finally ends, you’ll be
ready to donate to your local thrift store. Additionally, most people have
clothes that need mending. Why not take this time to sew on that button or
hem the pants you’ve been meaning to mend?
Other Ideas
If reading and writing, digging into your past hobbies, or cleaning your home
doesn’t sound appealing, here are a few other ideas you can consider making
your time spent at home more meaningful:
• Explore a new music genre you’re unfamiliar with
• Complete a crossword puzzle or wordsearch each day
• Watch documentaries about subjects you’re interested in
• Learn sign language
Chapter 10. Stay Healthy
Everybody has an essential thought of what to eat, but we usually deviate
when we are busy and in a hurry. So here is my essential list to remind you
how to stay healthy and happy:
Balanced Diet:
Proteins - To build, maintain and repair body tissue such as your skin, organs,
muscles and stay fit and healthy. Proteins are essential for your survival. It is
essential to find a good source of protein and the amount you need to eat.
For example, meat, fish, dairy products and eggs.
The amount you take depends on your weight. The basic formula is to divide
your weight by two, and that is your optimal number for the day.
Fresh vegetables and fruits: they are full of vitamins and minerals that
promote your well-being. Try to stay organic because they contain more
nutrients and are free from pesticides and other chemicals that can damage
your system.
Vegetables: Dark green leafy vegetables are best (try to avoid starchy foods
and root vegetables because they are full of sugar). Its amount should
represent around 50% of your daily intake.
Fruits: due to their high sugar content, they only contain 1 or 2 servings
Complex carbohydrates: They indeed give you lasting energy, but they are
not the most desirable for your health. And if you have high insulin levels, be
careful.
Fat: Saturated fat: It gives you a lot of energy because it slows the absorption
of food. They protect your bones, your liver and your heart. They also
support your immune system. Coconut oil, olive oil, raw milk and fish oil are
edible oils for your body.
Water: The body is comprised of about 70% water, so keep it hydrated. Its
main functions are the transport of nutrients in the body, cooling, helping
digestion and cleansing.
Water, tea, coffee, juice (do not store milk), I mean fruit and vegetable juice.
Avoid carbonated juice as they are high in sugar.
Sleep: Our bodies need an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep for optimal health.
During sleep, our body can regenerate and rebuild after a full day of activity.
It is essential for your mental and physical functions.
Exercise: doing it daily will increase your energy and mood level, improve
sleep and health. You will feel healthier, safer and full of energy to deal with
the problems of everyday life.
Stress management: you know that stress creates illness. So, try to find new
tactics to deal with stress and take advantage of your health benefits. The
most accessible tools for stress relief are exercise, sleep, hobbies, good times
with family and friends. If that's not enough for you, try to learn to clear your
mind. By methods such as yoga, meditation, or just adjusting your attitude
and trying to maintain a positive attitude and a proper perspective on the big
picture.
Eat Well And Stay Healthy
Eating well does not necessarily mean that you must enter into a religious
regime of self-denial, especially the food that we love; It is about feeling
good about yourself and above all healthy and away from any disease. And
you can accomplish all of these essential things by learning certain nutritional
factors and applying or using them in your life.
Eating healthy means eating smart. In addition to just knowing what you are
eating, it is also essential to understand how to eat. The choice of foods we
have can reduce the tendency for illnesses or diseases like cancer, heart
problems; It can also protect us from the onset of depression and diabetes.
Once we get into the habit of eating well, it can technically improve our
health by adding the energy we need, boosting memory and restoring our
mood. , we can increase our strength and strengthen our metabolism by
choosing the right foods to eat, which can be done by planning and
maintaining a healthy and stable but certainly satisfying diet.
Consider the following friendly tips below and see how you can become a
healthy baby.
When planning your diet, always start with the basics, not the inappropriate
ones. The radical way of reaching the body you want will only bring you
back to what you were before the whole process. So instead of religiously
counting your calorie intake, why not consider your diet style in terms of
variety, freshness and color? With this, it would be easier for you to take the
following step to make and eat healthy options. Achieving your desired body
weight overnight is not realistic and is certainly not a smart decision.
Approach it slowly and carefully in your life. And remember that every little
thing you do to change helps a lot in your desire to improve your healthy diet.
Do you remember that our mother said that everything was terrible? It's the
same with a healthy diet. Never think that eating healthy is something you
have to do or die, all or nothing is an effort to survive because it is not. The
primary key here is the word "moderation", progressive, slow but sure. And
contrary to what others believed, we still need a combination and a balanced
combination of all the supplements present in the nourishment we eat. To
maintain and maintain a healthy body, we still need carbohydrates, proteins,
fibers, minerals, vitamins and fats. Do not wholly ban or limit certain foods
or many foods simply because they have been told they can gain weight
because the nutrient may be in that particular food. You can always take them
in smaller portions instead of putting them together.
To repeat what has been said before, it is not only what you eat, but rather the
way you eat. Eating healthy is not only the food that is served on the plate,
but it depends on how you understand the food on your plate. Don't think of
food as something that you need to force between work periods or even
before you go home to prepare your dinner but treat it as the necessary
nutrients your body needs to function correctly. Because whenever you look
at food as something that is about to be done in your spare time, you tend to
swallow and swallow everything you have on hand without thinking about
whether it's for you or not.
Another thing is that you have to chew and swallow food forcefully, try to
relax and smell every bite. Don't always rush. And consider this sound
advice: eat a lot at breakfast, as if you were the king, and eat all the food you
want. Breakfast is the best significant supper of the day. It can start your
sleep metabolism and help you meet the challenge of the whole day.
