Category: Lifestyle

What have I done during lockdown?

I don’t know who’s been counting, but we are now entering what seems to be the one-hundredth week of lockdown. So please tell me I’m the only one getting tired of it? I mean sure a lot of us loved the first part when it felt more like a holiday – sleeping in, relaxing and just watching tv all day, not really focused on being productive. Now though, the prison sentence nature of it is starting to make me feel claustrophobic. However, being stuck at home all day and not being allowed to do all sorts of activities that could be considered ‘time-fillers’ means that there has been an opportunity to try out some new things and be more productive. That’s why I wanted to do a bit of a reflective piece to look back on everything that I’ve done during all of this extended time at home. From my social media streams, I see that a lot of people have been baking (I have been too), but I’ve also been doing a lot else. You see, I tried to use all of the extra time as best as possible to get things done that I haven’t been able to. So, here’s what I’ve been up to so far during quarantine.

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It’s self-care Saturday!

Following my mental health awareness themed posts last week, I didn’t feel right finishing off the month without including this post to the list. After all, self-care is a key to good mental health, and one of the most significant forms of kindness we can ever show is to ourselves. No matter what, looking after yourself in all the ways you can (maintaining a healthy lifestyle, expressing yourself, taking the time to relax and do things that make you happy) is crucial to reducing stress, improving your emotional wellbeing and essentially keeping your head in a happy place. It may not cure everything. I mean last time I checked a long hot soak in a bubble bath didn’t alleviate mental illnesses, but it does help ease a few aspects of the pain. That’s why self-care is so crucial, and why I am sharing a few ideas for you to incorporate into a day filled with self-care related activities.

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Healthier Options When Eating Fast Food

We all love our fast food, and now that we can get it delivered again I’m sure everyone is more than thankful. However, fast food isn’t exactly known for being very healthy – in fact it’s known more for being high in fat, calories and salt .. which isn’t good. But does that mean we have to say goodbye to all these delicious foods if we want to be healthy? No! So, whether you’re on a health-kick like me, or looking to make some healthier lifestyle changes, or simply don’t want to eat thousands of calories in one take away meal, here is a list of low-cal options from a few different fast food joints. The healthiest fast food option is no fast food at all, but if you still want to enjoy the treat without blowing your cal-count out of the water, this list has some of the best options.

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Tips for dealing with loneliness (especially during lockdown)

It doesn’t matter who you are or how social you may be, but everyone on this planet experiences loneliness and I think that during this time more than ever, loneliness is a growing feeling for us all. We’re isolated and at home and as much as we have the aid of all our modern technology, it’s just not the same as interacting face to face with friends and family. You can only catch up so much via messaging and even though we’re all at home, it still seems hard to find the time for video or normal calls and that starts to have an effect on us. No matter how old you are, we all experience loneliness at different stages of our life and that’s okay. I promise you are not alone (no pun intended). I’ve struggled with this a lot over the years and particularly in the last year and a half and while I don’t have all the answers these are some of the things that have helped me get through it. I hope that they can help you too.

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Healthy, low-calorie Apple Banana Muffins! Step-by-Step Recipe

Everyone seems to be baking up a storm with all of the extra hours at home, but that increase in delicious treats everywhere means more snacking and they aren’t always the healthiest. If you are enjoying the baking but don’t want to make items that are full of sugar and calories … don’t worry because here is a step-by-step recipe for my delicious (and healthy) low-calories apple and banana muffins. Keep reading to check out the recipe 🙂

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How to crush those sugar cravings!

Hey there everyone! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this difficult time and that any cases of cabin fever haven’t gotten too unbearable. This lockdown/quarantine period certainly isn’t easy, especially when it comes to staying healthy. Most of the foods that are non-perishable tend to be of the less-healthy variety, chips, chocolates and cookies have become the ideal snack food because fresh fruits are not as easy to buy and we’re stuck at home so don’t have as much natural exercise or variety of food to consume. So, given all of this, I’m sure everyone is struggling to keep up healthy diets or lifestyles. One thing that is particularly challenging is dealing with sugar cravings … We all know that when those strong cravings hit, it almost impossible to not cave in to temptation. How on earth, given the situation, can we stay healthy when it seems that our very lifestyles at the moment allow us to give in to desires for junk food and sugar cravings? Well, I know that it can be extremely challenging to let go of sugar (trust me, I’ve been there and it’s not exactly a party), especially when the situation isn’t ideal, so today I thought I’d share some tips to help with that. The global quarantine doesn’t exactly make it any easier, but if you are determined to drop the amount of sugar you consume and don’t want to be overcome by cravings, then try out these tips to help you crush those sugar cravings!

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“The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.” – Chief Seattle

Today is earth day, so what better way to celebrate our planet and all of its amazing creatures than to reflect on a few things. COVID-19 has brought a few positive changes to the environment, but it’s not enough. We need to act because after generations of selflessly helping us, it’s time for us to help our planet. Keep reading for some fun ways to be more eco-friendly during quarantine. Let’s work together to save our planet – it’s the only home we have so it’s time we start treating it right.

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Tips for working at home during quarantine

With COVID-19 still terrorising the world, quarantine and self-isolation is the best thing for both your and other’s safety. However, forcing all of us into the solidarity and sanctuary of our homes means that instead of waking up each morning and bringing a cup of coffee into the office to get work done, our travel mug becomes a normal mug as we have to work from our home offices rather than professional ones. (This obviously doesn’t apply to all of you who already work from home – if that applies to you maybe you can share your tips for how you successfully work from home for all of us who aren’t used to it?) That being said, working from home may seem like an assignment from heaven or a dream come true, but after a few days we realise that that isn’t the case. Yes, it may be more comfortable and relaxed when working from home but it can also throw your whole routine out of whack. It can be difficult, distracting and near impossible to be quite as productive when at home as opposed to at work so how are we meant to get anything done when we have no other option? Fortunately, there are a few things you can do and steps you can take to make sure that you stay productive and keep your work levels up in the same disciplined approach that you had at work. Let’s get started, shall we?

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