As the weekend slowly sets in, there is that sudden gush of relief that one feels on a Friday evening and that is “it’s almost weekend”. Even as you enjoy the safety of home, you can feel the days rolling into each other…and before you know it, it’s the weekend and you haven’t changed out of your clothes you put on last week!
But you know, the idea and the meaning of weekends before quarantine were completely different. Weekend is the time where one would throng the streets of local market, or perhaps even a shopping mall, having a date or just meeting your mates for lunch or dinner. But now, the ideology has changed. As we enter the 30th day of lock down today, slowly the vibes of unmotivation, anxiety and depression creep in.
I can totally understand because we are all in this together and I do face the same as said above. But you know, it is at desperate times at these that we need to keep our sanity in check and that’s exactly what this post is about.
Whether you’re a corporate professional, freelancer or even perhaps a parent, we need to pause what we do and reflect on our actions.
So here are my top 10 quarantine ideas on a weekend
(i) Turn off the work mode
This is obviously the first thing that I can talk about. Working from home for nearly a month has been very difficult and tumultuous in being able to differentiate professional life and personal life. To be honest, I have lost count of the number of days and there are times where I don’t even remember when the first day of the week started.
So, in order to bring a line of separation between both the lives, the first thing is to log off all work related devices. Trust me, we have 5 days of back to back office work, routines and meetings to keep us on our toes…..But that is all to satisfy our materialistic needs. But what about our own health? Now, that is something that you need to think upon
(II) Digital Detox
Now these are the days, where we can possibly be glued to our smartphones and devices all day long.But with all that is happening around the world and we being notified on apps like Facebook about the death rates or the number of cases live, do you think looking at those numbers and worrying about our existence would be of some use? Rather than this, watching the ceiling of our room would be of much more of a calming effect to our brain. So reward yourself by staying away from mobile gadgets and even you spending time to sleep is really a good way to calm down
(iii) Put your thoughts to paper
Not every single aspect that we think can be spoken about.Hence,a good way to deal with a cluttered mind is to brain dump whatever it is that goes in our mind into a piece of paper sans filter. This is not for anyone else, but for you to just analyze as to what it is that is going on inside. I try to do this whenever I can and it does wonders. You feel a whole lot lighter and like a weight is lifted off from your heart. Do this like anytime of the day.
(iv) Spend time with your family
Uncertainty has hit us really hard and every single passing day seems to be moving as slow as molasses. It is at these times that we must make sure that we stay together with our families. Bring out your dusty carom board and the classic scrabble to the rescue. There is no fun than playing board games and group activities with our loved ones as in our childhood. It’s like recreating childhood memories. Use pen and paper and note down your points! Just like old times!!!!
(v) Call your friend or your family if they are distant
Now, I know that the above may not be applicable for everyone. Take kids of healthcare professionals or cross border families who are like miles and may be even seas apart. Checking up on them to see if they are alright and just assuring them that everything is going to be okay is indeed a divine feel. Schedule a video or normal call and speak to them for hours…I mean at the end, FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE ALL THAT WE HAVE.
(VI) Upscale your cooking skills
This is something that I am personally taking up. I enjoy the eating part a whole lot more than the actual cooking. But you know, being an ultimate foodie and not able to dine out is disheartening for me.That’s when I decided that I could cook some lip smacking food for my family that I truly love eating out. Believe me, I am still a beginner and have a long way to go…Don’t aim for perfection, but get it done by starting it...Who knows, you might be the next best cook ;)
(vii) Catch up on reading
This is the best time to brush up on your long lost reading habit or if you even intended to develop one. Remember the times when you used to say “I wish I could read, but I just don’t have the time even to catch up on my sleep”. Trust me, there is no best time than NOW. Pick up your favorite book and just dedicate a solid 1 hour or even start off by taking 30 mins of your time in reading a soulful book. If you feel like reading a physical book could be a hassle, I would personally recommend audio books with the help of an app that could be of much use to you. It is none other than Blinkist. So what Blinkist does is, it compresses a whole book into 15 minutes so that you can listen to blinks of it and if you find the book to be interesting, you can listen to the whole book.
Try this app if you haven’t!
(viii) Planning for the week ahead
Ideally, your planning for the upcoming week, should start on the Friday evening itself. But still, it’s not a problem. Take some time off your Saturday early morning or any hour of that day and fill in your planner and to do lists. Fill in whatever tasks it is, even if you are home maker, you can plan your meals and the decluttering days for the week. Also, make sure to check that the pantry essentials and home supplies are stocked up.
(ix) Discover your new passion or grow your current one
Take this time as one to revisit the old hobbies that made you happy and fulfilling. Painting, cooking, gardening, reading, YouTube or even blogging. Whatever it is, make sure to allocate just a little amount of time for your wellbeing and even develop your personal brand.
(x) Learn something online
And last but definitely not the least, this post would be incomplete if I didn’t mention about self-learning. Consider Internet as a university or a school of learnings rather than a platform just for entertainment and gaming. If you want to develop a brand, study a new language, build your own business, you would need to invest in yourself. At the end of the day, no matter how and where you invest, you are your best investment !!!
So there you go, my top 10 ideas for a quarantine weekend. Pick up the things which resonate to you to the most and stick to it as a habit. On the contrary, it is okay if you are held up now, take this at your own pace and one step at a time!
Happy weekend folks!