The Question – How to keep yourself engaged during lockdown

We are all living through a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, this means for many of us we are spending more time at home. We are living twenty-four hours a day with our families, which for many of us we only normally do when we are away on holiday.

This isn’t the normal ‘The Question” but it explores the questions we are all asking ourselves while we are facing the question these are ten ideas I’ve had…

Documenting

It felt only natural for me to document the crisis, so while I’ve been doing other things at home, I have set a time to sit down for half an hour to write a dairy, every evening at 19:30 I have a reminder to write my diary. This has a purpose now, as my local archive is asking for people to document this crisis.

I feel like it is my duty to document something which is going to change our world, I am trying to do this through a mixture of writing a diary and thinking about those keeping us safe and key workers who keep our core services running.

Routines

In the week I spend two full days producing Formula One Vault content and two half days doing F1 Today, note on the full days I’m also producing F1 Today. The lack of racing and shutdown is giving me time to make other content.

On weekdays I’m getting up and going to bed about normal times, but that does vary as normal on the weekend. It’s Easter when I’m writing this, so I know the next few days routine isn’t normal. But we all need to find the normality in our life’s.

Lockdown means you can create your own routine getting up at nine having breakfast, lunch between midday and one, tea break about three and half three with dinner at six-seven, also this suits my working hours for developing content.

Exercising the brain

I have a bit more time to do writing for this site as we have no real racing for the next two months at least. The mind can get bored I am trying to develop new content and writing a diary to record of the events, I’m also doing things like cataloguing books, DVDs etc.

Reading and researching things for new things for content is good for content, allowed me to excise the brain. I’m not good at picking up a book and reading, though that would be good for my eyes as I’m at the computer all day.

Find something you wouldn’t

We need to keep our mind engaged, I have started a project to catalogue my entire book and DVD collection at home. It is not a fun thing but something I see as useful when we get out of this crisis I will easily be able to go on my phone and see what I’ve got and what I haven’t.

Those little jobs you have been wanting to do but never have the time to do.  I’m focusing on content for this site and F1 because I have time and some other little jobs you haven’t been able to do. I am trying to find things to keep my brain active.

Goals and targets

You must have targets as that you want to achieve in that day, by a certain time by the weekend at the weekend. This is good as I believe it motivates you, so you’re not sat around all day, giving yourself the motivation to do things.

For example, I have various things I wanted to or have thought about for a while. This gives you time to work on say something you have wanted to do and haven’t had time to. Also, could help when your home working so you know your targets for getting things done. I am trying to do things I wouldn’t normally have

Exercise

I admit this isn’t my favourite thing but is important for those who can leave their homes. It would be lovely to get out, but I need a wheelchair for walks, and I have been told not to leave my home because I am at risk. So, my physio (excise bike), has become important as much as I don’t enjoy it!

But just going out into the garden gives you fresh air and sunlight, good for your mental health.

Communication

Everything we do now is based around communication, we are lucky that modern technology allows us to keep in contact with our friends in various ways messaging apps, video calls and emails. We don’t know it all, but I think at this time people when people maybe are finding it difficult.

This is a learning time for everyone, we are learning how to use these new platforms. Many of us are finding new ways of communicating, via messaging apps and video conferencing. However, they are not perfect so you need to give people a bit of discretion as connections may not be great.

Eating

Its always important that we buy just normal amounts of food which we eat, that with adjustment if you normally have lunch out. With Easter just gone it can be tempting to nibble away at the Easter Eggs, it’s important we take them in moderation.

We should be eating well and that now most people have more time, those who can cook for themselves should. It healthier than ready meals and often we in our busy lives we don’t have time to cook. Now is the time to cook because that is something which we have time for.

Time together

Although we are living with people it’s not often we get time to be together, as we all are busy with different working patterns and other commitments. We hardly have a day normally we are being forced to spend more time together but find things you can do together.

You could start cooking, play games and try to make the most of this time together. It must be used positivity and that is likely to strengthen your household and families. For many people this is probably the longest time they have spent together, I’m lucky it is only my dad I’m with 24/7 as the others have to go to work.

But we are beginning to set aside times around shifts to play games, eat meals and do things together it will probably make your household unit closer and functioning better when things go back to normal.

Weekday v Weekend

I try to separate the two, I am at the same desk everyday near enough, but one way I found is using my mac for this site and my F1 stuff, my laptop for my volunteering. Also, when I’m not working on F1 content at weekends I try to start after my lunch and finish by dinner, this means I take a more relaxed approach.

This site I don’t work to a deadline like Formula One Vault, it can take me time to develop the content because I’m not spending all day on this website. Weekends I don’t feel tied down to do content, I don’t feel like I have to make a deadline. This also means I don’t have to write

What are your tips for getting through lockdown and your stories? Discuss and email me I my pull them together….