In the end, what you spend on good, healthy, smart food will undoubtedly be
less than what you pay when you get sick and taken to the hospital because
your body lacks the nutrients it has need. Remember that it is worth eating
healthy and staying healthy, skipping meals and getting sick.
Tips For Healthy Eating
Starting a healthy meal plan does not mean planning rigid, rigid, tasteless and
boring meals. It's not about starving or staying unrealistic. Instead, it's about
feeling good, having energy that lasts all day, sleeping all night soundly, and
being as healthy as possible. This is to reduce the risk of diseases that are
falsely considered to be part of the ageing process. All this can be easily
achieved by gradually switching to a simple and healthy diet.
Do not immediately give up your current eating habits
Make your transition to healthy meal plans step by step. If you commit to
change in small manageable steps, you'll eat healthy before you know it.
Instead of worrying about counting calories or measuring portions, consider
changing your diet in terms of color, freshness and variety. Find recipes that
require fresh fruits and vegetables. Little by little, your food will become
healthier and tastier.
Remember, make this gradual change, not overnight. Start by adding a
vegetable salad to your daily meal for several weeks. Then maybe add some
fresh fruit for dessert. Make a continuous change.
Every change you make in your diet is essential. It may not be perfect or
instant to remove the food you love. Your long-term goal is to feel good,
have energy, and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.
Consider water and exercise as part of your new transition.
Your body needs clean, clean water. It is not called fruit juice (unless it is
freshly squeezed), and especially not coffee. Many people live dehydrated
because they drink little water or coffee almost exclusively. Your stomach
related framework needs a great deal of water to function as efficiently as any
organ in the body. Coffee is nothing more than an addiction remedy that
dehydrates your body. Coffee is the most significant drug in the world.
Also, the human body is designed for movement, not for the sedentary
lifestyle that most people live today. Pick a movement that you appreciate
and consolidate it into your daily routine, even two or three times a day.
The secret is moderation
The key to moving to a healthy diet is moderation. Your body always needs a
balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals. Don't
think certain foods are banned, think of smaller portions and eat less often.
How you eat
It's not what you eat, and it's the way you eat. Slow down, think of food as
food, rather than swallowing something rushing here and there. And have
breakfast. Get out of bed every morning, do light exercises to increase your
heart rate and open your lungs, then eat a light and healthy breakfast. Your
body wants to exercise and wants to eat breakfast. She has been without food
for several hours, so her organs need food to wake up and start working.
Color is a secret
Fruits and vegetables are a secret ingredient in a healthy diet. They are
brimming with nutrients, minerals, cancer prevention agents and fiber Are
you saying you don't like plants? Gradually add fresh vegetables to your diet.
You will soon have a taste of vegetables because your body wants and needs
them.
Green vegetables provide calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc,
vitamins A, C, E and K and help strengthen the blood and respiratory system.
Sweet vegetables help eliminate the urge for sweets. A wide variety of fruits
is vital for a healthy diet. Berries fight cancer: apples provide fiber and citrus
fruits are full of vitamin C.
Eat healthy carbohydrates
Precisely when an enormous number of people consider starches, they think
bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. Indeed, these are sugars, however they are
bland and unfortunate starches. They separate into glucose rapidly, which
makes glucose and insulin exceptionally impulsive. Natural products,
vegetables and entire grains are the wellsprings of sound starches. Notice, I
said entire grain oat, not entire wheat bread.
Healthy fats and unbalanced fats
Fats are a vital piece of your eating routine, yet there are unhealthy fats. You
need healthy fats to nourish your heart, brain, skin, hair and nails. Omega-3
and omega-6 fatty acids in the form of salmon, herring, mackerel and
sardines are essential to your diet. The fats you need to start cutting from
your food are trans fats and saturated fats.
Protein
Proteins provide the amino acids needed to build muscle, strengthen our
immune, heart and respiratory systems. Proteins also help stabilize blood
sugar. Fats are an essential bit of your eating schedule, yet red meat, we call it
lean red meat. Salmon and other fresh fish and turkeys are other sources of
protein to incorporate into your healthy diet.
Your body needs calcium
Of course, dairy products are an obvious source of calcium. However, green
leafy vegetables are an excellent source of calcium. Beans are also rich in
calcium.
Sugar and salt
Sugar and salt are essential for our endurance, moreover they ought to be
taken with some limitation. Nourishments like bread, spaghetti sauce,
margarine, canned vegetable soups, solidified meals, moment pureed
potatoes, soy sauce, inexpensive food and tomato sauce. Once more, for a
smooth progress, rest these nourishments step by step.
Plan your meals in advance
Plan your meals weekly, if not monthly. Meal planning eliminates the urge to
have something pure, unhealthy and straightforward.
Your menu for healthy eating.
Remember that eating healthy does not mean that you end up on a strict and
boring diet. This means having more energy, sleeping better at night and
reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other illnesses
wrongly attributed to ageing. Make your transition gradual, and you'll enjoy
healthy meal plans before you know it.
Chapter 11. Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important parts of our everyday lives. Sleep allows
us to rest, grow, and renew our energy. Ideally, going early to bed and
waking up early is the best schedule one can have. However, some of us have
trained ourselves to stay up late and/or wake up later. To a certain degree, it
is alright. If a night owl is forced to wake up early, it will be painful.
