In the back of my mind, I’ve got a to-do list. On it, are written things like “learn a language”, “take an astronomy class” and “figure out how to code.” If I had to give this list a name, it would be “Things I Want to Do To Improve Myself, But Never Have Time For.”
But all of a sudden, I’m stuck at home with plenty of time on my hands to start working through my list. Hopefully, you’ve got a similar list already. But if not, here are 6 ways you can improve yourself during COVID-19.
1. Create Something
If you love to draw, or write, or interpretive ribbon dance, but you always feel like you’ve never got time, now you do. Make the most of it!
There are going to be two types of people during this pandemic. There are going to be those who sit on their couches, watch Netflix, and consume, consume, consume all day. And there are going to be people who pull out their pens, dust off their paintbrushes, and create something. Be a creator, not a consumer.
The Real Talk team are going to be taking our own advice and we’ll be writing a few more posts on the Real Talk blog over the coming weeks, but we want to see all the weird and wonderful things you create as well!
2. Keep Active
Now that we’re spending lots of time at home in front of our screens, exercise is more important than ever. In addition to keeping fit and healthy, regular physical activity has a lot of other benefits as well. It can improve our mood, help us sleep better, and make us feel like we’ve accomplished something.
You might be missing being out on the sports field with your team-mates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active! Grab your running shoes and go for a walk or run around the neighbourhood. Otherwise, jump online and check out all of the free exercise videos and classes you can find on websites like YouTube.
3. Learn a New Skill
One of the fantastic things about our digital world is that there are some many great resources online for learning. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to code, or speak a different language, or play every Disney movie song on the recorder.
Even if you’ve got no previous experience, here are countless guides, videos and podcasts that can teach you how to get started.
In addition to learning the new skill itself, you’ll probably learn some important lessons about perseverance, honing your craft, and your own potential.
4. Invest in Relationships
One of the best ways to improve ourselves is to improve our relationships with other people.
Right now might be the perfect opportunity to spend some time with a family member that you don’t normally see as often, because they’re at school or work. You could even invite them to join in your online ribbon-dancing class!
We can’t see most of our friends and family members in person, but there are plenty of other ways to keep in touch.
Remember that social distancing is purely physical. I’s still really important that we are connecting with each other, spending time together, and finding little ways to brighten each other’s day.
5. Take a Break From the News and Social Media
With all the information about COVID-19 on the news and on social media, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s totally normal to being feeling stressed, anxious or upset right now, but one way to mitigate these feelings is by taking a break from the news and social media.
It’s understandable to want to keep informed, but constantly reading or watching staff about COVID can intensify our negative emotions. If we want to improve ourselves, it’s important that we set good boundaries around news and social media consumption.
This could take the form of limiting the amount of time you spend checking the news, committing to only checking social media once each day, or even having days that are completely news and social media free.
6. Set Some Goals
COVID-19 has given us the first pause in our busy lives that we’ve had for a long, long time. Chances are, you’re not going to have this much uninterrupted time at home again until you retire! So, what are you going to do with it?
Take the time over the next day or two to set some goals. What new skill do you want to pursue? What are you going to create? How are you going to spend this quality time with love ones?
Don’t waste this opportunity.