Top 5 ways to keep yourself entertained in ‘Lockdown 3' 😷
With the UK in a third coronavirus lockdown, here’s five ways to make sure you don’t get bored in the coming weeks…
Number 5 — Podcasts 🎙
Podcasts have had a humungous surge over the last few years with around 7.1 million people in the UK now listening to podcasts each week! 😲
There is as podcast for any topic, so whether it’s tips on gardening you’re looking for, or a series on unsolved crimes, podcast streaming sites are waiting for you to grace them with your ears! So don’t be afraid to get looking!
With it being depressingly dark as early as four in the afternoon in the UK, a podcast is the perfect accompaniment to a warm hot chocolate and snuggle with the dog 🐕, (or cat🐈), on the sofa.
Here’s just a few websites that might help get you started! 👇
Number 4 — Film streaming 📽
It’s crazy to think that just a few years ago if you didn’t have a film on DVD, you’d have to buy it before you could watch it!
Now thanks to the magic of the internet, film streaming has become of the most popular things we do as a country — in fact, 53% of all households in the UK are subscribed to at least one video-on-demand service 👀
According to Finder.com, our top three most popular streaming services are: Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime.
With original series on offer, as well as some classic favourites, it’s no wonder lockdowns have seen us stream even more than ever before! 📺💻📲
So if you find yourself with nothing to do in Lockdown 3, why not binge-watch that series you’ve always wanted to?
Number 3 — Learn to play an instrument 🎷
With leaving the house only allowed for essential reasons, you might find you’ve got some free time on your hands to try something new.
If you’ve always been musical, but never had the time to learn *that* instrument, now’s your chance!
Whether it’s learning the guitar or even the recorder, Psychologist Jane Collingwood believes that playing an instrument has lots of different benefits, including reducing stress: “Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music.
“This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones.”
Number 2 — Keep a diary 📖
A pandemic like the coronavirus is hopefully something none of us will ever have to go through again, so with such a rare event happening right in front of our eyes and disrupting our lives like never before, why not keep a diary?
A diary will document your daily thoughts during this lockdown and you can use it in any way you want!
Maybe you want to focus on how you’re feeling day-to-day, or perhaps you want to document the biggest news stories from that day?
Either way, a diary will help you remember and might even come in handy teaching your kids or grandkids about the years 2020 and 2021.
According to a report by Psychcentral, Psychologist and Researcher James Pennebaker at the University of Texas contends: “regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes.”
Boosting immune cells in winter and a pandemic? Sounds good to me!
Number 1 — Video calls with friends and family 📹📞
‘Lockdown 3' is seeing us spending more time in our homes than ever before and, especially if you live on your own, loneliness can cause all kinds of health effects, both physically and mentally; so don’t let the pandemic beat you!
Be sure to arrange weekly, or even daily, chats with friends and family.
It could be gossiping about the latest Netflix series, or playing a virtual pub quiz and finally beating your Nan!
Social interaction doesn’t have to stop just because you can’t meet people in person.
How are you spending your lockdown? Comment below!
