When we're not well, the inclination can be to lay on the sofa, drink Tomato Soup and watch endless box sets. But what when that gets boring and you're up to a bit more?
So you've done the laying on the sofa bit, you're feeling a bit better - maybe you weren't ill in the first place but self isolating for any number of reasons that we've been hearing about. Whatever the reason for being indoors - we can all only tolerate so much from our favourite entertainment providers.
Why not then, look to do something positive with your time such a learn a new skill, develop an existing one or maybe even write about one. We're going to look at just a couple of ways in which you can turn your time in isolation in a positive experience and something that will be a positive experience for Mind and Body.
You'll find soon enough that in-spite of there being hundreds of titles on Netflix, Prime or Now TV - you'll be flashing past them and nothing will take your fancy!
Now the irony of us suggesting that you've had enough of screen time and then recommending that you enjoy some more by following some of our tips is not lost on us. But we are talking about Top Tips here that may serve you better than just being a box set junkie. Education over Entertainment.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is somewhat of an ancient art which began in the 13th century and what we love about it is that anyone from young to old can take this up and it is said that even if you're practicing Tai Chi badly, it's still good Tai Chi! It combines deep breathing with relaxation and flowing movements and can even be done sitting down.
One of our favourite Tai Chi Masters is Dr. Paul Lam who founded the Tai Chi for Health Institute and my own Tai Chi instructor is a member of that institution. Dr. Lam has taken Tai Chi from not just being an art, to a real health improving activity and has a number of courses including his world famous Tai Chi for Arthritis Course.
The good thing is that you don't have to spend money on this straight away, as Dr. Lam has a great freebie up on YouTube. It's called Tai Chi for beginners and is a great place to start.
We absolutely LOVE Tai Chi - so why not have a look at his freebie which you can find here
Taking an online course
Ever fancied learning a musical instrument, studying for an MBA (maybe a bit heavy), writing that novel or learning how to be the best you can be or even learning how to cook that perfect curry by mastering the art of Indian Cooking.
There's an absolute abundance of ways to learn online and much can be found by simply going on YouTube and seeing what skills people are happy to show us. If you want to take it a little further and be perhaps a little more serious about your learning, then look at the various online course providers there are, such as Udemy which is one of the biggest.
The cost of the courses will vary with some introduction courses being free, and some costing a couple of hundred. Lookout for the deals as there are many and you could be able to bag yourself a decent course for as little as a tenner. I managed to do just that recently and got two full courses for just ten pounds each.
If you find one you like at the full price, it's always worth doing a bit of the old Google and see if there happens to be an offer for it out there. Not guaranteed, but always worth the look.
You can find the full range of Udemy Courses on www.udemy.com
Write that novel
It is said that everyone has a novel in them and even though there are some that say it should stay there - why not give it a go? Even if you never intend to get it published how 'bout writing something for the rest of the family?
What was it like growing up in your era? Get it down on paper! Your thoughts at the time - boyfriends, girlfriends, mates and music. Hopes and wishes - what you achieved and what you didn't.
Ever watched a film or read a book and didn't like the way it ended? Re-write the ending just for fun - or better still begin your own story and finish it how you like. Just by starting this you could open up all sorts of creativity that you didn't even know was there.
Choose Education over Entertainment
It's a great saying that we came across some years ago and if you are indeed stuck indoors for a while and are up to it, leave the box sets alone and put education over entertainment.
C'mon - what is there that you've had the yearn to learn? And when I was typing this I mis-typed "yearn to earn" which is a great statement in itself. Could your yearn to learn even allow you to earn! There is many a person who have been able to start something small and end turning it into a nice littler earner and even making a living out of it.
We personally know of a young man who was housebound through illness and instead of feeling sorry fo himself used the time to become a specialist in a new field and is now a leader in that field and happily in good health these days.
This could be the opportunity you were looking for
We get the fact that if you're poorly, none of this is going to appeal to you. But if you are feeling better and up to it, why not turn your time in self isolation into something positive. You could have a whole load of days where you can begin that project that you have never had time to do.
Where focus goes quality flows.
This item was written by Derm, a Mindset/Life Coach and NLP Practitioner you can read more from him on his blog