No matter where you are in world at the moment you are probably self isolating and rather than endlessly scrolling social media or watching the news we have some suggestions to keep busy and calm during these extremely challenging times.
START A VEGETABLE OR HERB GARDEN
No matter how much outdoor space you have there is nothing more satisfying or tasty than homegrown produce. If you have a very small garden or just a balcony lots of herbs, veggies and fruit can be grown in pots or containers.
If you’re lucky enough to have more space you could consider starting a veggie patch or using an existing garden bed, alternatively a stand- alone planter box will give space to grow edible crops.
Looking for a budget friendly option then try growing your herbs and veggies from seeds which are easily obtained by mail order. Seedlings are a little easier to grow and produce faster results, there are lots of nurseries and garden centres offering home delivery or click and collect services during these difficult times.
The RHS website provides a wealth of knowledge on plant varieties and selection with informative how to guides including simple steps to get into gardening here.
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SET UP A HOME OFFICE
Now could be the perfect time to create or spruce up a home office or workstation. If your needing to work from home at the moment its hard to feel inspired in a dull office.
Our inexpensive top tips to transforming your space are:
- To declutter, get organised and give your office a spring clean.
- Introducing some plants not only looks beautiful but also offers health benefits, reducing blood pressure, stress and helping with air purification too.
- Good lighting is essential for any workspace, consider adding a feature lamp so that you can work with ease.
- Wall art will liven up even a lack lustre wall, it might be just the thing to transform a dull area.
- Add softness and transform your office with a floor rug, a very easy way to introduce colour and design to your scheme.
- Why not consider adding candles to your office space to introduce fragrance and a calming effect.
- Like any other room in your abode your home office should reflect your personality so consider displaying treasured items, personal photos or quirky ornaments that make you smile.
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REDUCE YOUR STRESS AND ANXIETY
If you're wanting to cultivate calm and resilience to improve your mental wellbeing try mindfulness and meditation. Research has found that these practices are key elements in stress reduction and overall happiness along with helping to improve physical health too.
Our top tips for you to try are:
- The Mindful Podcast (free on Podbean and Apple) - short episodes to try mindfulness and breathing exercises.
- Tracks to Relax (free on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and TrackstoRelaxPodcast.com) - an oasis of lulling sounds to help with sleep and relaxation with episodes such as “Beach Sleep” and “Skipping Stones” perfect for when your struggling to switch off.
- Your Anxiety Toolkit (free on Apple and Podbean) – an anxiety toolkit including episodes specifically for managing anxiety during coronavirus.
- 10% Happier (free on Apple, Google Podcast, Spotify and many more) – has a variety of episodes dedicated to coronavirus with guides on tackling anxiety, low mood and panic.
- Distraction Pieces Podcast (free on itunes, acast and distractionpiecespodcast.com) – podcasts with famous people who have amazing stories to tell with recent episodes including isolation recommendations.
- Cool Playlist (free on Google Play, Apple, Stitcher and RSS Feed) – this is sure to give you a mood boost and get you up and moving.
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GET YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE SUMMER READY
Now you have your produce growing sorted its time to tackle the rest of your outdoor space.
Spring is a great time to prepare an oasis for warmer days and nights when you can spend more time relaxing outside or entertaining friends when this period of self- isolation is over.
Spruce up your deck, patio or balcony with a makeover depending on the size of the challenge this can be anything from a general clean and tidy to painting or new installation.
Lighting is an inexpensive way to have an instant impact on your outdoor space, introduce candle lanterns, stringing festoon light around your outdoor dining area or add solar lights to a garden path, these won’t need an electric power cable and are better for the environment too.
If your grass is looking worse for wear start a grass recovery plan.
Breathe new life into your outdoor space by treating yourself to new garden furniture to make the most of your alfresco space.
Tackle any garden beds and boarders, cutting back plants if necessary and weeding as you go.
Of course no outdoor space is complete without lots of plants and greenery, start by doing a little research into plants suitable for your climate, aspect and conditions.
Pinterest is a fabulous source of inspiration for garden design and planting so why not take a look here.
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CREATE PHOTO BOOKS OR ORGANISE FAMILY PHOTOS
Self isolation provides the perfect opportunity to do job that we never normally find time to do. Why not take this time to create photo books, print out photos or organise family photos to display around your home.
There are lots of websites that allow you to create photo books with ease or print photos off your phone or camera sim card from the comfort of your home.
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We hope that you and your family are staying safe & well. We wonder what you think of our list of things to do at home & keep busy during isolation? Are you keen to give any a go?
Tell us in the comments section or we'd love you to tag us on Instagram so we can see what you've done.
