Isolation for many can be a lonely or boring time, especially if you’re living alone or outside of a retirement community without friendly check-ins and meal deliveries. It is a good idea to check in with loved ones and friends and let them know if you’re struggling, so they can help you keep a positive frame of mind – there are also plenty of online and telephone helplines if you have no one at the other end of a phone. Luckly, we live in a digitally connected society and most of us already connect with family and friends all over the world via our computers and smartphones.
We have put together a few of our favourite isolation activities to keep you entertained and connected.
Write a letter
No better time to lean on our reliable pen and paper. Not only will it help with a little bit of mindfulness, but it is also guaranteed to put a smile on the receiver’s face when they get a handwritten letter delivered. You can even use it as a good excuse to reignite a friendship that has been lost amongst our busy lives. You can buy postage stamps online at https://auspost.com.au if you’re fresh out of stamps and staying inside.
Organise evening drinks (from home)
You can easily video call as a group from home via Facetime, Skype and Zoom. So why not get together your normal social group, and make a night of virtual trivia or Charades or just have a chat and a glass of wine.
Jigsaw puzzles
The ultimate way to use up some time. If you have a few friends that also enjoy jigsaw puzzles you could all buy the same puzzle online and start a puzzle challenge to see who can complete sections of the puzzle first, just make sure you pick a puzzle with plenty of pieces to keep yourself busy.
Virtual book club
Books can still be delivered to your door or straight to your device with Amazon and Apple. Get your normal book club buddies together, or put a post out on Facebook to see who else might be interested in creating a book club and hold weekly virtual book club meetings.
Knitting
Either knit a pattern solo or get some friends together and knit a piece for winter, each other or the grandkids. You can create a virtual knitting club, text message group or a Facebook group to troubleshoot any problems and track the progress of your handy work.
Exercise
It’s important to keep moving especially if you’re not getting out and about and staying active. There are loads of free exercise resources online that require little or no equipment, and lots of local gyms and fitness clubs are offering free online training to help everyone get through isolation happy and healthy. Jump onto Youtube and have a little bit of a search to find your favourite type of exercise.
Plan your next road trip
Start to plan for the future! Soon enough, our great Australian roads will be open again, and all the small towns along the way that rely on travellers will be welcoming everyone with open (social distancing) arms. Now is the time to get that map out, organise your camping inventory and get ready for your next adventure.
It’s important to stay connected with your community during these times, even if we are isolated we can still support local businesses on their Facebook page by liking and commenting on their posts, sending messages of support or buying gift vouchers online for when they return – remember we are all in this together and fingers crossed we will be all out soon enough enjoying the flowers!
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