May 01 2020
It’s critical to remain safe and indoors during this difficult time, but it’s also important to keep your sanity! This might be tough if you have lots of energy or have kids who just want to get out of the house and be active.
Here is a great list of things to do (and things to avoid) to stay safe but maintain your sanity.
Just before coronavirus hit, I started getting into rock climbing and naturally one of the first things to close was the indoor rock climbing gym. I’m not good enough to climb outdoor, plus I’m trying to avoid crowds, so I got creative with an indoor hang board. If you set your mind to it you can find some easy ways to do indoor exercise that doesn’t have to be limited to just weights or skipping. The biggest challenge I had was that I rent and didn’t want to drill into any walls, but half the fun was finding a good way to solve this problem.
Both the WHO and the state I live in (Queensland) have stated to remain indoors unless it is necessary, luckily for us in Queensland going out for exercise has been deemed necessary. I’ve found that going a bit further out of the city and finding places to hike is the best. Going for a hike is a great way to clear your mind, get fresh air and not have to worry about the virus as there are almost never any other people and its extremely unlikely that you will touch objects that regularly get interacted with, make sure to avoid picnic areas.
However, sometimes it’s just not convenient to drive 30 minutes to go hiking, in which case I have been heading out on my bike. Cycling is great exercise and drastically reduces your chances of touching things that may have Covid-19, and you will almost certainly avoid getting in close contact with other people. Just remember to avoid things like touching pedestrian crossing buttons or rails. It’s easy to do this out of habit. Before heading out for a cycle make sure it’s allowed in your region.
Also, if you are taking a break avoid sitting down anywhere or leaning on anything. Since using my bike more often I have discovered some great new cycle paths. Also what I do is go onto Traveloris’s outdoor activities and find places with great vantage points, I like cycling to a destination with a view and then heading back, gives it more purpose.
Playing board games has been among my favourite things to do during the Coronavirus Pandemic. A lot of my friends will say ‘board games are for kids’ and ‘aren’t you too old for board games?’. No, and no, board games are awesome, they challenge your mind, are fun, and there are so many different types of boardgames out there to suit anyone and any number of people. I actually got a bit addicted to getting boardgames and went a bit overboard (as you can see from the picture below). I spent a week or so (closer to a month) watching reviews and creating the perfect list. It’s quite a long list so I create a separate post on my favourite board games during Coronavirus self-isolation. If you can buy your boardgames from a local store online, I highly recommend that to support smaller businesses.
Your stuck inside, so it’s a great opportunity to fine tune one of your skills or learn a new one. Maybe a new language, or an instrument?
For me, I wanted to fine tune my sourdough baking skills. You might be rolling your eyes thinking I’m one of those people that jumped on the sourdough bandwagon, but actually, I started baking sourdough bread about 3 years ago and during the coronavirus isolations I have been fine tuning and experimenting. It’s very rewarding when it goes right! Baking and cooking in general is very rewarding.
I will mention, don’t go overboard with buying flour, I had a few kilos in the cupboard and when I do see some in the supermarket I always ask do I really need this or should I leave it for someone else who needs it more? During the coronavirus it’s important to have enough in your stock without going overboard.
Full disclosure, I don’t have kids. But my brother has 2 young girls with A LOT of energy, they can wear me out in less than an hour. He mentioned something nice that I couldn’t resist sharing with you, he found this great blog that combines resources into a theme for children to work through, it’s called interactive storytelling and apparently, it’s great for younger kids! Check out their interactive storytelling blog here. Or visit their YouTube channel here
Before engaging in any of the outdoor activities I recommend looking at the WHO or your states guidelines on what is allowed and what isn’t.
Finally, if you are planning a holiday for the moment that the pandemic passes, it may be best to plan something within your country. For a bit of inspiration, check out our Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne holiday planner, now might be a great time to build an itinerary that gets you excited for the time when you will be able to put it into action. But until then, play board games.
