The pandemic of Covid-19 caught us by complete surprise. But this Ultimate Guide to lockdown will help you not only survive lockdown but thrive and have fun me-time too! Read on!
Covid-19 made us do things we would have never imagined doing on our busiest days.
Staying at home on a working day! Working from home!
Completing housework all by ourselves without our maids! Buying only the essentials!
While adopting a completely different lifestyle mixed with uncertainty about future and cash flow pressures, it is obvious to feel bucket load of stress and anxiety. Our terminologies have changed. Where in pre-covid days, fun was equal to night out partying or weekend traveling, now has changed to a night of board games and weekend of yummy cooking! It is natural to wonder – is this actually fun? Am I enjoying this? How do you survive this lockdown and have fun in quarantine?
Schedule some fun. Download Think Metime App from Google Playstore!
Guide to Surviving #Lockdown
1. Control+Alt+Delete
I came across this interesting story while reading a Guest post of Joe Darago of Hope Effect in Becoming Minimalist –
As I remember it, my college buddy had spent a few weeks laboring over his paper. He wouldn’t even go out with us on our routine fast food runs. Instead, he stayed in the dorm banging away on his computer.
After hours and hours of work, he was making progress, but when I asked him how it was going, he expressed he wasn’t happy with how it was turning out.
There was a lot of time and effort, but little satisfaction. In the beginning, he was confident the direction he chose to go with his paper would easily yield him a good grade. But now, with 75% of it done, he wasn’t so sure.
Unfortunately, he was in too deep. The day before the assignment was due, it was too late to change course.
Then it happened. His computer mouse froze, and he panicked as he realized he forgot to back up his work. After hitting Control-Alt-Delete, it was all gone! Every word of it.
After he got over the initial shock, he rolled up his sleeves and faced his new reality. His adrenaline raged, but his mind began to calm.
After Control + Alt + Delete
And he had a crazy idea.
“What if,” he thought, “I changed direction and took a different angle?”
At first, he tried to talk himself out of it. He had put so much time and energy into his old idea. But after taking one last look at the clock, he put on a pot of coffee and got to work, seeing his new direction through.
The end result certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was ultimately happy with the paper in the end.
The author states that the pandemic has given us to press those buttons: Control+Alt+Delete and start again. Are we ready to take this opportunity?
2. Solutions to Problems of Pre Lockdown period
In the additional time given by this pandemic, I have started reading ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective people’ by Stephen Covey. Apart from many other interesting things, the author mentions a quote by Albert Einstein that ‘The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them’.
On a global level, we have been facing so many issues like climate change, crude prices, increasing pollution levels, etc. The lockdown has automatically given a way out as to how we can solve those crisis too.
But on a personal level, if you are consistently feeling unhappy, stressed out and anxious, now is the time to find out what is going wrong. Now is the time to push that Control+Alt+Delete and make a turnaround. If you are actually able to do that then this Covid-19 can just
3. Opportunities given by Covid-19
As everyone, I have been trying to find something positive in this #lockdown situation. Somehow I think that this stay at home has presented us some wonderful opportunities like I have listed below –
- Grab mini-bites of time with your kids, spouses and families
- Stay at home and work in pajamas for days
- Eat ‘ghar ka khana’ or ‘Home cooked meals’ for many days
- Work in a ‘no judgment’ environment where no one talks about your dress or your eyebrows or your body shape
- Save on travel time and efforts
- Buying and using only the essentials
I see this as an opportunity to find out what changes I would like to make in my routine to keep feeling as blessed as I feel now.
4. Mirror talk to survive lockdown
Before I take any decisions, I generally resort to mirror talk. And it is absolutely effective. You just need to stand in front of the mirror and say this –
- Zindagi na Milegi Dobara! I am not getting this life again.
- The time I spend will never be returned to me so I better start living my life
- I am me and I am enough for me, but I need to start making myself priority from this minute
- If I am not happy, then I need to start making time for things those make me happy
So, from this minute start carving out some time for yourself.
Download Think Metime mobile app from Google Playstore to find out which activities make you happy!
5. Tips to carve out small chunks of time
If you have too much responsibilities think that me time is not for you, I need you to think again. It is like saying breathing is not for you!!
Also read: Self care, in spite of no money and more responsibilities
Use these tips to carve out some me-time. I am sure you will find them easy to implement –
a. Wake up early
You don’t have to wake up too early. You can let others sleep in too! Wake up just 15 minutes before others and start your day by giving 15 minutes to yourself.
Read our blog on: Magic Mantras on making mornings easier! I am sure it will help you in grabbing some morning me-time.
b. Bits of Me-time
You don’t have to plan your one hour of me-time in one go. You can try and plan small chunks of me-time throughout the day. For example – unplug for 15 minutes in the afternoon, get your 15 minutes before you go to bed, dancercise with your kid, etc.
c. Delegate or postpone housework
You can either delegate housework or postpone it to a convenient time. It’s okay if the beds are not made for a day or the laundry is folded a day late. You can also try delegating the work to your kids using an innovative incentive plan. You can also think up an incentive plan for your husband (wink!) and delegate some of the work to him. Here are a few pointers: 5 household Chores to delegate to your guy!
d. Plan your week in advance
Use your Sundays to do some weekly meal planning. It would go a long way in making some time in your weekdays. Here are some tips on how you can take charge of your week by planning your meals in advance – Read Blog!
This way you will find that you have me-time for yourself. Make that intentional effort to take time away from the office and household work, I guarantee that you will not regret it.
6. Make most of Me time: Mindful Me-time
Download Think Metime mobile app from Google Playstore to make most of your me-time
We have uploaded various blogs giving ideas about how you can spend your time at home, of course apart from when you are working.
a] Mindful Me-time
Mindful me-time is something where you spend time on things that you are passionate about or care about. It does not include mindless browsing through various platforms of social media or netflix or similar platforms. Make some time to spend with yourself. Here are a few ideas: Fun me time activities to do at home. Let this time time on your own get your creative juices flowing.
We even have a weekly me time schedule for you! Schedule it right away on the scheduler!
b] Time with your partner
You can also enjoy time with your partner as you have been given this magical time to spend together. Read our blog for some fun ideas: Here’s how to make most while corona is in town. Create some fun memories while you enjoy your time together.
c] Time with your family
You can say that you are stuck at home with no friends, or you can say that your parents are soon going to be your best friends. Enjoy these fun activities with your family and enjoy your time social distancing. Read: Celebrate the lockdown with your family!!
d] Earn money while you have fun
You may have a dream, of starting a class to teach drawing or painting. Now is the time to get registered on Skillshare or Coursera and start tutoring. Similarly you can reconnect with your hobbies which can also help you earn money. You can go through this blog to find your own little household business to run while at home! Earning money can boost up your morale!
e] Be productive while you are at home
The best way to fight stress due to social distancing is to be productive. Organise your photos on hard disk, spring clean your house, create that recipe book you always wanted to complete, create playlists, create your bucket list! You can do so many things while implementing social distancing.
Read: Productive Couple activities
f] Connect with friends
Social distancing does not mean you have to totally disconnect from your friends. You can catch up with them on a video call. Or you can schedule an activity together on Think Metime app! Share your experiences while you do it. You can also take online fitness classes together with Cure.fit.
With mindful me time, I am sure you will be able to maintain your mental health without driving yourself and others crazy!
This Ultimate guide to surviving lockdown should help you to get past this social distancing days successfully and have fun while you are at it!
It is of utmost importance that you –
Breathe,
Live,
Love,
Inspire and
Get some me time!!