Article by Ceri Wheeldon
We are living in uncertain times with dramatic changes to the way we live. I know that I find some days in Lockdown easier than others. I am used to working from home, and usually love living alone, but in what was my ‘normal’ life working from home included going to meetings and events off site, and my single life included meeting up with family and friends for coffees, meals, cinema and theatre visits etc. Being totally isolated from all social contact is another matter altogether.
I have put together a quick A to Z with some ideas to help see us through. A lot of it is based on what I am doing for myself, but also including what other friends are doing. Here we go!!
A
Accept the situation – we cant change it so have to go with the flow
Appreciate what we have and what others are doing. Appreciation for me is having outside space that I can ‘escape’ to, and good friends that I regularly talk to – and my parents who are safe and well in isolation and whom I chat to daily.
Art – time to follow that desire to paint that masterpiece!!
B
Bucket List – Put together a list of things you want to do once lockdown is over. Are there any you can start now?
Book Club – start a virtual book club with friends and neighbours
C
Colour -add colour to your life – whether its what you wear or what you eat!
Courses – take online courses while you are at home ( I could be cheeky here and suggest the various programmes within the MidLife MOT that I put together!
Clothes – take time to sort out your wardrobe and experiment wearing different combinations – after all, nobody is going to see you!
Crosswords – do crosswords and other puzzles – keep your brain active!!
D
Declutter – now is a great time to sort through cupboards and drawers
Dream – what do you really want to do with your life?
E
Enjoy – enjoy the little things in life
Engage – communicate with others via telephone , skype, facetime, zoom, social media
F
Finances – sort out finances – compare utilities and insurance sites – analyse your spending
Face Yoga – great to try for those who now have the time to invest in themselves ? And for those who usually have botox – an opportunity to try an alternative !
Family Tree – research where you come from – who knows what famous ancestors may be lurking in your ancestry!
G
Garden – enjoy if you have one – take the opportunity to tweak the space.
Grow Herbs – you don’t need a garden to grow herbs – you can grow in pots indoors .
H
Hair – experiment with style and colour – gain nobody will see you and it could be some time before you can visit your favourite hairdresser.
Habits – form newer, healthier ones.
Healthy Eating – with time on your hands you can cook from scratch. A healthy diet can also help to better support your immune system.
I
Interior Design – look at how you live in your space. Change things around – swap cushions and pictures to refresh your home.
J
Jewellery – sort out and clean – it’s the one of the little jobs that normal life does not leave time for.
Job Search – the world is likely to be very different once we all emerge from this pandemic – are you prepared for the next phase. If you think you will need to look for new employment, now is the time to assess your skills and address any gaps. The Careers module within the MidLife MOT programme has a very comprehensive workbook to help you to go through this.
K
Knitting – creative, relaxing and useful!
L
Laugh – laughter really can be the best medicine!
M
Meditate – reduce your stress levels and claim a sense of calm
Manicure – sort out those nails
Make Up – now is the time to experiment – again nobody will see you – and you will need to define your features for all those lockdown video calls!
Memoirs – pull together the details of your life story for future generations
Music – get that old guitar from out of the attic!
N
Netflix – entertainment at your fingertips
Nothing – give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing at all at times when you feel overwhelmed.
O
Origami – that ancient art where you can be creative – all you need is paper!
Optimism – look for the light at the end of the tunnel!
P
Pilates – there are lots of online tutorials
Podcasts – listen to topics of interest – we have a number of episodes on Fab after Fifty with topics relating to life over 50.
Plan – plan your time in Lockdown as well as life when Lockdown ends.
Pamper – take the time saved travelling and commuting to pamper yourself – whether giving yourself an at home facial or having a long soak in a candle lit bath.
Q
Quarantino – create your own cocktail to enjoy during this time in quarantine.
R
Reinvention – what aspects of your life would you like to change – this period has given us all time to reflect on what is important in our lives – it’s never too late to change!
Rethink – look at how and why you do things – are there ways that you can do things differently.
S
Skip – revisit an old favourite way to exercise!
Spotify – put together a playlist of your favourites
T
Tai Chi – relax and focus
Teach – what information and expertise can you share with others?
Travel – explore virtual travel sites – and plan the trips you most want to take once restrictions are lifted.
U
Underwear – sort out that underwear drawer – and you don’t need to save your favourites for best!
V
Vision Board – how do you see your future. Help make your vision of the future become a reality to by putting together a vision board.
Virtual Choir – you may not be able to attend in person – but there are many virtual choirs you can join online!
W
Walk – we are all allowed to take exercise outside of the home. Take advantage – connecting with nature can also have a positive impact on mindset.
Wellness – focus on activities that support and benefit you.
Write – have you always wanted to write a book? Now is the time to get started!
X
For this you will have to use your imagination ?
Y
Yoga – calming and therapeutic
YouTube – look for informative channels
Z
Zoom – not just a business tool (great for remote working and conducting meetings with screen shares with colleagues) but also a good way to communicate with friends, family and special interest groups.
So there you have it – an A to Z – do add your suggestions to the list!!