30 Things to do while staying at home during the lockdown! #StayAtHome #BeatLockdownBlues

The lockdown in India has been extended up to May 3rd! So I decided it was about time to come up with a list of activities to deal with the lockdown blues. I’ve spend nearly 23 days trying out a few of these activities. So I know that they work! 😀

P.S: The links I have provided to backup my recommendations/suggestions are not affiliate links. In other words, I do not stand to gain financially or otherwise if you do choose to click on the links. 🙂

1. If you are a blogger, this is the best time to really get active in the blogosphere. Write, and read other blogs. This is the best opportunity to connect to your fellow bloggers. Social distancing is a must, but there’s no limit on social connection. 🙂 Here’s a link to a few blogging courses for a newbie blogger.
2. If you find yourself lacking inspiration, do try participating in a writing challenge or prompt! There are a lot of writing challenges out there, and WordPress has renewed its Daily Prompt Series! (And at the risk of self-publicity, let me introduce you to my own Saturday Six Word Prompt (6WSP) Series. 🙂 )
3. This is the best time to get started on your TBR (To-be-read) list. Those poor books have been waiting a long time indeed. If you don’t have a TBR list already and if you are wondering about where to start from, do check out these blogs. Bookishloom by Ninu Nair and kohleyedme by Shalini – their reviews can help you find your new favourite book! Visit Project Gutenberg for free books. Also, Scribd is offering a 30 day free access to their content!
4. Before you give up and say that books are not really your thing, do give audio books a try. Audible gives a free 30 day trial period. Prime members get a 90 day free trial! It is a excitingly new approach to “read” books. 🙂 Open Culture also offers many free audio books.
5. There are a lot of binge-worthy shows/movies on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar streaming services. While the first two do require membership, the latter doesn’t. But trust me, in a time like this, even the membership is worth every penny! There is no time like this to binge-watch!
6. You can try your hand at cooking! We’re stuck at home and the kitchen is one mountain that we have to conquer. YouTube and Google have a lot to offer when it comes to recipes. Also, allow me to take this opportunity to introduce one of my favourite vloggers – Veena chechi from Veena’s curry world. If authentic Kerala recipes are what you’re searching for, your search ends here. 🙂 The video is in Malayalam but fret not if you don’t know Malayalam. The subtitles can help you out. The ingredients and basic instructions are provided in English in the description box. She’s the reason why I have dared to try many recipes that remind me of home. (read: the only Kerala dishes I have made without video-calling my Amma!) This also gives you more inputs for your Instagram feed!
7. Many are taking to baking to beat the lockdown blues. Baking is proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Here’s another link to help you out – Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking! I love her mug cake recipes in particular because they are so easy and really tasty. And more photos for your Instagram! 🙂
8. Music can help beat the lockdown blues too. Yes, I’m one of those people who, almost always, need music playing in the background! 😀
9. Google to the rescue as always! Visit this space to take virtual tours to destinations across the globe, find answers to many puzzling questions, find creative ways to spend your time and much more. There’s so much that you can do from the comfort of your bed/sofa!
10. Connect with your friends and family. Give them a ring or add all of them to a group video-call. Taking a picture of a group video call and posting it as a status is quite the rage these days, I hear. WhatsApp only supports group calls with 4 or less members but Google Duo supports up to 12 members. Zoom is better when it comes to the limit but there are a few restrictions.
11. Use this time to get fit. The lockdown can lead you to eat like a Panda. (Is that why they call it a Pandemic? It’s just another joke that I found on a friend’s status update today!) Though the comfort of your sofa/bed can be really tempting, your body will thank you later for resisting the temptation. That being said, what’s your opinion about people who keep posting workout videos?
12. If you’re in need of some humour to cheer you up, stand-up comedy is the cure! Check out my fellow blogger Sonia Chatterjee’s site where stand-up acts are the theme for her A to Z challenge. Here’s her latest post. Click here for all her A to Z posts.
13. Make the best use of this time to deep-clean and declutter your house. This is the opportunity to apply Marie Kondo’s principles! the I spend the first week of lockdown deep-cleaning each and every single room of my apartment! Bonus: When you are done with decluttering, you may finally find items that you thought were lost to posterity! 😀
14. And while you are at it, don’t forget to clean your refrigerator, freezer, oven, windows, shoes, sneakers and other spaces and/or appliances that may tend to be overlooked! Here’s an amaaazing shoe shampoo that works wonders for my shoes.
15. Organize and declutter your mails. Delete all the spam mails, clear all the unread mails and use this time to unsubscribe from all those unwanted emails.
16. Delete all the unwanted apps, WhatsApp forwarded images, and other trash from your phone and clear up the memory space!
17. Learning is a life-long activity. Though we have moved on from students to working individuals, many online learning communities make it easier to take up free or paid courses in your fields on interest. To name a few – edX, Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, Harvard University’s online learning, Codeacademy, Plural sight, Future learn, Google Garage and so on.
18. Find a new hobby, or rediscover an old one! Painting, photography, knitting, colouring, sketching, singing, embroidery, crocheting, quilling, journaling, and more. The possibilities are endless. 🙂
19. Take this opportunity to write a letter to your future self. Futureme lets you write a letter and send it to your email address and delivers it at a future date of your choice. It’s awesome. 🙂
20. Take a trip down the memory lane by going through old photos. There’s no time like this to feel nostalgic. In the process, you can relieve those poor photo albums, CDs and DVDs off the dust that has been accumulating for so long!
21. Step out into your balcony (or anywhere that offers a view as long as it’s not outside the safe confines of your home!) and take some time to truly appreciate nature. The skies are clearer, the air is less dusty and you can actually listen to birds chirping!
22. Make a list of all the places and restaurants you want to visit once this lockdown is finally lifted for good!
23. Catch up with the news but do not aid in the spread of false information. Verify each message before choosing to forward it.
24. Take care of your body and treat yourself to a home-made spa treatment. Indulge in that facial, scrub, pedicure, manicure, etc that you have been putting off for so long. Also, the salons are not going to open anytime soon!
25. There are so many online games that you can play with your loved ones. Distance doesn’t matter as long as you have a decent internet connection!
26. Take up gardening or grow microgreens at home. There are several videos available in YouTube.
27. If you are in search for motivation and/or inspiration, take time to watch a TED talk.
28. Make the best use of your Pinterest obsession and try out Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects.
29. Sleep to your heart’s content. This is your chance to break-up with the snooze button! 😀
30. Give yourself a haircut! You have time to grow it out even if you screw it up. 😛

Bonus point: Donate to your favourite cause or for any charity that’s working to provide relief to people who have been severely affected due to this lockdown!

Stay home. Stay safe. To all the frontliners working in this crisis, I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart.

That’s my list. So what’s your list of activities to do during the lockdown?

If you have tried out any of these activities based on my suggestion, do let me know. Here’s to beating boredom and lockdown blues, one tick at a time! 🙂

Image courtesy: Miroslava Chrienova from Pixabay

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