Similarly, if a morning person stays up late, it will cause problems.
On any given day, sleepiness occurs when the lack of light entering through
our eyes triggers the brain to secrete melatonin. This causes our body to slow
down, and our mind to become tired, eventually leading to sleep. In any case,
one thing is for certain: nights are meant to be utilized for sleep. In the days
without electricity, this would happen naturally when the sun would set.
People would usually fall asleep a few hours after sunset. In the morning, the
sunlight, entering through the closed eyelids, would stop the brain from
secreting melatonin. This mechanism, along with a well-rested mind, would
wake us up. Well that does not happen now. We have artificial lights and
alarm clocks. Artificial lights keep us awake and trick our brain into thinking
that it’s still daytime. Alarm clocks wake us up unnaturally, often during
deep sleep, causing us to have problems all day. Although technology has
helped us in many ways, it has destroyed our sleep (Mottram, Middleton,
Williams, & Arendt, 2011).
In a study conducted at Binghamton University, it was discovered that
sleeping less than the recommended 8 hours a night led to intrusive,
repetitive, negative thoughts that can possibly lead to depression and anxiety
(Nota & Coles, 2018). In another study at Iowa State University showed that
lack of sleep led to higher instances of anger and inability to adapt to
frustrating situations (Krizan & Hisler, 2019). Another study in Amsterdam
indicated that low quality sleep was linked to increase in procrastination (van
Eerde & Venus, 2018).
Circadian Rhythms
Our brain’s internal clock, which determines the natural sleep-wake schedule,
is called the circadian rhythm. Each cycle lasts for 24 hours, and certain
changes take place during the full 24 hours. For example, alertness and
productivity is ideally at its best shortly after waking up from a well-rested
sleep. Because of this, it is recommended to sleep between 8 P.M. and
midnight. Some even suggest that a nap in the afternoon is healthy. The
circadian rhythm dips between 1 P.M. and 3 P.M., and that’s when afternoon
naps (e.g. siesta) are taken in some countries around the world. For teenagers,
this cycle may be different, and waking up a bit later than they usually have
to, for school, might be more effective. In 2017, one of the school districts in
Seattle delayed high school time by 55 minutes. This led to reduced
sleepiness and increased academic performance (Dunster et al., 2018).
Ideal Sleep Schedule
An ideal sleep schedule would be sleeping around 10-11 P.M. and waking up
at 6-7 A.M with a short nap between 1-3 P.M. If it is possible to maintain this
schedule during this time, let’s make it happen. If not, then no problem.
However, one mistake that we all have to avoid when in quarantine is
sleeping late or worse, staying up all night. This can happen especially if one
has flexibility in the schedule without having strict timely responsibilities.
Not Sleeping During The Night
If you ever want to know the true benefits and the pleasure of sleeping at
night, ask a nightshift worker. No matter how much sleep one gets during the
day, it is never comparable to a good night’s sleep. In fact, most nightshift
workers feel sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation has been shown to cause all
sorts of physical health and mental health problems (Chattu et al., 2018).
Some include:

Memory issues (Havekes et al., 2016)

Mood changes (Lo, Ong, Leong, Gooley, & Chee,
2016)
Weakened immunity (Ibarra-Coronado et al., 2015)
Risk for diabetes (Chattu, Chattu, Burman, Spence,
& Pandi-Perumal, 2019)
Difficulty thinking and concentrating (Ma, Dinges,
Basner, & Rao, 2015)
Accidents (Lim & Dinges, 2010)
High blood pressure (Maddahi et al., 2020)
Weight gain (Yang, Schnepp, & Tucker, 2019)
Risk of heart disease (Lunde et al., 2020)
 Let’s Fix Our Sleep
A good sleep requires many modifications, but it’s possible. First, the place
of sleep (ideally our beds) must never be used for anything else besides sleep.
Ideally, we should be able to fall asleep within few minutes after lying down
in our beds. If this is not happening, then our body and mind is not trained
properly. Here’s a way to fix this:
1- Lay down in bed when it’s time to sleep (e.g. between 10 P.M. and
midnight).
2- Close your eyes, take deep breaths, imagine being in a comfortable
place.
3- If you begin to feel sleepy, let it happen and go to sleep.
4- If you can’t fall asleep within 5-10 minutes, get out of your bed and
find another place near the bed.
5- Read a book or do something passive. Whatever you do, avoid screens
and light. Light will stop the secretion of melatonin.
6- When you begin to feel sleepy again (excessive yawning or fatigue),
come back to bed.
7- Rinse and repeat until you are asleep.
If you do this regularly, you will eventually train your body to fall asleep
immediately after laying down in the bed.
Another important aspect is preparation for sleep. We spend more time
preparing for food and no time preparing for sleep. What does preparation for
sleep look like?

Dimming the lights after sunset

Taking a warm shower/bath at night (it relaxes the muscles)
Avoiding any food or drink (especially carbohydrates and
caffeine)
Avoiding any rigorous physical activities (including exercising)
Avoiding anything that increases the activity of the mind or body
(video games, movies, tv shows, news, or social media)
Know that you might have to take melatonin supplements in the beginning to
fix the sleeping routine. However, it will not be necessary after you’ve
trained yourself. Unless you suffer from extreme anxiety, avoid taking anti-
anxiety medications for sleep. After melatonin supplements, Benadryl is the
safest to use. Use caution when taking any medications and always consult
with your physician.
