As of March 23rd, the University of Nottingham is closing and we will be studying from home online, being encouraged to have as little contact with people as possible. I know what those natural hermits are thinking… how dreamy?! But, I can promise you after 3 days of not leaving the house, you will be craving fresh air and human company.
Us being fit, healthy students, I’m sure we will all be fine, and come out of this Corona-tastrophe with no problems! But for the meantime, what are we going to do with ourselves? We are a sociable bunch (mostly…), and there’s only so many times you can have a self-care face mask/ bath/ online shopping day with your dog, I know my bank account won’t take more than one!
So, in the spirit of staying positive throughout this pandemic, I’ve come up with a few little tricks to stay out of the realms of boredom and keep those brains ticking along.
1. Start that book you’ve been meaning to, and if you don’t have one, here are some of my favourite books that I strongly believe everyone should read:
Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller – a beautiful rendition of the Trojan War from the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles lover. The only book to make me cry, and has such a lovely ending, 1000000% would recommend to a friend.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett – Gone with the Wind retold from the eyes of the black maids and their families, absolutely incredible piece of work, I could not put it down!
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini – the story of two women (fictional) growing up under the rule of the Taliban. Heart wrenching yet awe inspiring! A beautiful love story too.
2. Try and avoid daily binges. Too much TV can make you feel groggy, get outside and get some fresh air, even if it is just a short walk with the doggo. Watch your fave series in the evening, try and keep the routine as normal as you can! Uni work/reading in the day, chill in evenings. Sorted. Some series I recommend if you’re struggling:
Noughts and Crosses, BBC1
The Stranger, Netflix
Fawlty Towers, Netflix
Liar, ITV
Power, Netflix
Big Little Lies, Sky
3. Do those little jobs you’ve been putting off. Update CV, LinkedIn, make sure all your social media is up to date, get some blogging done (or start a blog!), brainstorm potential work experience for the future, look into online courses that’d be relevant to what you want to do. This extra time on your hands could be a great time to get career focused!
4. Get into cooking. With more time at home, you can spend more time on your meals and be inventive with food; use what you have in the fridge to do some lovely home cooking! It’s great to be creative when we’re bored, to have an end result that you can be proud of. Same goes for writing, painting, drawing… whatever takes your fancy! Create something you can be proud of and feel productive for.
5. And once all this productivity is underway, treat yourself to some of those guilty pleasures; online shopping, daily baths with candles, PS4, Sims, annoying your siblings. Whatever you’re into. Just have a day enjoying your own company, why not!