How to Cope at Home During COVID-19! *

With everyone being asked to stay at home to help ease the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus, I thought I’d share with you some of my ideas that I’m doing to help make it a little easier! I also asked my lovely Twitter followers for their top tips so I’m sure you’ll find at least one idea from this long list (this will be updated daily too!)…

Home Workouts

There are so many great fitness workouts that are happening online right now!

Fiit, the home workout where you wear a heart rate monitor and aim to beat personal goals following along to PT using iPad or Phone that you can stream to the TV. Using a tracker you can also join live classes and compete for the number 1 spot.

The Body Coach, Joe Wicks, is doing a PE lesson for children every morning Monday to Friday at 9am on youtube live and he has also added 2 10 minute workouts specifically for elderly if you want to share with your grandparents or neighbours.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Working (out) From Home and has posted a great workout routine on Reddit you can do from home.

But if you’re looking something a little more fun then try learning some of those viral dances off TikTok as suggested by Lizi. Or if you’ve created your own videos and want to try to beat the algorithm, then buy TikTok likes to get the ball rolling.

A pal of mine, Jodie, who runs JM3 is offering dance classes via Zoom too. You’ll be catching me doing Zumba in my living room at 10am on Saturday morning for sure!

Hannah has said making sure I go for morning/evening walks or doing a little workout in the garden before work. The fresh air, blue skies and sunshine are really helping this week with it, so make sure you use your allocated exercise time to get out!

Online Games/Socialising

One of our favourite quiz platforms is Sporcle, that has almost one million different quizzes. The topics range from Disney to science, from sports to politics, from geography to music and everything in between.

Pub Quiz! Everyone loves a pub quiz so on Twitch at 7pm most nights a guy hosts a pub quiz, you dial in and join in, which can be quite fun!

Houseparty is the newest must-have app for the ‘Rona lockdown! A group video app with a bit of a twist; you can set up a video call, leave it public and then up to 7 of your friends can join your chat just like walking into a house party! You can also play games as a group, which are great fun. Quick Draw is a personal favourite as I’m so bad at drawing!

Musical Bingo is back via Zoom where you compete online to win prizes. Last time I joined in Musical Bingo I split my trousers for dancing so hard so be prepared.

Whether you use Houseparty, Zoom, Whatsapp, Skype etc why not have a virtual wine tasting with your mates. You all buy the same bottle of wine (shop permitting) and all discuss the wine you’ve chosen to drink. We have a wine tasting date booked in with my parents already!

Moonstone Murder Mysteries are putting on weekly live-streamed murders on their YouTube channel every Thursday at 20:15. Of course, it’s not a real murder, but can you catch the killer?

Need something fun for your lunch? Livestream lunchtime lockdown laughs with ComedySportz! Two teams of comedians go to toe to toe (from a distance) with quick-witted gags and games.

Gather around a laptop and play Musical Bingo like never before as they take things online for a virtual experience! Played via Zoom this is your chance to turn your crib into the club and get jiggy from the comfort of your home. Join in on Saturday 4th April via Zoom from 19:15 – 21:30; buy tickets here.

Jackbox.tv on your games console is great – you use your phones/tablets as controllers so ‘2 to 100’ people can play and it’s quizzes etc. You get a room code that you insert onto their website so you can be wherever and compete. It’s so much fun. the basic pack of 5 games is £20 but it’s worth that for just playing with the people you live with. The only issue is that those not in your house won’t be able to see your screen so we use Houseparty to stream our screen to our friends.

Download The Sims and playing your dream life! A super idea from Char and one that I’ll be getting on board with this weekend!

Dabbers Bingo are hosting fun-filled bingo event Friday and Saturday evenings throughout April so be sure to grab your tickets as they’re donating to charitable causes too.

Throw a dance party in true Kariss style! You all grab a drink at home, make a joint playlist and dance the night away. Extra points for dad dancing!

Samantha said that in her WhatsApp group her and her friends set each other daily challenges! They try to keep them positive too like your favourite memory of each person or saying something nice about each person, pretty wholesome if you ask me!

Another wholesome idea comes from Josy, who suggests going through and sort old photos. It’s great for bloggers so you can find things to write about and it makes you happy finding old photos of friends/travels. Double points if you then share some of them with friends and use it as an excuse to catch up.

Rumour has it that the Friday Twiz is on it’s way back so check in with Nickie to be kept up to date!

Clo has suggested digging out that old games console you’ve got stashed in the cupboard. She’s got her Wii out and is loving Mario Kart and party games!

Fun for Couples 

Get your mind out of the gutter!! These are a few ideas for couples that are currently living and working together.

We are planning a Date Night for each Friday evening; we are going to pop on real clothes, I’m going to put on some makeup and we’re going to order a takeaway (whilst we still can). There may be a bottle of wine or two involved too, oh and they key point, NO mobile phones!