Many individuals report that as soon as they are falling asleep, their mind
gets bombarded with anxiety provoking thoughts (Narisawa, 2013). Why
does this happen? All of us have existential thoughts or issues that we
struggle with. Am I happy with my work? Do I love my spouse? Will my
business fail? During the day, we are able to occupy our minds with other
“important” thoughts or activities and push away these painful ones.
However, as soon as our guard is down and we are about to sleep, these come
out. So how do we deal with them? Journaling before going to bed. This is
not just writing a dear diary moment (nothing wrong with that either). It is
taking a moral accountability of your day within the context of your life.
Here’s what you can journal about:

What did I do today?

Was my day productive?
How can I change this for the better and apply it tomorrow?
Was I rude to someone or mistreated them?
How can I make it up to them tomorrow?
Was I able to accomplish my short-term goals today?
What are some things I’m grateful for from today?
Chapter 12. How to Work from Home
Effectively
Working from home can be quite challenging and focusing on just working is
harder than most think. It can be a pile of laundry that will suddenly seem
more appealing than the to-do list set by your employer. The isolation can be
a downer for people who often socialize at work and some people will prefer
staying in their offices. The Covid-19 outbreak has gotten many people
working from their homes. You probably are new to working remotely and
are wondering how to stay productive and maintain balance. The Covid-19
has been spreading at a high rate across the globe, keeping people at their
homes. Many countries in the world are on lockdown and many governments
have been encouraging its citizens to stay at home. Where possible,
employers have been encouraging their employees to work from home,
though it’s for an indeterminate period. While working from home, you’ll
have to change some of your regular routines and habits to make working
from home successful.
You will face unique challenges when working from home especially due to
your personality, the type of work you do and your lifestyle. However, the
core issues faced by remote employees are more or less similar. Many people
working from home have to figure out a plan to make the arrangement work.
This entails where and when to work and creating a boundary between their
personal and work life. You might have to figure out how working remotely
will work; this entails career development, office equipment, building
relationships, and training opportunities. To stay focused on your work, you
will have to be mentally healthy whenever you are working from home. To
be productive when working from home,

Set up an office: Working from home shouldn't be done on the bed

or the dining table. However, not every person has separate offices
in their home, but to stay focused, keep up your energy, set
boundaries for you between your work life and you at home and
also reduce family time when you are set to work, you need to set
up temporary confinement or space that will serve as an office. It
could be just dedicating a desk for work and some peripherals
while having your laptop hooked to the external keyboard and
monitor. Choose a quiet place when setting up an office. You don't
want to be caught amid noise from family members while
working. The office should be different from your bedroom or
relaxation spot. Set your office in a place with enough electric
outlets. Get an extension to easily connect your gadget for
working. Have a filing cabinet handy but if you don’t have, you
can make use of kitchen trays, spare boxes or magazine files. The
idea is to have a coordinated office even if there is limited space.
Be sure to allow a little bit of natural light and cool ventilation as
this will boost your vitamin D intake level while
promoting/boosting productivity and good mental health.
Maintain a regular working schedule: You ought to set hourly
working schedules and stick to it. Have clear working guidelines
including when to end a business day. This will help you maintain
a healthy work-life balance. Among the benefits of working
remotely is flexibility, though at times you might have to extend
your day or start working early so that you accommodate another
person’s time zone. When you extend your work, ensure you
wrap-up early so that you can balance work and life. You can
utilize automatic time tracking applications which allows you to
check whether you have been sticking to your working schedule.
The applications will also help you determine the time of the day
you are most productive and when you often slack off. This
information will help you reserve the best high focus hours for the
most vital tasks.
Create and stick to morning routine: Because you are asked to stay
at home doesn't warrant you to change your morning routine you
are known for. If you already have a morning routine before this
pandemic lockdown, do stick to it. If you don't have, create a
morning routine that suits you. If you are already changing your
routine because you are at home, change it in such a way that one
routine won’t interfere with another. Decide whether you will be
sitting down at your desk to start working at a specific time. Your
routine should guide you when working and a morning routine
will dictate when work should start. Routine is more powerful
compared to a clock in ensuring one gets started every day.
Establish rules with everyone in your working space: Clearly
defined ground rules with others will indicate what they can and
not do when you are working.
Schedule work breaks: You should be aware of the company
policies on break times. If self-employed, give yourself adequate
time to walk away from your phone and computer screen. Ensure
your breaks aren’t short-changed, especially the lunch hour break.
Leave home: It’s allowed to leave home during this pandemic, just
ensure you are in the neighborhood and do maintain social
distancing. Leave home at least once every day as your body needs
the natural light and fresh air. You can take a walk around your
vicinity or weed the garden; just an activity to get outdoors. Also,
avoid crowded places.
Never hesitate when asking for whatever you might need: If your
organization or company supports the work from home setup, you
can request for the necessary equipment which will positively
impact your work. Remember to request for the new equipment as
soon as you start working. Set precedents quite early so that your
work is done comfortably.
Have dedicated office gadgets: When working as a remote
employee, you should have two computers, one for your personal
use and the other for work. This makes it secure for the employer
and it allows you to secure your personal information. If you have
just one laptop, you can partition your hard disk to create a
separate user account for your work.
Have a separate phone number for work: Have a separate phone
number to handle work calls from your clients and colleagues.
You can have a second sim card or mobile phone if you don’t have
a landline. A separate phone number will help you in balancing
work and personal life.
