Right now, the very best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to stay home and avoid physical contact with other people, so let’s do that! Along with many of our friends and family, we’ve been in self-isolation for over a fornight already and talking to them; one of the big challenges we’re all facing is maintaining a postive mood. So, I wanted to share a few of our favourite ways to embrace the stay home heroics and boost your mood over the next few weeks….

Get some fresh air & excercise! If like us, you can’t be near people, you can still get some fresh air & excercise. Go and be outside, hang the washing out, have a cup of tea sat on the doorstep or in the garden. Even if you just open all of the windows for an hour, a good blast of fresh air will lift the spirits! If you cann’t face the energetic Joe Wicks for your daily PE lesson (and he’s really good, you should give him a try) then try a walk. Just remember to stay over 2m away from anyone who’s not a member of your household. If going out is not an option, then try the Bronte Sisters tactic, a walk around the table. In the winter when the Yorkshire weather prevented them from going out, they would walk laps around the table, whilst planning their writing. I’m doing this whilst listening to audio books (The Old Curiosity Shop), it’s great.

Be creative! While we’re in lockdown we got plenty of time to finish projects, learn new skills, do some glueing and sticking with the kids. We’re putting togeather a family and friend colouring in session, using zoom (online meeting app). Oh and we could even make one of those lovely little projects that we so often coo over on Pinterest (but never quite get around to making)! We can take 10 mins and write a Japanese Haiku poem – it’s really easy, write three lines, they don’t need to rhyme, they must have 5 sylables in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 again in the last line. Create something, express yourself and gift yourself yourself a sense of achievement – good for our self-esteem & mood!

Get organised. I can’t be the only one with a long list of ‘things i’m gonna do, when I’ve got the time’! So let’s sort that pile of paperwork, wash our way through the permanent laundry mountain, de-clutter & reorganise the draws, cupboards, wardrobes, spare rooms, lofts, basements, garages, gardens. If you need assitance with your de-cluttering, try taking a look at Marie Kondo, she has a lovely, game changing take on de-cluttering – don’t worry about getting rid of things – just keep the things that ‘Spark joy’! She’s re-invigorated our home and I recommend her book it’s a really helpful guide. So, lets make a list of things to do and get cracking. Tidy up, sort & de-clutter and then clean. Once eveything is spick and span, then make it smell sweet; put a few drops of essential oils on to a folded hanky or tissue and tuck it behind the radiator, as it warms it will release it’s fragrance. I like to use this organic orange essential oil room spay; it’s refreshing and comforting. A clean, tidy, clutter-free & sweet smelling environment is a great mood booster.

Get cooking – So we’ve got time to expand our menu and some of the foods that we took for granted are not readily available at present, giving us the perfect excuse to get back into the kitchen and have a bit of an adventure. This is easy-peasy, take a look at what you’ve got and then check out the internet for recipes. Also, I’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s new TV show, he’s doing recipes that will work for a wide range of ingredients and you can swap out things that you don’t have. This is a great way to spend time as a family and build skills!

Be part of this. We all have something we can do; self-isolating does not mean you need to be alone and this is true of everyone else. So call your family and friends, play games and quizes over whatsapp video calls, have a watch party, play hide and seek in minecraft, put up rainbows for the rainbow trail, wave to passers-by, start a neighbourhood chat group, join in the Thank You applause for our key workers, grab groceries for others when you shop, sign up to volunteer. Stay physically distant, but, do join in, it’s a important to meet your neighbours and join in with your local community.

Relax – Keeping busy during lock-down is really important, but so is getting some rest & relaxation. This is the perfect time to top up on sleep, take up meditation and mindfulness. Find things to do that relax you; gardening, painting, knitting, Japanese clothes folding, read a good book, tell jokes, sing songs or just be!

I hope you find these mood boosters helpful.

Be kind to yourself & others – stay safe !

Sarah x

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