Making the Most out of Confinement - 1

Hey, all! 

Today I come to you with something I have been taking notes about for about a week - how to make the most out of confinement. For this post, I want to focus on things you can get to make confinement a little better.

I have not left our house in 11 days due to current circumstances, and had a really big think about what I'm happy to have with me, and what would have been nice to have. These are weird times for everyone, and I urge you to reach out to your anxious friends. Personally I have been working on my anxiety for a while now, but have fallen back into old habits with all of this. It's an emotional rollercoaster. 

But without further ado, here's a list of things you can get to make confinement a little less awful. 

Stress-reducers

1. Weighted blanket
As a chronic insomniac, I absolutely adore my weighted blanket. They work wonderfully for nervous people, as they not only hold you down in your sleep to give you a better rest quality, but also simulate contact. They are great to use to calm down, are super cozy and are worth every penny. I personally use a child-size Daverose blanket, you can find it on amazon. Make sure to select one that's about 10% your body weight!

2. Tea
Different teas work well for different moods - this is a fact. Green tea helps with digestion, whereas black tea is great for mornings. However I want to point out two very nice teas that are fantastic for this kind of situation - red and white. White tea is an absolute underdog - they are usually a lot lighter and fresher than black and green tea, can be fruity or flowery, and are absolutely fantastic for daytime tea drinking. Red tea such as rooibos is better for evenings. It contains no caffeine, and is paired well with flavors like honey, vanilla and cocoa. Drinking a cup of rooibos really puts me in a sleepy evening mood. 

3. Headphones
You are going to be with the same people for a long time. It is totally understandable to want to escape and listen to music, watch movies, follow podcasts, or listen to audiobooks. I can only recommend getting good headphones. 

4. Candles, creams and cozies
Being in a house for a long time really makes things repetitive. Mix it up by lighting different scented candles, for example. Since the northern hemisphere is still in the transition between winter and spring, having heaters on all the time really dries your skin out - make sure to have hand and face creams at the ready. I would also suggest fuzzy socks, new pyjamas, and anything you like to have when you're having a cozy sunday afternoon. 
 

Gotta have some fun!

1. Subscriptions
One of the things keeping me hyped for the coming months is the fact that I have ordered 2 subscription boxes! This also helps support the companies that may be receiving less orders in these times. I highly suggest caving in and making orders to small companies right now. They're gonna need the help, as for many of these owners, their small business is their only source of income. In the coming days I will make a list of small shops I know that deserve some love. 

2.  Keep up with friends though calls
Texting is great. It's the one thing that makes an introvert's life bearable as it replaces dreaded phone calls. However, there is something super comforting about calling your friends who live far away. Services and apps such as Discord, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype among so many others are fantastic platforms with which you can call many friends at once, and just talk about life. I've gotten into the habit of calling people almost every evening - I play D&D online once a week, and on other days I call other friends with whom I enjoy playing pictionary and terraria. I will have an upcoming post about other examples of what you can do online

3. Hobbyists 
This is such a good time to figure out what your individual hobbies are. Reading, making puzzles, baking, arts and crafts, learning to knit, drawing, discovering video games, learning nail art, brushing up on mythology, writing, photography, interior design, cooking... the list of things you can do to pass time goes on and on! This is a great time to discover what you like. Make sure to have some board games in the house, maybe some puzzles, or other supplies you can use for a hobby you think you might enjoy! 

Disclaimer time 

Remember to 
- stay home stay home stay home
- Stay at least 1 meter/3 feet away from people (or if you are in the Netherlands, it's anderhalve meter!)
- Please don't spam amazon or any other delivery service - only order what you really need! 
- Please don't hoard at supermarkets - you're taking things away from people who need it.
- Listen to a reliable news source 
- You are not mightier than the virus - don't think the rules don't apply to you 
- Keep in contact with people 
- Don't hate on the authorities who are putting regulations in place - this is a new situation for everybody, no government knows what to do more than another (although I really hope the US wakes up soon - just heard that there are 70,000 cases there over the radio, that's huge)

As I said, this is the first of a series! I'm also going to be posting about online games and chat rooms you can be on with friends, different brands you can support now, things to do to stay in a good mindset, book recommendations, et cetera! I wanted to post this one first, as many companies are reducing their delivery service. 

Stay bookish, and stay healthy!