When connected to a network you have no control over, use a
VPN: This is inclusive of Wi-Fi in co-working spaces, libraries,
airports, and cafes. There are organizations with their VPNs that
the off-site employees can use to access certain websites and
servers which store information meant for internal use. Leave your
VPN connected quite a lot as its safer to always have it on.
Remember, when connected to a VPN, your company can
conceivably see whatever you are doing.
Your “work you” should be different from your “home you”: Do
not be in your nightwear when you want to work. Wake up early,
do your morning routine, take your bath, have breakfast and set
yourself up just like you will do on a regular day before going to
work. This will assist in keeping you motivated with a better
mindset and mentally help you to differentiate work time from
another.
Interact and socialize with your colleagues: In remote workplaces,
disconnection, isolation, and loneliness are common challenges for
those working. Companies having a remote work culture will often
offer different ways of socialization. For instance, there are chat
apps that assist in helping employees work effectively with their
colleagues, and where employees can talk about their common
interests and share ideas. These apps will depend on what your
motive for using them is; if you want a video conference, you can
use Zoom, Skype, and WebEx. If you want to message or chat
with colleagues, WhatsApp, Microsoft teams, slack is available.
Google Drive and Dropbox help in disseminating office files. For
team projects, Trello and Asana are ideal.
Try to get out of your me-time and socialize more online: Try
harnessing and nurturing existing relationships as this will play a
great role in socialization. Also get new good friends online to
broaden your social circle.
Keep facetiming: With the unexpected outbreak, embrace face
timing to reduce the face to face contact with other people. You
can have video calls for your meetings once a week.
Keep taking up training opportunities: When not in the office, you
might be missing out on skills development and training courses.
Ensure you take part in training opportunities established by your
office and embrace other training opportunities.
When working remotely, you will have to learn not to “over-
communicate”. Over communicating doesn’t often mean having to
write essays explaining your moves, it means not repeating
 yourself. Tell all people who need to be aware of your schedule
and how often you are available. When finishing an important task
or project, always communicate.
You ought to talk to your employer on the setting of realistic
expectations. For many parents, you will be resetting your reality.
You might find it challenging to do some things when caring for
children and working. Be realistic as a parent and don't
underestimate your sense of perfectionism. Your kids might spend
more time online, which is quite okay as they can learn and be
entertained. Many YouTube channels will keep your children busy
and occupied as you work.
Remember, embracing the tips above will help you adjust well to the current
pandemic, and who knows, with technology, many companies might keep
their employees working from home for more days to come.
Chapter 13. Tips for Adults Working from Home
It is quite likely that most working adults will have to start working from
home during a pandemic. Here are a couple of simple tips you can use to
ensure that you don’t compromise on your professional responsibilities while
taking care of yourself and your family members.
Start Early
You can effectively skip the morning commute and cut down on the time
required to get ready for office. So, you now have plenty of time to start
working early. Don't use it as a reason to procrastinate. Instead, try to start
early so you can end your working day early in the evening. It will give you
more time to concentrate on your family and other things you enjoy.
Structure Your Days
Just because you are not going to your workplace doesn’t mean your days
should not be structured. Start structuring your days like you would if you
were at work. If it means taking a lunch break at noon, stick to the schedule.
Plan out all that you must complete on any given day. When you have a plan,
it will give you a sense of purpose and direction. Also, it helps stay on top of
all the work you must complete.
Pretend It’s The Office
We all tend to make a mental association between going to work and having
a productive day. Since you will be working from home, you might feel lost
or less productive. To prevent all this, you can start pretending you are at
work. How does your day start at work? How often do you take breaks? How
many times do you check in with your manager, boss, or coworkers? Start
doing the same things even if you are at home. It gives the psychological
feeling of having a productive day. Get dressed in the morning, and don’t
start working in your pajamas. Create an office-like routine and environment
at home to increase your productivity.
Workspace
You must have a designated spot at home to work. Don’t sit on the couch or
stay cooped up in the bedroom all day long. Get a desk and a chair for
yourself and place them in one corner of the house. By doing this, you are
essentially creating a workspace for yourself. The human mind is all about
conditioning. Since your brain was conditioned to work at a specific spot, by
replicating a similar environment at home, it becomes easier to work. If you
don’t have a designated spot, then you will probably keep moving from one
place to another. All of this will merely reduce your productivity. When you
have a fixed spot, not only puts you in the right frame of mind, but others in
the household will know they aren’t supposed to disturb you while you
work.
No Distractions
Try to minimize distractions while working from home. It can be quite
tempting to think that you can work with the TV blaring at full volume. Don’t
do anything that you wouldn’t do at work. Keep your phone away while
working. Don’t start scrolling through social media during your work hours.
Tell other members in the household about your schedule and routine to
minimize the distractions.
Set Goals
Take some time and make a schedule of all the tasks you wish to complete.
When you plan and set certain goals for yourself, it becomes easier to move
away from distractions. When you have a list of tasks to complete, the
temptation to change your schedule on-the-fly will certainly decrease. Also, it
enables you to concentrate on the most important aspects of your job before
moving onto the less significant ones. While setting goals for yourself, start
overestimating the time required to complete the goals and how much you
can complete in a day. So, even if you fall short of the goal, you will have
effectively managed to accomplish more than you planned.
Productivity
Your productivity throughout the day will not stay the same. There will be
some hours during which you are more productive than others. For instance,
if you think your productivity is quite high early in the morning, start
working early in the morning. By doing this, you can schedule the less
important tasks like responding to emails or attending calls late in the
afternoon. Since you have all the time at your disposal and you are free to
design your workday as you deem fit, there is plenty of room for
customization.