Fun for Families

As you can tell, we don’t have children, so we need some more tips for this, so hit me up!

If you’ve got young children that are missing their friends, why not host a Social Picnic. Set up a Zoom meeting, pop a picnic blanket on the floor and eat your lunch there with all your friends on your screen to chat too!

If you’re able to, why not subscribe to Disney+ as Matt says it has been quite the saviour over the past week!

The team from The Harvey Centre in Essex have created some easy, printable craft ideas, recipes and activities to do at home this Easter to ease the boredom – you can download them here.

This one can go for kids and adults alike, but tun your living room or bedroom into a fort! Use your cushions, pillows, blankets, duvets and get super creative.

The Sea Life Aquarium in London are doing live sessions over on their Instagram account which is beyond cute,

Educational/Crafting Hobbies

If you want to use your time for learning something new, these ideas are for you!

There are 450 courses for free from the Ivy League colleges in America here. I’ve signed up to an Epyptology one!

If you want to take up knitting then use the advice from Hayley to watch plenty of YouTube videos and get big needles to practice with. Or why not try crocheting too. Scrapbooking and Cross Stich are also fun new hobbies worth trying.

If you’re into manifesting, then why not use this time to create a vision board so you can see your goals and what you’re looking forward to in the future.

Join your local library and download their audiobook app called Libby for free, then just chill out and relax while someone reads you a story! An excellent idea from Lilla.

Another great idea from Lilla is why not go through your wardrobe and see how you could update, repurpose or mend some of your old favourites with the help of YouTube!

If like Lizi you’re a podcast fan or never listened to one, then this is a great time to get listening to podcasts. We are both fans of The Secret World of Slimming Clubs which is a hoot a minute! I’d also recommend Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster and I Secretly Recorded My Boyfriend.

Write a novel was an idea that came in from Lucy and now I’m so very intrigued! If anyone else takes this challenge on I’d love to know!

Adult Colouring Books is another idea from Lucy which is a great way to keep calm if this all gets a little too much! I’ve dug mine out!

A top tip from Rachel would be to focus your mind on something entirely different, she’s decided to learn how to speak Italian. Apps such as Duolingo are great for this.

Charitable

Sign up to become a Give as you Live member so that when you DO need to make an online purchase, you’re also raising a free donation for a food bank, animal shelter or other in-need cause at this difficult time.

Empty your wardrobes, drawers, kitchen cupboards, under the bed and bag up anything you don’t need ready to donate to a local charity shop when you can.

My favourite one of all is to foster a pet if you’re in the position too. So many animal shelters will be short-staffed so giving a dog, cat, chicken, whatever needs a home some of your time will be really appreciated right now.

Support Small Businesses

This one is something I support all year round but please remember to check in with local shops that are still open, but please do so safely. See if your favourite restaurant is now offering to do takeaways, your local baker may still be baking which is ideal as supermarkets are running low on bread, if you’ve got a local brewery drop them a line to see if they are still brewing, your local farm shop is likely to have more produce than the supermarket and lots are offering deliveries and local butchers too!

Food 

Our favourite vegan doughnut shop, Crosstown, has teamed up with local shops and businesses to become The Crosstown Collective to create retail food boxes for delivery to your homes across London.

Our second most favourite doughnut stop, Doughtnut Time have released their very own DIY kits which are so much fun! We made such a mess but are waiting to be asked to join the team as they looked and tasted pretty darn good!

Twisted have launched their second new lockdown series ‘What’s In Your Fridge?’ where you send over photos of what you currently have in your fridge and Sophie will rustle up a little something. Their first series, ‘Corner Shop Challenge’ makes meals from what you can find locally without hitting big supermarkets.

Looking for something different to do online with family and friends? Then why not try a private cookery class from The Avenue Cookery School. They are offering private masterclasses and sushi classes hosted online to learn some new skills whilst in lockdown.

The wonderful ladies behind Makan Malaysia have launched delivery boxes! I am so excited for these and will be ordering one for next weekend for sure! I still think of their Vegan Supperclub daily!

Pidgin in London have launched Homing Pidgin so you an enjoy their delights at home! You are able to purchase a three-course meal priced at £25 a head and the wine at an additional cost. The only downside is that you have to collect from the restaurant itself but I’ve seen friends using this service and it looks incredible!

Drink

If you’re missing out on visiting quirky cocktail bars like we are, then Callooh Callay are to hand. Their bar tenders are still mixing drinks (safely) and you can have them delivered. This week they have added Apple and Elderflower Collins and Peachy Scotch High-Ball to their delivery menu.

I’m sure we’re all missing our local pubs, so if you’re a CAMRA member then head on over to The Red (On)Lion; an online pub doing tastings and to meet likeminded people.

