Quarantine Coping Fun!

What’s up champions! Consider this your HATW quarantine vibe check! How are we all doing? How are you ​really​ doing?

We sincerely hope that you’re holding up and taking as much care of yourself as you can right now. We’ve got a bunch of content coming up around motivation, taking care of yourself and coping with your mental health in quarantine. But this week we wanted to put together some suggestions of different things to keep you busy and just to have some fun! Blimey, we could all do with some fun right?

These suggestions aren’t intended to make anyone feel rubbish or like you aren’t “achieving”. These sort of things have been pulling me out of my fog and giving me something to look forward to each day, so maybe they’ll help you too!

Gig night​!

I’ve been looking up some of my fave bands’ live sets on Youtube, getting dressed up, turning the lights off at night and pretending I’m at a real life show! Bonus points if you stand up and boogie round your living room for that sweet serotonin boosting exercise! Minus points if you start a one man mosh pit around the sofa and frighten the dog!

Try hosting your own weekend festival too! Put tents up in your living room, making little signs for merch and food stalls. And then either listening to playlists, watching old live sets on Youtube or band DVD’s, even tuning in for live streams! Make wristbands, VIP passes, give your festival a funny name! Put together your ideal line up! Get creative! Get weird! Do whatever you’d do at a real festival! The possibilities are truly endless and you never know- you might come out of this with some new found events management skills!

Spa Day!

I haven’t done this one yet because I ‘haven’t had time’ but a spa day is all about ​making time just for you! It’s about pampering yourself! So my plan is to light a bunch of candles, go wild with some bath bombs and have a long hot soak in the tub. Then I’m gonna give myself a hand and head massage, chuck a face mask on and maybe even go the whole hog and put an ambient spa-esque playlist on. Relaxing and taking some time just to show your body a bit of care is gonna leave you feeling like a brand new person. You’ll be ready to smash your week with the bonus of glowing skin! Right that’s it- this is happening tonight!

Get Active!

I know you might be rolling your eyes right now but I am LOVING the amount of time I’ve got for exercise right now! Because I can’t go to the gym or swimming I’m having to get creative. This means I’ve been getting down to some seriously rad 90s exercise DVDs I borrowed from my Mum years ago. The leotards! The legwarmers! Such a joy!

Here’s a few ideas for you to get up and get yourselves moving!

• Joe Wicks hosts a YouTube channel specifically for working out at home. Check his videos out ​here​! Let me tell you, this guy means business and these exercises are def not just for kids!
• Couch to 5k is a great way to introduce running into your life. Click ​here​ for more info. This one is quite challenging but a great steady way to introduce more exercise into your life!
• How about picking a sport you’ve always wanted to do, but find a way to do it at home! For example, look for ballet classes online, or take the wheels off a skateboard and practice your tricks in the living room! Whatever floats your boat!

Theatres, Museums, Art Galleries!

I’m really missing being able to wander round a museum on a weekend, or check out a friend’s art installation at a local gallery. After a quick google I was surprised at how many cool things to do there are online! Whether it’s watching a piece of theatre or taking a virtual tour around an art gallery in New York it’s amazing to be able to experience so many different worlds from the comfort of your living room! Here’s a few to check out!

• Take in a show with the National Theatre’s weekly screenings on ​YouTube!
• Check out a tonne of different artefacts in the ​National Museum!
• Explore some cool art in the ​Tate Britain​ who have a bunch of online exhibits to peruse!
• Head to New York (virtually) and check out the ​Museum of Modern Art​! Full of quirky fascinating pieces!
• The University of Reading is doing a super cool digital tour of ​Ancient Rome​ for free right now if History and Architecture are your bag!

Get Involved and Be Social!

I love a Zoom quiz as much as the next person but you may want to spice it up a bit and try different ways of socialising (distantly) with friends and family. How about watching a live stream of your favourite club night and having a dance together! Or get your friendship group to pick a favourite record or film that everyone listens to or watches that week. Then you can have a lively debate about it and share your thoughts!

A scavenger hunt or organising an online games tournament is a good way to get people involved in something a bit challenging. And I’ve been doing hang outs where I cook and eat the same meal as friends and pretend we’re having a little dinner party together! Very fancy pants!

It’s just about nurturing those human connections and thinking outside of the box! It’s always great to catch up, but with everyone staying in there’s not a lot to report. Having a fun activity is a way for people to get together and chat, but takes the pressure off of talking about corona or what you all had for tea.

Ps. What did you have for tea?! I need some meal inspiration!

These are just a few ideas to inspire you to enjoy your YOU time a little more. We get that it’s tough right now. Life doesn’t need to be about achieving and upskilling yourself. Just staying healthy and safe right now is taking enough of everyone’s energy. At the end of the day it’s all about what you can manage. Trying to inject a little fun can really lift you on those tough days, so do what you can! Let us know what you’ve been up to!