Using Technology
Technology has certainly made our lives quite easy and simple. Now, you
can reach out to anyone across the globe at the touch of a button. So, start
using technology to stay in touch with your colleagues, team members, and
other supervisors at work. You can regularly check in with them, hold
meetings online, and track all the progress you make. You might feel like
you’re cut off from the larger operations that usually take place in the office.
So, video conferencing tools certainly make it easier to remind yourself of
how you contribute to the bigger picture.
Take Breaks
Don’t forget to take breaks even when you’re working at home. Set a timer to
go off after one hour or 45 minutes. Take a five-minute break from whatever
you’re doing. Talk to your family members during this period, do any chores,
or make yourself a cup of coffee. The way you would take breaks while at
work, take them even when at home. Breaks are quite important to ensure
that you are functioning optimally. If you don’t take any breaks, you’ll
quickly feel drained, and your work and start overwhelming you.
By following the simple tips, you can effectively improve your productivity
even while working from home. Also, it makes it easier to get used to any
new changes in your routine because of the pandemic.
Chapter 14. Tips to Survive Lockdown Without
Losing Your Mind
Distribute Household Chores
As a family sit down and make a list of work like washing utensils, cleaning,
dusting, putting the garbage bags out, cooking, washing clothes, drying and
stacking them back in place. Now distribute the work accordingly.
This is a good time to involve kids also to help you with the chores. They will
not only realize how much hard work goes into maintaining a clean house
every day, but they will also become responsible.
Divide the tasks according to their age, not gender. Make sure to positively
push each other to complete the given tasks in time.
Every few days shuffle the tasks. As they say, 'change is the only constant'.
And the only thing worth fighting in the current scenario is picking a chore of
your choice!
Swap Your Morning/Evening Walk With Yoga Or
Meditation
There is no time as a relaxing walk in nature. The lush green trees, fresh air,
chirping of the birds, seeing the day come to life, enjoying the sunsets,
catching up with friends, meeting new people, our walk is a time we delight
in the most.
But with days not in favor of us stepping out of the house, yoga or meditation
can be a good option.
Though we would not be able to meet our friends, yet we would still have a
routine to get us through the day.
Youngsters can also do Zumba or workouts at home. There are Facebook live
sessions every day. Or check out some cool and latest Zumba YouTube
tutorials.
Just set aside a time every day and claim your calmness. Do what makes you
happy and relax your nerves.
It is equally important to stay physically, mentally and emotionally strong at
all times.
Don't rush. Breathe in, Breathe out. Take small steps and enjoy the journey.
Chai Or Coffee: Relish In The Moment
How long has it been that you savored your cup of coffee or chai without
your phone acting as a spoiler?
You must have forgotten how it feels like to sit beside each other, crack
jokes, talk about your day while sipping on your favorite ginger chai or
cappuccino?
Rains or no rains, who can say no to aloo ka pakora at chai time?
We have been spending too much time looking at our screen and scrolling
through social media than chatting with the one close to us.
Take these days of social distancing as an opportunity to bond with your
partner again. Revive your relationship. Break the old patterns. Stop being
bondage to your mobiles or work schedules.
It is time to take a break from Facebook for a few hours every day and talk
face-to-face with your family. Leave the phones, tabs, laptops aside to listen
to the one beside you.
Make your own rules. That way you know how to break them!
But promise yourself to make this chai time special for you and your partner
even after the lockdown period is over and becomes history.
The best gift you can give to each other is 'being present'... both physically
and emotionally.
Soak In The Beauty Around
You always rushed for office. Your travel from lift to the car park was mostly
spent looking at your phone screen.
Did you ever slow down to notice what's new in your surroundings? The trees
must have grown taller. The garden may be boasting its beautiful flowers.
The birds that landed in your balcony sang melodies just for you.
You saw the air polluted but now while we humans are locked down sit back
and enjoy the clear blue sky. Remember the childhood game watching clouds
and trying to decipher the shapes and screaming with joy when you found
yours was better than your siblings.
Try this with your kids now. And feel the immense joy a little act of coming
together gives.
Look around yourself. There is beauty everywhere. All you need to do is to
open the window of your mind and believe in the euphoria that little things
bring along, as you believed when you were a child.
It's Time To Catch Up With Your Hobby
With each day either we grow old in body or young at heart. In which
category do you fall?
I may have guessed it right! You are still young at heart. So, I am hoping
your enthusiasm and excitement for your hobby is still intact.
Did you play guitar/drum in your school band? You won accolades for your
paintings! You were the lead singer in your college music group? You
clicked breathtaking pictures of wildlife! You wrote poetry and your friends
could not get enough of it.
But then life happened, and you forgot who you really were. It is time to shed
off some extra weight off your shoulders and drown in to do what makes you
feel 'you'.
No better day than today. You are locked down in your own house with all
the things that you need. It is not a fancy time to start something new. But
coming back to yourself could heal you to deal with the things coming ahead.
And who knows, better days come back sooner than we think!
A gentle reminder doesn’t fall in the trap of growing up. It will make you
look older.
Get Lost In Books
Sounds just like me! Getting lost in books have been my favorite thing to do
since my school days.
It soothes my mind, calms my nerves and sets me up for a new adventure. I
venture into places dark and deep and mystical and into the farmlands.
