Keeping busy while staying put : Self-isolating during coronavirus?

We are used to a world that has been continually getting busier and busier, where there are not enough hours in the day, and now many of us have to face the prospect of filling weeks, and even months,with not much to do and nowhere to go. It’s going to be a challenge, particularly for those living alone, or those with young children to care for and entertain.

So we all of us will have to learn to reset our own dials now. As time slows down, so must we, and take the opportunity to wind down and adapt to a slower pace.

There have been many suggestions on how to fill time in the house, from watching Netflix and learning a new language online, to dusting down board games, immersing yourself in novels you never got the chance to read or tackling puzzle books.

There are other things too, like home gardening and reconnecting with the natural world, Spring cleaning room by room, both of which can help keep our bodies and, importantly, our minds active during this time. It might be an idea to see if there’s any resources available to you at home or that can be dropped off for hobbies and crafts. Many of us have lost touch with practising the art of writing by hand and it might be an idea to keep a diary during our confinement. It will be a record of an extraordinary era, unlike any other in living memory, and could prove a valuable resource for people in the future when they try to understand the pandemic of 2020.

Technology is already proving invaluable for many local families, and the telephone and the internet will help us stay in touch with mammies, daddies, grandparents, children and relatives living abroad. If you have access to Skype or FaceTime, all the better.

We will get through this by coming together and acting collectively, while staying apart. These are troubled times, and we must do all in our power to care for our own wellbeing, both physical and mental, during them.