Find your local pubs, restaurants, grocers + more, that will deliver to your front door by using the awesome new site from Your Local Delivered. If you’re a business offering take away services, then you can list for free too!

There’s a huge list of local breweries to keep your beer supply stocked up here.

Make Money

As you’ve got some spare time, why not sign up to a Paid Surveys site and earn some cash. You won’t become an overnight millionaire but it’s pennies for very little work during COVID 19. My personal favourite is PollPass; for about 5mins work a week I earn around £3 and that goes straight into my house fund. Every penny helps right?

Pamper Time

Hair masks, long baths with bath bombs, face masks; you know all the things you put off or don’t feel like you have the time for normally!

Kelly says to take actual time for a nice long bath with a good book, candles, Radox, no technology, full skincare, exfoliate and fake tan, the lot. She did this recently for the first time without a “time-limit” in ages and it was SO good for her mental health!

For Bloggers

A great idea that I hadn’t even thought about, which is a huge shame on me given my day job, was highlighted by Victoria in this super handy post; check your broken links! I use Broken Link Check and it’s something I’ve added to my to-do list!

A bit of a boring one, but one you will feel great for doing; your tax return! Get it sent of nice and early so it’s a weight off your shoulders.

Home Chores

Make a list of all those chores you keep postponing, you know cleaning the oven, cleaning the grout in your bathroom, or blitzing your wardrobe for clothes that no longer fit etc.

Here’s a little list to get you kicked off:

• Use Pink Stuff to clean the oven and be able to see through the window again
• Sort out your grout; mine has been a light shade of blue since dying my hair a couple of years back, but it will be white again!
• Descale your kettle, taps and showerhead
• Cull all those items you’ve not worn in the past 6 months, or even vac pack your clothes for better storage
• Defrost your freezer
• Sort out that cupboard with all your spices and condiments – there’s bound to be a few well out of date!

Not quite a home chore, but it’s an organisational one – use this time to sort the files on your computer! Empty that recycle bin, sort your downloads folder and tidy up the home screen too!

Theatre, Film, Music and Radio

Going to the theatre may be something we all dream of doing at the moment but we do still have a few options!

The National Theatre is live-streaming a show every Thursday night at 7pm which is super exciting and best of all it’s free. If you’re in the position it’d be super great if you could donate to the theatre if you watch the show as they will certainly be very grateful.

If you’re a Shakespeare fan, then head over to The Barn Theatre’s production of Henry V on their Facebook page.

One you may not know of that I found about from Kariss, is that  Digital Theatre Online streams not only West End shows, but shows from all over the UK for £9.99 a month. If you’re only looking for one certain show you can rent just that too without a subscription.

This awesome site will show the entire earth with numerous green spots; these green dots are local radio stations! Pick a green dot and play any radio station anywhere in the world.

The incredible Royal Albert Hall are excited to present #RoyalAlbertHome; a programme of exclusive sessions by the world’s most talented artists, streaming from their homes to yours. We can’t wait to tune in!

Radiohead are releasing previously unseen concert films every Thursday night on their YouTube Channel.

If you want live music in any form then the Stay at Home Online Musical Festival site will be so handy! The list live streaming from all over the world day by day so you don’t miss out.

Get ready for virtually the best film club in the world-Secret Sofa presented by Häagen-Dazs. Secret Cinema will bring you Secret Worlds you may have loved, may have missed or which might not have happened yet, directly to your home. They’re talking everything from additional storylines to character and costume suggestions to era-defining music and activities to food and drink ideas, you just et involved as much as you want. At 7.30pm on a Friday, thousands of us will hit play at the same time to watch some of the greatest films together!

Travel

Missing out on travelling? Why not travel so some of the worlds most amazing places via a virtual tour; Palace of Versailles, Taj Mahal, Giant’s Causeway, Pyramid of Giza, Acropolis, Machu Picchu, Petra, and the Great Wall of China.

Wonderful Advice to Get Through COVID 19

If you’re working from home, Steve has some great advice ‘Break your day down into 30-minute chunks, just like Hugh Grant did in the movie ‘About a Boy’. Full hours are intimidating. So get started on a 30-minute task and if you begin to get into it then simply append another 30 minutes onto the end.’

Harriet says if you have a to-do list or a few projects you’d like to get done (painting/decorating/gardening) then take it slow and don’t feel like you have to cram everything in and be mega productive with downtime. We don’t know how long this will last, so it’s good to eek out things to fill your days with and then you’ll have little tasks to look forward to rather than seeing them as chores.

On top of that, Becca says to do all of those things you always say you’ll get round to but never do! Organising makeup drawers, washing the car, taking stock of everything in the cupboards… Whilst they might sound dull, now’s the best time to get them done!

Thanks to everyone that joined in and be sure to check back as I will be adding every tip that I get sent on Twitter, so if you have one, tweet me here. I’ll also add any that come to mind of my own!

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