How to stay home without losing your mind
Last updated on April, 3
Almost everyone is now facing social isolation due to covid-19, so we made a list of stuff we can all do at home that can help us overcome boredom, keep your anxiety levels down and stay motivated to do things.
It’s normal to feel powerless and overwhelmed, but within all this chaos, we can still find some inner peace with small tasks and some activities.
Keep a routine
Create a new daily routine that prioritises looking after yourself. You may not feel like doing stuff you used to do, and that’s ok. Do not punish yourself for not being able to be as productive as you would like to. Be kind to yourself.
Stay in the sun
If the sun is shining, try to make the most of it! Open the windows and get sunlight several minutes a day. This will help you move, improving your daytime energy and sleep quality.
Move your body
Find some free space in your house and do something you enjoy. Physical activity releases brain chemicals that will boost your mood and overall sense of well-being. Dancing, yoga, pilates, bodyweight circuits, random jumps around the house — anything works.
Resources
#EuDançoEmCasa — March 21 — April 5
English National Ballet — Live Stream Classes
Entertain yourself
Take these days as an opportunity to start the hobby you were aiming for too long. Write a journal, paint, watch movies, read books, play video games, listen to podcasts, play an instrument, do a puzzle, visit museums (online). The options are endless. To help with this, several apps, websites, games and institutions are giving content for free.
Museums Virtual Tours
National museum of natural history and science — Lisbon
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum — Lisbon
Vatican Museum — Vatican
Louvre Museum — Paris
Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum — Figueres
British Museum — London
Guggenheim Museum — New York
National Gallery of Art — Washington, D.C.
Musée d’Orsay — Paris
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art — Seoul
Pergamon Museum — Berlin
Rijksmuseum — Amsterdam
Van Gogh Museum — Amsterdam
The J. Paul Getty Museum — Los Angeles
Uffizi Gallery — Florence
MASP — São Paulo
Versailles Queen’s Hamlet — Paris
Cinema & Series
Medeia — 3 movies per week
RTP Play — Always free
Filmin — 30 days free
Mubi — 3 months for 1€
Netflix — 1 month free
HBO — 14 days free
40 days 40 movies — April 1 — May 10
Theatre live streams
Teatro Aberto — Portugal
Teatro D. Maria II — Portugal
Hampstead Theatre — I and You, 23–29 March
National Theatre at Home — Every Thursday
Teatro Nacional São Carlos — Portugal
Teatro da Garagem — Portugal
Music
Live Streams & Virtual Concerts — Updated every day
Moog and Korg — Synth apps for free
#MetallicaMondays — Concerts live streams
iHeart Living Room Concert for America — 29 March
Books
Chiado Books — 1 free book per day
Archipelago Books — 30 free e-books until April 2
Livro Aberto — Portuguese
Fernando Pessoa — 17 free Portuguese e-books
Others
Football Manager 2020 — Free until March 25
Bruno Nogueira live — Portuguese
Lockdown — Portuguese Game
#riremcasa- Portuguese comedy festival — 26–29 March
Eat with pleasure
Food is one of the most elemental and pleasurable experiences of life, and there is nothing wrong with eating with pleasure or finding comfort in it. Search for new recipes and make slower meals that require the time you never have during regular weekdays. It is also a great time to try making bread, pizza, or fresh pasta from scratch!
Resources
Have fun learning
Nourish your brain with something new. Start learning a language, enrol in an online course, learn how to draw, read about birds, study economics, etc. Just do something you enjoy to fuel your creativity and your overall well being.
Resources
Ivy League — 450 free courses
Britannica — Free access to LaunchPacks
Sean Carroll — Physics classes
Lauren Gunderson — Playwriting classes
Instructables — MIT Experimental Lab
Mathletics — Math classes
Escola Virtual — Portuguese virtual school
Aula Digital — Digital content for Portuguese students
Duolingo — Free languages courses
Ironhack Webinars — Code & Design courses
Support your mental health
It’s ok to feel more vulnerable, it’s ok to feel lost, and it’s ok to cry. We control what we can control, so focus on what you can. Avoid too much news, keep a routine, write down your emotions, keep in touch with people (by telephone, email, or social media), and seek help if you need.
Resources
Público Psychologist Interview — Portuguese
WHO Stress during covid19 — Portuguese
WHO Children and covid19 — Portuguese
Self-care and wellbeing of health professionals — Portuguese
WHO Mental Health Considerations
National Association of School Psychologists
AFSP Instagram
Maven Webinars — Maternal mental health, pregnancy, and fertility
Apps
Headspace — Weathering the storm free content
Calm — Free content
Stay with us
We are going to keep updating this blog post with new activities that might come up in the next few weeks. Feel free to reach out if you have any question or need any kind of support. You are not alone.
