Things to do at home - 2021
After spending majority of 2020 in lockdown, I hoped that in 2021 we’d all get vaccinated, defeat the virus and carry on with our lives. But May 2021 is here and we’re in the midst of a rapidly growing second wave. We’re back inside our homes, social distancing, following COVID protocol. ‘Will this ever come to an end?’ is the question on everyone’s mind. My mind was headed down a dark path. And I wasn’t alone. Anxiety, fear and helplessness consumed most conversations with my friends and family.
So I began scheduling each day with activities that helped me find the simple pleasures of life. If you’ve been feeling anxious too, I hope that these activities help you find happiness everyday.
Plan your day: Create a list of chores like exercising, reading, cooking, taking care of the pets and plants. Planning for the day ahead helped break away the monotony from my daily routine. Even while you continue to work from home, you can schedule these activities in between work breaks. Working from home also means that we get to decide how we’d like to spend our free time.
Cleaning: If your surroundings are dull and untidy, it’s going to have the same effect on your mood. How about cleaning one room a day? Or organise a closet, cabinet or your bookshelf today. Try redecorating your home by moving the furniture around, change the curtains and cushion covers to brighten up your space. A bright and tidy home is a guaranteed happiness booster.
Cook: Cooking is an art that I will probably never master. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. Working on simple, easy recipes has helped develop my (terrible) cooking skills. If you’re a natural in the kitchen, use this time to experiment with new dishes. If you’re short on time, prepare simple healthy food in slightly larger quantities. You can offer covid-19 affected neighbours that are quarantining and senior citizens that live in the same building/complex if they’d like a nutritious meal. Use all safety protocols and protective measures to deliver the food to them - take away containers, leave the food at their doorstep - be safe! Consider giving your leftovers to the homeless animals in your society. We’re all in this together.
Foster a pet: Have you always wondered how you’d be as a pet parent? Contact an animal welfare NGO and speak with them about fostering for them temporarily. As a fur mom of 4 , I cannot imagine a day without my pets. They bring me unmeasurable joy and happiness. Adopting a stray or an abandoned animal gives them a second chance at life. Many pets have been abandoned or have lost their owners to covid-19. Here are some NGO’s that you can contact if you’d like to donate, foster or adopt - World For All, YODA, TheWelfare of Stray Dogs, The Feline Foundation, Save our Strays
Read: As passionate as I am about reading, I’m extremely slow at it. But reading has reduced my screen time, and continue to learn something new everyday. Sometimes I read multiple genres simultaneously to keep things spicy. If you think books aren’t for you, think again. There’s a variety of genres you can select from. Give an audiobook a go while you’re cleaning, cooking. And if you’re a slow reader like me remember that it’s not about how many books you read, but how much you learned from it.
Social Media: While scrolling through your feed, lookout for NGOs that are working to provide relief to those affected by COVID-19. People across all walks of life have been affected by the virus. If you have the means to, you can donate any amount to NGOs and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Amplify the requests of those searching for beds, medicine and oxygen through stories, posts and forwards so that they find the resources that they need. Here are some NGO’s that you can donate to directly - Give India, Hemkunt Foundation, Khalsa Aid, SEEDS, Uttishtha Foundation
Video calls: With a click of a button you can FaceTime, WhatsApp Video Chat or schedule a Zoom Meeting with your loved ones. Seeing a familiar face, even through a screen, is the kind of comfort that we crave for while social distancing. Communicating digitally will help us stay indoors and maintain our relationships across time zones, anywhere around the world.
Therapy: Ever since the pandemic began I’ve struggled to find a balance with mental health. After a lot of support and encouragement, I finally reached out to a therapist. When my therapist told me that along with the pandemic, our emotions are going through a pandemic too, I was relieved to know that everything I felt was completely normal. It took me a while to take charge of my mental health, so I’m here to encourage you to start your mental health journey. It’s okay to ask for help and who better than a professional to guide you.
Get moving: With HIIT, yoga, dance tutorials, YouTube has got you covered. Discovering what works for you is the key to maintaining a sustainable workout routine. Along with physical benefits, exercise has a direct affect on your mental well-being. It releases endorphins (helps deal with stress), serotonin (mood stabaliser) and dopamine (happy hormone).
Meditate: Introducing 10 minutes of meditation everyday reduces anxiety and calms your nerves. Begin your practice with the help of guided meditation apps such as Headspace and Calm. These apps busted all the myths I had about meditating. On sleepless nights when my anxiety peaks, 5 minutes of conscious breathing and meditation does the trick. Simple breathing exercises can do wonders to your mental and physical health. Here’s a quick breathing technique that acts as a natural sedative - lie down on your back, focus on equalising your inhales and exhales to the count of 4. Equal breaths relaxes your state of mind and eases stress, bringing you much needed sleep.
Times are scary. Breathe, we’ll get through this. It’s okay to have days of doing nothing - sleeping in, eating ice cream and watching feel good movies. Its okay to just be. If you do feel helpless remember that you are doing your part by staying at home. Staying home saves lives.
