The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises us all to stay a minimum of six-feet apart from others and ideally, stay at home as much as possible in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). There’s even a term for this — social distancing. 

The first few days spent minding your own business and social distancing may not seem like a big deal, but after a week, you need to start getting creative to make it fun.

So, what to do when bored?

Whether you’re staying home from school or trying to find the balance between working from home and taking care of children, here are eight things you can do to make #SmartMovesAtHome.

1. Learn a new skill

“I’ll start learning this when I have more time.”

Sound familiar? If you’ve ever promised yourself to take on something new, now is the time to start delivering. Dust off those books, it’s time to give your brain a proper home workout!

Whether it’s cooking, learning a new language, taking your first steps in the world of graphic design, trying out new editing apps to add a little oomph to your videos, or polishing your make-up skills — now’s a good time to start.

There’s plenty of courses online (these free Ivy League courses will for sure tackle your mind) and we’re giving out access to a number of paid masterclasses. Be sure to take a peek at some of these by visiting our social media pages.

2. Connect with your loved ones

When was the last time you called your mum, dad, aunt, uncle or grandparents?

Social distancing has a big impact on feeling lonely and disconnected from the things and people we love.  Even though we might not be able to reach out to them in person, there are dozens of ways to stay connected and socialise.

Setting up regular face-to-face time via video chat with friends and family is becoming increasingly important. Facetime dates to eat dinner together, watch movies in groups and setting up virtual playdates for kids over Skype or Facebook Lite will help you stay connected remotely.

Taking time to touch base with loved ones and checking in on them adds some much-needed warmth to everyone’s day.

3. Stay Entertained

Whatever floats your boat: there are dozens of streaming services, YouTube channels, podcasts and social media pages to keep you entertained during this period. With Netflix partnering with Google Chrome to launch the Netflix party, you can watch movies remotely with friends and enjoy synchronised video playbacks and group chats.

4. Create a dedicated workspace for yourself

Whether you’re a student, a small business owner or a nine to fiver, you will definitely benefit from carving out a dedicated workspace for yourself.

Sure, it may seem like fun to work in your p-jays and hang out in bed for the first week or so, but to optimise productivity levels and keep your sense of purpose, try to maintain as many elements of your regular routine as possible.

And yes, that includes getting dressed in the morning and dedicating a portion of living space to be your workspace. Only this way can you maintain a healthy work-life balance.

5. Eat healthily

A friendly reminder to make the best out of your stay at home calories!

Ensuring that you’re not over or under eating and maintaining proper nutrition is very important during these times. Also, since you have some more time on your hands, you can try being more adventurous with your meals!

How about trying out that old school recipe from your childhood or the one from your favourite food blogger? Just make sure you’re eating your greens and boosting your immune system while at it!

6. It’s home workout time!

Social distancing doesn’t mean you have to sit around on the couch all day. Thanks to numerous fitness trainers, you can enjoy a thorough equipment-free home workout session without leaving your living room.

There’s nothing like a heart-pumping workout to get your day started on the right note and keep stress levels low while helping you feel accomplished and ready to take on your day.

If your style is a little less fitness routine, you can walk around the house, play with the kids, dance to some music or come up with your own creative way to keep your activity levels high.

7. Keep your daily self-care routine

Practicing mindfulness through breathing techniques, yoga, reading books, meditating or just enjoying some time in the tub can help you de-stress and feel like your best self.  

You could also consider keeping a journal. It’s easy for the days to merge into one another, writing can help to keep your mind sharp. Keep track of your thoughts, document to-do lists and pen down reflective thoughts and gratitude notes. It may also be a great way to keep your mental health in check during this period.

8. Positive vibes only

There’s a lot of troubling news out there so you have to be intentional about creating a safe space for yourself.

Anything that causes you anxiety should be avoided. Instead, find positive online communities and social media pages where you can make new friends, get inspired and chat about things you care about.

You could start by searching for groups that are passionate about the things you care about.

Stay safe!

Do you have a good tip to make #SmartMovesAtHome to add to this list? Be sure to let us know about it on any of our social media pages – sharing is caring! Also, remember that the best source of information regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the World Health Organization. The “Advice for the public” section of their website offers the latest practical tips and information on the outbreak. There is also a 24-hour toll-free hotline – 0800 029 999 that you can phone for more information as well as a Whatsapp support channel you can join by saying “Hi” on 0600 123 456.