From playing video games to learning 59 ways to cook an egg, here’s how our team is planning to spend a weekend of social distancing.
Unusual times call for unusual ways of keeping ourselves entertained. Here’s what some of the Silicon Republic team plans on doing this weekend.
Being bookworms
All of us said we’re going to read more in the coming weeks, whether it’s the pile of books by our bedside – including Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill and Richard E Grant’s film diaries, With Nails – or investing in some new material.
Our suggestions here are to check out the BorrowBox app, seeing as libraries have had to close their doors for the moment, and the lovely book bundles being put together by Books Upstairs on Dublin’s D’Olier Street.
We also came across this interesting initiative for anyone self-isolating or staying home – a Quarantine Book Club. It brings you face-to-face with authors using Zoom.
It's book bundle time!? Specially curated themed bundles to get you through #socialdistancing or #selfisolation. Check out the link and order yours now: https://t.co/GEYjY5ipYE
Bundles for children & adults available ?#COVID19ireland #LockdownIreland #supportsmallbusiness pic.twitter.com/O50N6cz2cb
— Books Upstairs (@BooksUpstairs) March 14, 2020
Self-care
It’s really important that we all prioritise self-care at the moment. If you find it hard to motivate yourself to get out for walks, try turning your necessary shop visits into longer journeys to get some steps and fresh air in.
Another great option we’re considering is online yoga. More and more places are offering discounted virtual versions of their yoga classes, which can do wonders for your mental and physical wellbeing.
We also want to take a step back from our social media. If you’re working from home, it can be tempting to scroll through your feeds much more throughout the day and, while it’s of course important to stay in touch with your family and friends, you don’t want to experience any repetitive strain injury or media overload.
Another form of self-care, suggested by our deputy editor Jenny, is stress-baking. This can be a therapeutic, cost-effective and delicious way to relax.
Learning new things
A lot of us are also making a point of learning new things during this period. It can be work-related, such as this coding course currently discounted on Humble Bundle, or otherwise. Knitting, painting, writing and languages are just some of the possibilities.
Working from home has offered us the silver lining of getting reacquainted with our kitchens. From doing squats while the kettle boils to learning 59 ways to cook an egg from the folks at Bon Appétit, we’re putting more time and effort into preparing nice meals.
Entertainment
We have lots of gamers on our team, all with different interests. Some of us are excited about today’s timely launch of Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch, while others are getting stuck into Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 on the Playstation 4 and dipping a toe in online gaming with friends for the first time.
Finally, in a stroke of genius, our editor Elaine is hoping to set up a virtual Eurovision for us all to take part in while we work from our homes. We were all very sad that the real Eurovision 2020 was (understandably) cancelled, but this will be a fun way to keep our spirits up and enjoy this year’s entries.
[Announcement] #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons is now available! We hope to see you traveling to new horizons and enjoying your island getaways! ?️ pic.twitter.com/9KlEeWi8mm
— Tom Nook (@animalcrossing) March 20, 2020