Sitting in the four walls of my house, on my comfy couch, sipping on my
chai, I can travel to whichever part of the world I wish to go.
Yes, for some, movies are a way to time travel. But FYI not every book has
made its way to Netflix or Prime. Some books are best journeyed through its
pages with characters and places of your own wild creative imagination.
Our children are growing up in a fast-paced tech-oriented world. If they are
stuck to the screens, they might stay deprived of some good literature written
over the centuries.
Be a role model. Make them realize that some great things are safely kept in
the pages of greatly written books. And the only way to know them is to read
them.
If not done before, now is the time to make a small home library. Set aside 30
minutes every night before bedtime to read. Somedays discuss with your kids
about what you are reading. What did you like in the book? Inspire your child
to read.
Who knows you could be the motivation for your child to become a writer
someday?
Get Set Board Games
Snakes n Ladders, chess, monopoly, business, life, treasure island, speller (to
name just a few), there are board games in every house with kids.
Jump in the first opportunity to play with your munchkins. Ah, some of the
board games are inarguably boring but I will leave that part to you to decide.
And give it a try before you do so because this could be what your little one
loves the most. And mind you, you have to face them for the following weeks
every second minute.
Also, you are a parent too. Be considerate.
Jokes apart, use this time of playing board games together to bond. The
timespan these games can expand to can be exhausting but why not choose to
make our kids happy when we have all the time in hands to do so.
Follow the mantra 'BOB - bond overboard'. You won't go wrong!
Missing Folks And Friends: Let Them Know
Living in the same vicinity but can't even drop by your folks or friends or
neighbors to say hello. It's frustrating, right?
Right!
Though it's what you all must have been doing yet a reminder always works
magic.
Missing someone, call. Missing someone badly, video call.
Till the time we have the privilege of the internet still working use it to feel
close to the ones who are not locked up with you in the same house.
Video call every day, once a day. You will feel better knowing your family is
in good health.
Mind Your Music
Kishore da, Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, R.D. Burman, Asha Bhonsle, Gurdas
Maan, Pankaj Udhas, Jagjit Singh, … pick up your favorite singer and get
soaked in their melodious voice.
Forget the hustle-bustle of the busy life you have been living for so many
decades. Go with the flow. Once again 'find' yourself in the beautiful lyrics of
the songs from the '80s and the '90s.
Every song had the power to stir our soul. It still works the wonder every
single time you play the old numbers. You trip emotionally on the lyrics and
your kids ponder 'what's wrong with my mom/dad?'
Let that be a secret and enjoy your music!
Netflix And Chill
Binge watch that favorite series you had been waiting to watch for months.
Or have a pick of each family member's favorite movie to watch every
alternate day.
Keep your fill of snacks and drinks ready. Switch off the lights if you wish to
do so 5 minutes after everyone has settled. Keep your pillows and quilt in
place if you would need them later during the movie time.
Mind you, kids can be really cross with you if you bother them for anything
in between the movie.
Share A Laugh
Social Media has proven its worth time and again. Use it to your benefit
while you make others laugh.
Make some funny videos from your home front. Or share your couple dance
video on one of the old Bollywood songs of your time.
You have a pet, get it to act for you. They look cute on camera.
O' and not to forget you have kids too! You can do a lot of funny videos if
they are still toddlers or primary schoolers. Teenagers can be a bit moody.
Touch them at your own risk.
Your friends and near family whom you cannot meet can still share a hearty
laugh with you.
Videos and pictures from loved ones can brighten their day. Create more
memories and make them last forever.
Give Space To Your Partner
Relationships get entangled when people come too close. It is suffocating to
have someone sitting on your head controlling you by their words.
This is a time when after arguments you can't bang the door to your way
outside for a stroll. So, under the circumstances, it is advisable to share the
space maintaining a healthy distance from time to time.
There are activities that you or your partner enjoy doing as family time. And
there are things when either of you would crave for some lone time, some 'me
time' to rejuvenate yourself.
Respect each other's need for space.
It could be as simple as enjoying their cup of tea while listening to their
favourite songs. Or lazing on that comfy couch and reading their preferred
book.
It could be to paint that flower they had been longing to since it caught their
eye the other morning. Or just sit by the window side, with their eyes closed
to listen to the chirping of birds.
The key to peace is to be considerate of each other's need for space. Healthy
boundaries build a strong and healthy relationship.
As long as you are able to stay happy in the days of social isolation, you will
spread the same energy to other members of the family.
Learn A New Skill
A few months back I started learning a new skill on Udemy. It always popped
up on my Facebook page, so I got curious...what's it that people are teaching
online apart from academic stuff?
Guess what, there are courses to learn to draw, paint, tarot card reading, a
new language, public speaking, how to make videos that sell, lyrics writing,
content writing, social media marketing and the list is endless. Also, these
courses are always available at a discounted rate, nominally priced.
If you are good at DIY's, this seems like a perfect time. Catch up with your
long-lost creative side. There are lots of DIY videos on YouTube and
Pinterest.
So, what are you waiting for… Get set creative!
Know Your Knack And Start Your Youtube Channel
We all are good at something. Find what interests you. Make videos and start
your YouTube channel.
You could be a good motivational speaker. Pick up some good topic on the
related subject and start making videos. Or you are a genius in your
profession. Make videos to share tips and tricks with the younger generation
in the same field.
Are you a gym instructor or a dietician? Share your home workout and diet
plan videos with your followers.
