Staying home, to the best of our ability, is the most sensible and responsible decision we can make in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We are not on vacation but circumstances have given us something that we always complain about doing without: TIME. Time to be at home, time to be with the family, time to cook, time to read, time to play, time to exercise, time for whatever you want.
Now that we have to spend as much time as possible at home, it is time to disconnect from the informational psychosis (especially to get out of the loop of hoaxes and sensationalisms) and take advantage of our time regardless of our circumstances . You may have to spend these days alone or you may be lucky enough to do it as a family. You will also likely have to telecommute caring for children or the elderly.
We have to stay at home yes or yes and that is why we propose a series of proposals to take advantage of the time and connect with everything that allows you to face the situation that we have to live with serenity, optimism and courage.
Monday: starting the week with positive energy
- Practice meditation or mindfulness. Start the week meditating. Meditation and mindfulness will help you connect with the essentials and start the week with a more serene and positive attitude. This is a practice that you can do daily to start the day with much more focus and energy.
Get some exercise. Training at home is very easy thanks to the Internet. There are many simple routines that you can practice alone or with your family at home to keep your body in tip-top shape. Reserve at least 15 minutes a day to practice the exercise that you like the most, but remember to move! Look at the planning to activate body and mind that we have prepared.
- Assign weekly homework. Start the week by meeting with the people who live with you and establishing a series of tasks assigned to each person. For example, children may be responsible for keeping the room clean, making their beds, and clearing the table after meals. Adults can share bathroom and kitchen cleaning, laundry and general house cleaning. And also, you can take advantage of cleaning and order in closets and / or rooms of the house that you generally have more forgotten.
Tuesday: a day for culture that we can repeat throughout the week
Listen to music that makes you happy. Since we live in the digital age and Spotify, many times we forget what it was to listen to a record (vinyl, CD, cassette). An hour in which we consciously enjoyed those melodies that managed to make us smile (or some tear), improve our mood, appreciate the harmony of the notes and the voices sounding together. Let's take advantage of the digital age and get back to enjoying our favorite artists.
Read a book. Despite living in Netflix times, reading is a pleasure that we can bring back these days. Pick a book that inspires, entertains, and motivates you. Also, if you live with children, it will be a great example for them to see you reading and they will surely imitate your initiative by reading their own books.
Enjoy a good movie. The end of the day is a good time to relax and choose a good movie to watch alone or in company. Make a list of the movies you want to see: cult movies, inspirational movies, comedies that help you disconnect and when you finish, exchange opinions and points of view.
Wednesday: order in the equator of the week
- Sort the clothes.With spring just around the corner this is a great time to stop in front of our cabinets and drawers and tidy up once and for all. Apply Marie Kondo's advice, empty your cabinets and drawers and deposit all your clothes on the bed or another surface where it is comfortable for you and decide item by item with what things you keep and what things you are going to donate, give or sell. Keep those clothes that you use frequently, that are in good condition, that are your current size and that make you happy. Get rid of clothes that you have not used for more than a year, that do not fit or are in poor condition. If you live as a family, you can repeat this operation as a team member by family member. You will be surprised how orderly everything is, the space you will win and the amount of clothes you will say goodbye to.
- Sort your photos. And we do not mean to take out the albums of yesteryear, which can also be, but to organize all the photos you have on your mobile and store them in a safe place in an orderly way. First, look for a hard drive (or if you prefer it in the cloud) with enough storage and create folders according to what is most comfortable for you: by years, by months, by events, by people. Review all the photos on your phone and erase all those that are repeated, screenshots, those that are out of focus or are not worth saving. Finally, organize photos by folders to easily find them when you need them and free up space on your mobile phone.
- Order papers and bills. If in your house there are mountains of papers, letters, receipts, invoices, circulars, instructions for electrical appliances, contracts, etc. scattered everywhere, it's time to put order! First, gather all the papers that you find around your house in one place and review them one by one, discarding the ones you don't need. Organize the ones you need to keep by categories, if it is possible to digitize them, don't hesitate. Put in an organized way, either by year or by category, the papers that you have previously classified and from now on, try to keep order!
Thursday: training and online training from home
- Start an online course on something you need to learn or are passionate about. Another of the great advantages of the digital age is the wide variety of online courses (both free and paid) that we can access. Many times we start them and we never manage to finish them "due to lack of time." This is definitely a good time to spend at least an hour a day doing that course that you need or want so much.
- Learn a new language or reinforce one you already know. Take advantage of digital tools to learn or reinforce that language that you need or like so much. You can study grammar but you can also take the opportunity to watch series or movies in that language, read a book or download an APP to practice conversation.
- Get hooked on a podcast that provides valuable content. Podcasts have come into our lives to revolutionize them. Thanks to these à la carte programs we can train, inspire, empower ourselves, inform ourselves, entertain ourselves … find the podcast that most closely matches your interests, get yourself some good headphones and enjoy listening and learning at the same time.
- Spend some time writing. Write a journal, a journal, or perhaps begin to write the first pages of what could be a book. Writing exercises memory, creativity and, if that weren't enough, writing is liberating and relaxes you. This is a perfect time to develop the habit of writing and spread it to everyone who lives with you.
- Start a handmade project 'handmade'. Whether you like or are not too enthusiastic about crafts, today can be a great day to start that project that you have in mind for a long time but for which you could not find the most suitable moment. Thanks to the thousands of tutorials that can be found on the Internet, you can create practically anything at home from scratch and with your own hands. If you want, you can involve the people who live with you and make it even more stimulating.
- Share quality and conscious time with your family. Now that we have the opportunity to dedicate quality time to ours, turn off the TV and connect with the people you live in a conscious way. Look them in the eye while you tell each other stories, dreams, plans or simply while you share a game of cards or a board game.
Saturday: relax and quality time
- Practice yoga. This ancient practice not only helps your body to stay fit and more flexible, but it also brings you peace, harmony and stability. Practicing yoga at home is easy and simple and it is an activity that you can do alone or with the rest of the people who live at home with you. Try to set aside a few minutes a day for this practice and you will soon notice the benefits.
- Enjoy aromatherapy. If you have not yet started in the world of essential oils, this is an excellent time. Its positive effects on our mood are so many that it is worth discovering them one by one. In addition, they help to create a purer and more relaxed atmosphere at home. But even if you need to work from home, you can take advantage of synergies to help you focus better and create a favorable environment to set up your home office.
- Make a date with your partner or set aside time to take care of yourself. Although these days you spend a lot of time at home, you may end up watching for so many things that you forget to take care of yourself or your partner. Remember to define a time for yourself and / or to spend quality time also as a couple. It is a unique opportunity to connect with yourself and with the people you love.
Sunday: conscious and healthy eating
- Take care of your plants or start your own urban garden. It is scientifically proven that plants improve the quality of the air in our homes and our mood. These days take the opportunity to take care of your plants with more care than ever and if you can also start your own urban garden, it is sure to be an ideal distraction whether you are alone or if you live with your family.
- Organize the weekly menu. Now that you are going to be home is a wonderful opportunity to take care of your diet conscientiously. Eat dishes prepared at home, with real, unprocessed foods and organize your menu to be able to make healthier and more balanced meals. Do not miss Clear things , the blog of the nutritionist Carlos Ríos for CLARA.es and the realfooding healthy menu that we propose every week from our website.
- Practice Batch cooking. Sunday is the quintessential day to prepare meals for the whole week. If you were not yet practicing batch cooking, this may be a good opportunity to get into the habit and learn how to prepare everything you need for the week in just one day. In this way it will be easier to be able to foresee what food you need in your pantry and in your fridge and to eat in a more balanced and healthy way.
