tips for isolating at home

It can be really difficult when you suddenly go from being a productive member of society and working all week to having no reason to leave the house; and with the current pandemic, a lot of people are coming face to face with a lifestyle that's completely flipped from the norm. Whether that's trading the office for your kitchen table, or the complete loss of a stable routine, I know how desolate and lonely things can get- I spent the majority of 2019 either working at home or unemployed, and it was not fun.

Days and weeks stretch into months, and the list of things you achieve in the day shrinks to nothing, leaving you numb and with no sense of success or accomplishment. It has really not been easy, but here are my tried and tested tips for staying at home during the Coronavirus pandemic that will keep you from going insane!

Don't drink every night

One of my biggest mistakes when I was first unemployed was to drink almost every night. The days are long, and the nights are even longer when you're isolated, especially if you're all by yourself. What's wrong with a couple of glasses of wine when you don't have to get up early in the morning? This is actually a terrible idea. Alcohol is a depressant, and even if you don't think that it's negatively affecting you, it is. Trust me on this- your wallet will love you for it. I let myself have a few glasses of wine on a Saturday with a pizza, but for the rest of the week I only drink flavored carbonated water. While it's not as good for the environment as drinking water straight from the tap, if it works it works. A one liter bottle from Tesco will set you back 35 cents, and you won't feel it in the morning, allowing you to actually have a productive day- even if in the circumstances that means only doing an at-home workout! Pick a good movie or series (here are my top picks for binge-able Netflix shows!) and curl up for a few hours and make popcorn instead!

Get up early & get ready!

In the same vein, it's a good idea to still get up early every morning. I'm not saying that you should get up as early as you would to slog through traffic, but early enough to get yourself ready and still have a good chunk of morning left. Get up, shower, brush your teeth (after breakfast obviously, you heathens!), make your bed, put on a bit of makeup if that's your fancy, and get dressed!!

Even if you still wear pajama pants, at least put on a nice top and cardigan- if you look good you'll feel good.

Spend an hour reading in the morning

One of my favourite parts of the day is my hour of reading after breakfast. When I was living with my parents, I'd grab my favourite cat Scorsese and snuggle with her as I read. No screens, no noise, just a bit of peace and quiet to ease myself into the day. If you can't quite sacrifice an hour (what else would you be up to?!), half an hour is good too. At the moment I'm reading The Visitor by Zoë Miller. It's really appropriate for the current situation; protagonist Izzie is celebrating Christmas alone at home while the world around her is frozen to a standstill thanks to a snowstorm. Enter Eli; stranded by the bad weather, he says that he's Izzie's late husband's long-time friend- except she's never met him. I've just started reading it, but it's shaping up to be a spine-tingling read!

Go out once a day

This one only applies if you're not ill or if your doctor hasn't instructed you to stay inside.This one's a no-brainer; exercise is great for your mental health. The days can be long enough already, so it's important to change scenery for an hour or so. Try Couch to 5k, it's free, it's only three days a week for half an hour and it's not as hard as you'd think. This is one where not drinking heavily the night before really plays into it. Take the dog for a walk, dedicate a block of time to enjoy wandering in the sun listening to your favourite podcast- whatever floats your fancy. Remember to keep a good distance from others around you and avoid touching too much! It will also help a lot if you're struggling to sleep.

Work on a project

Where's the fun in watching Netflix all day? If you're like me, the thought of spending more than 20 minutes sitting idle is horrific. I love having some YouTuber talking in the background while I potter around my room keeping busy, and it definitely helps the time pass. Isolation is the best time to work on your hobbies, dedicate more time to them, or start something new! This blog was a project that I began in late 2019 to keep my writing skills sharp and have something that I could work on and add to every week. Whether it's writing that novel you've been thinking about, redecorating your bedroom or whatever you're interested in, now is the time. It can be pretty daunting to start from square one, so make sure to make a good plan; dedicate an hour every day to start off with and work from there. Just remember to have fun!

Physical distance, but social connection

It's important to stay at home to flatten the curb and prevent the Coronavirus from spreading, we know that. There go our family picnics, catch-up drinks with friends in our favourite bar, our garden parties. And just when the weather is finally starting to look nice, too. Now is the best time to pick up the phone. Call your granny, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. Plan an afternoon to video chat your siblings. Call your mum over breakfast. When life is normal, I love having a 'pizza and Pinot' night with my friends at the weekend. Why not do it over video chat (I've done it before, it's great craic!)?

There we have it, all of my best tips to survive isolation! If you have any more, please do let me know! I hope you're feeling somewhat rested and excited for the tomorrow that we're all working hard to make happen. Let me know down below how you're doing.

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