BETTER LIVING...AT HOME
In the last few days I’ve gone through a rollercoaster of emotions. From panic, to shock, to denial, to acceptance, back to panic again and so forth. As I’m sure many of you have. I have read, researched and listened to a ridiculous amount of information and news that has left my mind a little blown and frazzled. Now that I’m on day two of self-isolation, having taken a tough decision to get on a Eurostar on Tuesday and come to my mum’s, I’m now feeling a little calmer and more rational. But it’s taken nearly six days to feel that way, so don’t go beating yourself up if you’re feeling the stress or the weight of the world on your shoulders. Things may have changed yes, but don’t get too caught up in the hysteria that you can’t carry out day-to-day tasks, work or stay motivated. So now that my head is a little clearer, I’ve compiled six things that you could be doing at home (that’s not Netflix and binge-drinking, god knows I’ve thought about it) to help the time pass and keep you sane when you perhaps have a little more time on those now very clean, rather dry hands. Oh and check out the Messy Nessy Chic article about what artists, writers and people of note have created over the centuries whilst in quarantine or self-isolation!
#1: LISTEN TO A PODCAST
If you need to drown out the noise of your family or partner, or need distracting from your own thoughts (I needed this continuously whilst I was going through a break-up last autumn for example), I find podcasts to be one of the best ways to do it. Here are a few of my favourites:
How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations
Under The Skin with Russel Brand
#2: EXERCISE
This is a very important one to keep up. Just because you’re cooped up inside doesn’t mean you can’t still move. The Cut has offered a list of online exercise classes here and here are a few online links that friends and I are using:
Melissa Wood Heath - Workout with Me
Freeletics - one of my favourites and I’m currently using the app to exercise in my mum’s garden
Cat Meffan - a friend and former colleague does brilliant yoga videos on Youtube
Shona Vertue - I’ve been following her for a while and love her bite-sized exercise videos on Instagram. She is also offering online classes - check her Instagram for the schedule.
Body By Fleur - former Olympic figure skater does low impact workout videos on her Instagram
Kayla Itsines - the Aussie personal trainer I’m sure you’ve heard of - she created the Bikini Body Guides
Alo Moves is offering free yoga, barre and strengthening classes on its Youtube channel here
For French friends, Mayashala Yoga is offering free online yoga classes and Julie Pujols Benoit - a sports journalist and pilates teacher has plenty of exercises on her feed.
#3: MEDITATE
I tried meditating around 4/5 years ago and sadly didn’t really get on with it. But after a tough heart-break last autumn I went back to it and can now see the benefits. Even if you pause for 10 seconds and take some deep breaths, that too is meditating.
I started with a 5 minute free gratitude mediation guided by Deepak Chopra - here. This eased me in slowly into the practise.
I have since been using Sam Harris’ Waking Up app, which is great (also a great resource of stimulating and enlightening conversations) – I like the sound of his voice, which is very important when you start meditating as I only do guided meditation for now. I’m not disciplined or practised enough to be able to do it on my own, but as with many new skills, and meditation is a skill that can indeed be learned, practise makes perfect. Don’t worry if while you sit there your mind races through all sorts of thoughts, it will over time begin to quieten down. That’s the premise of meditation - learning to train your mind, so you can choose thoughts over others ie, choosing positive thoughts over negative ones that are detrimental to your mental health.
Heidi Bourne - a meditation teacher whose guided meditation I joined at the Spirit Rock meditation centre outside San Francisco last November is offering online meditation sessions. Headspace is another great tool, as is Calm.
#4: WORK ON YOUR GOALS
With no going out, this is the perfect time to refocus and reassess your goals for the year ahead. Just because daily life is a little on stand still, doesn’t mean that you discard your dreams. They are more important now than ever! I wrote an article a little while ago that can help you with your goal-setting, read it here.
#5: LEARN A NEW SKILL
We should be using this time wisely, after all it’s not a holiday. So why don’t you try to learn a new skill as you now find yourself spending more time at home, be it a language, photo or video editing or even how to meditate. Now that I’m staying at my mum’s for the foreseeable I plan on getting some pottery lessons from her. She has a studio in the back garden so I’m going to take full advantage of this! I realise this is indeed a luxury, so I’ve listed a few links that will allow you to learn something new without leaving your sofa or dining table: Skillshare, Udemy, Masterclass and Creative Live.
#6: READ
Reading is very calming, can help reduce stress and it’s a great distraction - especially fiction. And as Joseph Addison once said: “reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body.” So keep those cogs turning. Here are a few of my favourite books below and here’s an article on inspiring books that I wrote a little while ago.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Hope you’re keeping well, happy and healthy during this uncertain time friends! Just remember, we are all in this together. Sending you lots of love.
What recommendations do you? How are you spending your time indoors?
