Accommodation

Keeping busy in lockdown

By bzellie 26 Nov 2020

If we can get through the first lockdown then we can get through lockdown 2.0!

For our own mental wellbeing, it is important to keep active and busy, so we've come up with a few different ideas to keep your mind engaged and entertained.

Homemade gifts

Buying Christmas gifts for people can be difficult, especially if you don't know what to get and they already have everything! This year you may have gone longer without seeing your family so why not make them a Christmas gift? This usually saves money and can sometimes mean a lot more to someone. Check out these different homemade gifts that are bound to keep you busy in lockdown.

Decorate your flat

Whether you've moved back home or are still in halls, Christmas is fast approaching and it's time to get into the festive spirit. You may be thinking it's a little early isnt it? But we deserve it after the crazy year we've had and we should be able to enjoy the festivities a little earlier than usual! Decorating your flat or bedroom is a great way to get into the spirit, put on some Christmas music and get creative. You can make your own Christmas decorations or head to the nearest B&M or Home Bargains (yes these are still open) where you can pick up all sorts of decorations for cheap.

a living room filled with Christmas decorations

Keep fit

It may be difficult to drag yourself out of bed, especially because this time around lockdown is in winter, but set yourself a challenge or compete against your friends. If you download Strava you can connect with your friends on the app and see when they have done a workout, this will definitely spur you on to go for that 10-minute jog. Fitness may not be your thing but even a power walk in the fresh air can do a whole lot of good and get you motivated for the rest of the day.

Start a project

Whether it's something you've never done before or you want to do more of it, this is the perfect chance. Having something to work towards or finish can keep you busy for hours, but make sure it's something you enjoy otherwise you'll never want to pick it up. Some ideas could be knitting, (there are hundreds of videos on YouTube that will teach you), paint by numbers, jigsaws or colouring.

Have a clear-out

Clearing out all your things is one of those projects where you regret you've started it, (when your whole wardrobe of clothes is on top of your bed), but once it's done you'll feel so much better. Donate anything you don't wear to charity or make a bit of money selling your clothes on Depop. But don't stop at clothes there are probably items under your bed you haven't looked at or used in years so clear these out too. In the words of Marie Kondo "My criterion for deciding to keep an item is that we should feel a thrill of joy when we touch it."

Bake till your heart's content

Nothing beats the smell of a cake in the oven. Baking is a great activity to keep you busy during lockdown, especially as there are so many different recipes and ideas online and on Instagram. This is bound to take you a couple of hours and after all your hard work you can treat yourself to a slice of cake whilst watching your favourite series. A great account to follow on Instagram is Fit Waffle Kitchen, there are some really simple recipes on there which only use as little as 2 ingredients!