You have all the time on the Earth to do so now. But of course, if you can
still find an excuse to not make a start then you are a genius at that!
Jokes apart. Find your quiet corner in the home, set up a time to work
(making videos here) and bingo you are all set to upload your first YouTube
video.
See, it's not that difficult at all.
Was it? (Pat yourself once you are done)
Pray Together
It is painful when you cannot meet your family and friends because of
situations like the one we are in today.
But nothing else can be done if this is the only way to protect them.
People we love cannot be separated by distance because they will always be
there in our prayers.
Lockdown has also shown us life from where we could have never imagined.
We all have limited supplies of food and necessary items. And not everyone
is as lucky as we are.
This moment has taught us to be in gratitude for all that we have. We have a
house we can call home because we have a family, food in our plates when
we are hungry, loved ones who care for us, water in our taps, clean clothes to
wear, money in our bank, friends who are a blessing, good education, dreams
in our eyes, and wine in our fridge. Keep your list going.
Teach kids to appreciate little things in life. Pray as a family so that our
children know how fortunate they are for everything they receive.
Give to people in need. They may be less fortunate than us, but they deserve
to survive too.
Let's equip our kids to be 'today' ready by living in gratitude. So that we don't
have to worry about their tomorrow.
A family that prays together sails the tough times together.
Set Kids Time For Homeschool And Help Them With
Their School Work
It is the beginning of a new academic session.
And while we fight the pandemic by locking ourselves down, the school staff
is working from home round the clock to make lesson plans for our kids.
Considering the need of the hour, all schools have started sending virtual
lessons for children. We should contribute to their efforts with equal
responsibility.
Work with your kids to chart out a daily schedule for schoolwork, play, TV
time and helping with housework.
The planner would ease out the young minds and help them fall back in a
routine during the forced stay at home situation.
It doesn't harm to get a breather in the midst of chaos. Helping our kids with
their studies can be as much fun and another step in closing the generation
gaps.
Don't wait for them to come and ask for help. Grab the first chance to break
the ice. Parents of teenage kids would understand exactly what I mean by
breaking the ice.
Come on parents, your kids are the only ones (apart from your spouse in
nuclear families) you have to communicate over the following weeks. Find
something worth interacting!
 Upgrade Your Professional Expertise
The world is upgrading itself every single minute. To cope up with the rising
competition one has to update themselves.
An everyday routine where juggling your professional and personal life is
difficult leaves you with no time to pursue anything else.
Utilize this time to join the online course that will help you enhance your
professional expertise.
Let yourself be unavailable for others at home for an hour or two. Lock
yourself up in your room and learn.
Believe me, the world will not come to an end if you are not seen online on
social sites for a few hours.
Unburden Your Partner… Share The Load
She cooks, you set the table. Take turns to do the dishes. Help her with the
laundry. She sweeps, you mop.
Maybe both of you are working from home, so work-for-home should also be
shared responsibly.
Many families are in a nuclear setup. And with maids and helpers not coming
in can be pressurizing on your partner.
Even if your wife is a homemaker, she would love a hand every now and
then. When you share the burden, you learn to value and respect each other
more.
This is a good practice to teach kids the value of relationships, sharing and
caring, and most importantly, eradicating gender bias - the evil deeply rooted
in our society.
Doing Nothing
Sometimes this is all you need.
Sit back, relax, and do NOTHING.
Don't get the wrong idea. You can go doing 'nothing' all day. It will piss off
your partner and take away the peace out of your life.
Be wise to know when to do things to be done with immediate effect and
when to do 'nothing' at all.
It's simple, when your wife needs your help, leave everything you are doing
and... just do as directed.
And any other time is a good time to enjoy doing 'nothing'!
Conclusion
Finally, I just want to remind you that this is a process so you shouldn't be so
hard on yourself if you have ups and downs.
Emotions will come when you're not looking for perfection, you're really
looking for growth you're looking for an ability to keep moving forward and
to find yourself through this process. do the activities and things that i given
to you so you can be well-prepared and developing routines is going to help
you help your family does evolve a vision of where you want to be.
Once this is over to develop goals and to surround yourself with positive
things, they're going to help you grow and become a different person because
really this is an opportunity for you to transform your life.
This is an opportunity for you to create a different reality.
Like we said for us you know being in basic quarantine for that amount of
time allowed us to shift our business.
A lot of sick grow on a personal basis allowed us to transform ourselves so
that we could serve people from all over the world.
Ask yourself who do I want to become after all this.
• Where do I want to be if this is a month to month six months?
• Who knows right?
• Who do I want to be after this?
• What do I want to become?
• What do I need to do to get there?
Just make a commitment to yourself because more than anything this is about
you and those around you. And we're all in this together. from our family to
yours we generally are sending you our love our compassion and really wish
you many blessings throughout this process and know that there's blessings
that can come out of this. And at the end of the day you know in a blink of an
eye this will shift.
This will be a new reality.
And then you can redefine your life into something much better than you ever
thought was possible.
With all of that covered, you will have armed yourself with a great deal of
tips on how to stay afloat in this time of crisis.
Above all, it’s important to remember to keep a healthy state of mind and
keep kindness in your heart. Put good things into the world and good things
will come back to you.
Heartwarmingly, in many communities all across the world we can already
see people working together and cooperating to mitigate the spread and
impact of the coronavirus. If we can learn lessons from these communities
and perform acts of kindness all around the world, we’ll make it through this
crisis together.
Now that you’re all set with our tips, remember stay safe and sane.