This is an extremely scary time for everyone. The coronavirus outbreak may be a physical health crisis but it is also taking a toll on people's mental health. Being told to stay inside is something out of the ordinary and it is hard to figure out how to deal with it. We are lucky enough that this week the weather has been beautiful. It is a chance for everyone to get outside and breathe fresh air into their lungs. I have decided to write this article to share with you how I am going to be spending this time positively. Last Tuesday I unfortunately got told that I had to finish my placement job early due to the virus and the office shutting until further notice. Obviously, yes, at first I was extremely stressed and shocked about this. The thought of having absolutely nothing to do with no ability to leave the country or chance to earn some money really scared me. But once I had calmed down and thought about my options, I began to realise that this could be a positive for my future. There are so many things we can all be working on mentally and physically by being in self isolation and here are some examples of what I am going to be doing.
CREATING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
Because we have all this free time, this is my chance to get my social media pages up and running. I have written a list of different videos I can now create, whether they are videos that have been sat on my hard drive waiting to be put together or ideas of videos I can create from being in quarantine. I also now have the time and the inspiration to sit and write articles about any topic under the sun and this is a positive way for me to be spending my time. If you have a passion for any sort of writing or photography this is your chance to start building a platform.
WORKING OUT & GOING ON LONG WALKS
How lucky are we that the sun is shining? If the weather was horrendous right now our attitudes would be completely different. This is the time to explore where you live and listen to your favourite podcasts. My sister has started a bootcamp for my brother and I. At 12:00PM each day, we all meet on the patio and follow Alice's PT session. I honestly wouldn't feel so motivated to work out if it wasn't for her. It seems like everybody on social media is using this self isolation to do home work outs which is amazing!
LEVEL 2 BUSINESS QUALIFICATION
Throughout my placement year, my University adviser suggested that I use my spare time to gain new qualifications because realistically, everything helps to put on your CV. So, before Christmas I signed up to Vision2Learn. It is a free online qualification which is directed through a college. If you complete the qualification it is free, but if you give up half way you have to pay for it. This is something I have been working on everyday as the sessions are pretty full on, it is like being back at college again. With the Business and Administration course (which is what I am doing) there are 6 units and every 2 weeks you have an assignment to complete. Business is something I am going to be going into in the future and I feel like being self isolated is a time to be gaining new skills for the future. I am really enjoying what I am learning at the moment and I love having something to be working towards.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography as everyone knows is a huge passion of mine. This is the time to be whipping out those cameras and photography the nature around you. I have forgotten the enjoyment I get when I take pictures of nature and the people around me and this is something I am going to carry on doing in the near future. To be honest, I don't know why I stopped taking photos. I don't think it is until situations like this when you realise how nice the nature around you is!
VOLUNTEER WORK
In my community they have set up a "Acts of Kindness" page on Facebook, where the youth and least vulnerable can get involved with helping the elders, whether that is with food shopping, picking up subscriptions from the doctors or even just walking their dog. At this time of need many charities are going to be looking for volunteers and it is our time to give back. I have also emailed Somerset NHS to see if they need any help and various charities. Volunteer work is a great thing to be doing over the next few months as people are going to need the extra hand! Even volunteering to help your local businesses will not go a miss.
JEWELLERY MAKING
Jewellery making has always been something I have wanted to do. I guess its not really jewellery but beading. I started beading a making my own earrings at the beginning of this year and then when I got caught up in my job and a completely different routine I never found time to do it. @Tommjewellery on Instagram is one of my main inspirations. She doesn't only create beautiful jewellery but connects with her followers through social media. While we are all having to self isolate she has created a 'jewellery making kit' that you can buy from her site! This is something fun and creative people can be doing in their spare time and her kits are only £10!
LEARNING TO COOK
Being stuck in your house is a perfect time to learn to cook or even start baking! I am only living with my brother and sister through this crisis as my parents are stuck in Saudi Arabia in quarantine. Cooking is not one of my passions in life, I don't have a huge interest in cooking but I love eating good food. As everyone in my family is on a health kick it is a good time for us all to cook for each other. Now the fridges and freezers are stocked, I am excited to try out some new recipes.
READING BOOKS
Reading books is one of the main things I want to be doing through self isolation. I am currently reading 'Reasons to Stay Alive' by Matt Haig and I am really enjoying it. For my birthday my mum bought me a book called 'Such a Fun Age' by Kiley Reid which I will be moving onto next. I have never been a massive reader, unless it is magazine or blog posts but I have always found that it is extremely therapeutic. Especially while the sun is shining it is such a nice hobby to have, to just sit outside and read a book. While I was in London last year I read 'The Power of Now,' a book by Eckhart Tolle which changed my life. I like to read books which I know have a purpose or will teach me something new. The Power of Now taught me how to mindful and live in the present, if I could recommend a book to anyone through this difficult time it would be that one!
CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN
Now is the perfect time to think about your future. As I want to go into social media and marketing, I thought I should start to create a business plan. If people want to see a template of my plan let me know and I will share it. A lot of businesses right now need the power of marketing and social media, so now is my time to find my niche, reach out to businesses and show them how I can help.
LEARN A LANGUAGE
This is the perfect time to be learning something new, and what better thing to teach yourself than a new language. Duolingo is a free app on your mobile where you can learn whatever language you want! I am learning Spanish! Check it out.
I hope this article has inspired at least one person not to go into a hole! I know how hard it is when you're not occupied, you end up doing less and less. If everyone tries to use this time to work on themselves, the outcome at the end of this will hopefully be a slightly more positive one. Being told to stay inside can be draining on your mental health, especially with the stress of everything going on in the world. It is important to keep your mind occupied and your body moving.
Stay safe everyone!
