Amelia Rogers, owner of the Average Blonde blog gives us some great ideas to keep us busy at home while in quarantine. Follow her on Instagram for more...
How many of you have spent a whole work week wishing it was the weekend or wishing you you had more time to do all the things you really wanted to do? Yet now we are all at home (literally by new government rules) and wondering what on earth we are going to do with all this time on our hands! I have put together some fun things that you can do while sitting (very comfortably) in isolation...
Call Your Friends + Family.
I think one of the things I’ve missed most during isolation, has been hanging out with my girlfriends and family. The first fun thing I can recommend you doing before you do anything else is downloading the app: “House Party”. Apparently this has been around for years and according to one of my younger siblings I am “like way behind the times” and terribly uncool for not knowing about this sooner. But anyway, my girlfriends and I found this app and have been enjoying wine, snacks and chats from the comfort of our sweat pants at home and it’s been awesome.
(I did try introduce the app to my parents, is there anything sweeter than seeing your Mom or Dad open up a video call and put it straight to their ear, or hold the phone so badly you end up talking to the plant they’re sat next too.)
This app allows you to play all kinds of games, have as many as 8 or more people in the same chat and it is so much fun! It is a perfect way to feel close to the people you love without being close (at all).
Catch Up On Some Good TV (Healthy Binge).
Safe to say Netflix, Amazon and all their brothers and sisters are thriving at the moment! Brilliant new TV Shows and movies are being released daily and I don’t care how old you are, downloading the new Disney+ is a MUST. Warning: likelihood of you leaving your couch ever again is slim. Some great TV shows we have watched recently:
Tiger King (if you like Making A Murderer, you will love this).
Love Is Blind (just watch it).
Derry Girls (hilarious).
A-Typical (heartwarming).
Want more? Check out the
Print Those Photos (Finally).
So much of our world is now held in a weird little cloud and many precious photos float around up there wasted. Take this time to finally fill those frames, scrapbook or photo album your favourite memories. Photobox are offering 40% until the 6th April - we just placed a huge order of prints and I am excited to spend a few days organising them all.
Health + Workout Goals.
Over the last few weeks my partner and I have set ourselves little health goals to complete each day. One day it could be “drink two litres of water”, “complete an ab work-out” or “don’t touch the chocolate cupboard”. We mix our goals up each day and it gives us some immense satisfaction to be achieving something that benefits us both mentally and physically.
Social Media Clean Up.
Without a doubt, the amount we end up on our phones during this time will be a hell of a lot more than what we are used too. Make sure the feeds you are scrolling through are full of inspiration and positivity. Go through the list of people you follow and unfollow those people/accounts that don’t make you feel good. Fill you feed up with humour, motivation and love! Ensure if you are spending time on Socials, that what you are consuming is worth your while. Want some inspiration? Here are some...
Sign Up To Helpful Newsletters.
If you are on your emails a lot for work, I recommend signing up to some newsletters that will drop some goodness in your inbox each day. My favourite people I am currently signed up with is James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) and NoSideBar.
Create Some Good Playlists.
Music can change any mood, create yourself some fun playlists with all your favourite songs - for every occasion. I’ve even created one to listen to while I have my coffee in the morning, while I’m writing or making dinner!
Need a feel-good playlist? , made by our team at St Christopher's Inns...
Make A Bucket List or A Vision Board.
I hope after being stuck at home, you realise how much there is you could be doing once this is all over. Make yourself a bucket list, all the things you want to do, where you want to go. Finally get that vision board up! Create lists and collages of everything you want to achieve. Where do you want to be in 5 years? Let this time be a blessing to help you get there.
Before I go.
There are now 4 online resources for free:
1) Amazon Books are open for free
2) 17 virtual museums in Europe have free online virtual visits.
3) Cambridge Books in the UK offer 700 books for free reading
4) Broadway in the United States offers free online operas. Amazon Global Audiobooks are free:
Audible Stories is available for children who are temporarily unable to go to school around the world. Listen to all audiobooks for free, with content ranging from preschool to classic literature, no download of apps, no login required, no ads, with languages like English/German/French/Italian/Japanese. Free online virtual visit to 17 museums in Europe: In response to the epidemic, Cambridge Publishing , UK, offers 700 online reading editions of their books. The free reading period is until the end of May, and includes some Christian and theological works. Online Broadway Musical, all FREE!
Stay safe, be kind and patient with one another. Amelia