My Top Tips for Surviving Lockdown

Because it doesn’t have to be endless banana bread baking & Tik Tok dances.

I put a poll up on Twitter about whether people wanted self isolation ‘survival’ tips or escapism from the whole pandemic. Escapism got the most votes but there were a few for lock down tips and tricks; so folks this one is for you! I am currently on Furlough from work (which I think a lot of people are and yes it’s still stressful it’s not a fun holiday) so if it’s #WFH tips you’re looking for then head over to this post. If you have hours of unstructured time that is slowly driving you crazy then keep reading…

The number one way I am getting through these crazy times is getting up and getting dressed every morning; even if it’s just into a fresh pair of pajamas or tracksuit bottoms and a baggy t-shirt just something that isn’t what you slept in. It helps you feel ready for the day, even if that day is hiding under the covers for the majority of the time binge watching Gossip Girl for the seventh time. Also make sure to keep up with personal hygiene, a shower can make you feel like a new human.

Try and do some housework each day, you don’t have to deep clean your whole house (although if you enjoy cleaning this is the perfect time) but keep on top of the laundry, washing up, hoovering etc. as it can make the place your lock down in nicer and gives you a better head space. Speaking of head space, do some exercise. Even if you don’t normally work out get your body moving. I am loving the Joe Wicks workouts (cliché I know but they are really good) which I can easily do in my tiny living room. I believe Alice Liveing is doing some live streams, Carly Rowena posts fab stuff on her Instagram and even just putting some music on loudly and dancing round the bedroom is great! Don’t feel like you have to have abs and a matching Lululemon set to feel good during lock down. 

Use your outside time (who knows how much longer we will have this privilege) please don’t abuse this, stick to one hour; go for a jog or a brisk walk. Do your shopping but walk instead of drive. I am sometimes jogging to the shop doing my essentials pick up and then walking back. Please observe social distancing when out and about. If you have a garden enjoy it as much as you can so that all of us without one don’t have the parks closed on us.

Stay in touch with friends and family. I talk to my mum everyday anyway but not being able to see her or my sister who lives a few roads away from me is horrible so instead of just picking up the phone we’ve been using Facebook video messenger and Zoom every evening to catch up with each other and do quizzes online, we even have a family taskmaster challenge that happens weekly and I’ve seen some great pub quizzes on social media. Sometimes a friendly face is all you need to brighten your day especially if you living alone or your partner is at work all day.

Don’t look at the news all day, I did this at the beginning I was just constantly refreshing Twitter and then had my nose pressed up against the TV at 5pm for the press conference and it turned me into a ball of anxiety. So I stopped doing that and am now checking the news once in the morning and then once at around 6pm after the press conference on a reputable news site not Facebook, or Ladbible, an actual news website.

It’s totally fine not to be learning a new language or a new skill during this horrible time, just getting up and watching TV is fine. We all cope with stress in different ways. If you are looking for new things to listen to, watch or do then I’ve got a few suggestions:

Listen to No Such Thing As A Fish for fun facts bought to you by the Qi elves | Watch Tiger King on Netflix, you probably already have but if not you are in for a wild ride | Crack out that colouring book you bought when they were trendy, great for taking your mind of the outside world | Listen to Your Dead To Me if you like history and comedy | Watch The Studio Ghibli films on Netflix | Do some Cross Stitch, it’s very on trend at the moment and quite easy.

Don’t forget that we will all get through this. If you’re an NHS Worker or a Key Worker in general thank you so much for your bravery in working on the front line.