Who would have thought when we saw the New Year of 2020 in, what was going to happen across the globe effecting all of us – Covid-19.

Now as time slips us by and many of us are still locked inside our homes here’s a few self help tips of things to do at home.

Continue Learning

To make something positive out of being at home, I decided to finally take some online courses that I never seemed to have the time or energy for. I decided to get a grip on some basics that could help my life moving forward. I looked into my old management books and (that old enemy to me) People Management. There was a plethora of courses ranging from beginner to advanced.

Another course I looked at was one teaching languages. Now I know that travel is severely restricted currently but it is time to get ahead for when we can escape to sunny shores. I have visualised the bistros of Paris while practising my French with my online tutor.

This has also lead me to an exploration of my culinary talents so:

Relearn Useful Skills

While practicing my pronunciations I dug into the back of my kitchen cupboard and unearthed the French cookbook which I had never got round to having a go at. Now all my neighbours were baking banana loaf but my little house was soon full of the delights of French soup, cookies and delicious crepes. If I couldn’t go back to France anytime soon, I could certainly attempt to create the vibe in my kitchen. Could be time to find my old beret!

Be A Handyman

Turning my head away from the discovery of indulgent new hobbies I also realised that this was probably the perfect chance to embrace those niggling jobs that had been left on the ‘to do list’. With my trusty screwdriver in hand I managed to re-place the broken sections of my kitchen before tackling the another job of re-sealing the bath tub. Who could have believed how sticky sealant can be! But what a sense of feeling when those jobs were complete. It mentally brings happiness into your life as that sense of achievement warms inside you.

Declutter

On a role of happiness another job completed was the sorting. Sorting and de- cluttering feels like a job to always put off but the rewards are great. For me – I find that starting small is the key. If you look at a room that needs sorting it becomes overwhelming but if you start small you’ll see results much quicker. I started with my sock drawer. Odd socks…holes in toes…heels…the pair you always put back in the drawer as they feel too tight? – in the bin with the lot. Even if you have to buy new they can be sorted neatly. Another golden rule is how to deal with potentially sentimental items. When I throw away things which may have been given to me by a loved one. I need to tell myself I’m not throwing away memories or love.

Clean-Up Your Digital Assets

Another satisfying job I found was cleaning but this time its the electronics! Finally my inbox was whittled down to a less wincing number of emails just sat there. The set up of additional folders on my laptop and a spring clean has meant I no longer search around endlessly looking for what I want. I tidied up my phone pictures by having my favourite ones downloaded and printed in a photo album. Easier and more fun to look at without the fear of deleting them inadvertently. While in a technical spring clean it was a good opportunity to look at social media posts and delete the old ones. How pleasing to rid my phone and laptop of old posts and sites. I must watch out to see I don’t refill immediately on others!

Keep Yourself Physically Fit

With the mind being kept occupied and hopefully healthy, the body shouldn’t be forgotten. This slightly comes in the bracket of online courses (there is a great range of online fitness classes!) and exercise can be embraced within the home without the paraphernalia of the gym. Two litre bottles of water, and tins of beans have become the new weights to use. The stairs become their own stair master – I just make sure I have some music on and a structure / timer to my work out and the body feels better for it.

Shake Your Groove Thing

Talking about music – always a great mood shaker. Get the right track on and your spirits can soar. Or if you’re feeling quiet and mellow there’s plenty out there. Sorting out playlists, and my Cd’s (I don’t have the heart to throw them away) there’s been plenty of singing, dancing and joy around. And not forgetting that tears are also healthy, there’s been the music to help the release of pent up feelings, anxiety and worry. I have re-discovered my old keyboard and music and remembered the love that playing an instrument brings (although possibly not to the neighbours!).

Covid-19 has brought difficult times and it’s been important to find self help while we stay at home. For me, a mixture of the above in a rough timetable has given me structure and allowed me to feel in control of part of a situation not of my making. Here’s to good days ahead…and not eating too much French food! Tres bon!