Hello! We are living in a very strange and surreal moment in time, so here are several of my top tips on how to cope during isolation, and some of the things I have been doing to stay sane and positive. Most important is to be kind to yourself and avoid setting impossible expectations, because no one is expected to be incredibly productive during this crisis - hard as we may try. There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in the world now, so the best we can do is take each day as it comes and work to lift each other up. Our health (both physical and mental), and that of our loved ones, is more important to take care of than anything right now. 

#1 Yoga & Meditation

Yoga is a source of immense physical and mental release for me, and if you are able to make some floor space or find a spot outside, I can’t recommend it enough. Tribe Yoga, based in Edinburgh, is offering free classes online which are all accessible on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/tribeyoga. There are also plenty of great yoga tutorials on YouTube for people of all levels. 

Something to pair with yoga is meditation, which in general I find amazing and incredibly calming. Two apps I love to use are Headspace and Calm. It never hurts to try mindfulness for a few minutes, even if you don’t think mediation will be your thing. 

#2 Journal

Sometimes it’s nice to have your thoughts written down on paper. Journaling, video journaling, and writing a gratitude list are several tried and true methods to stay sane right now. 

#3 Podcasts

Here are several of my favourites:

• Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

• Table Manners with Jessie Ware

• The High Low

• Love Stories with Dolly Alderton

• How to Fail with Elizabeth Day

• Hoovering with Jessica Fostekew

• Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

• Guilt and Shame Podcast

• The Gurls Talk Podcast

• Laid Bare 

• I Weigh with Jameela Jamil 

#4 Have a dance party!

#5 Facetime or call friends and family

You may not realize how important and lovely it is to keep in contact with certain people until you hear their voice. 

#6 Do a Zoom pub quiz

#7 Exercise and try home workouts

#8 Make a “light me up” list 

The idea for a “light me up” list is that you write down ten to twenty things which make you feel happy and fill you with joy, and every day you can reference this list and tick a few activities off for a boost of positive energy. 

#9 Indulge in a TV binge

Here are a few months worth of super-bingeable shows you should definitely try:

• Tiger King - Netflix

• This Way Up -  4OD

• Fleabag - BBC iPlayer

• Grace and Frankie - Netflix

• The Morning Show – Apple T.V.

• The Crown - Netflix

• Gilmore Girls - Netflix

• Sex Education - Netflix

• Fresh Meat - Netflix

#10 Tidy, schedule, and try something new

Something which has really helped me stay sane is having an occasional clear-out and tidying my room. Along the lines of organization, it is essential to create structure in your life by splitting your day up into a routine. Even though working from home is proving to be extremely hard, it’s nice to have something to focus on, and if you have no work then I recommend trying to learn a new skill. I am currently trying, and failing, to learn French and to learn to sing. Being tone deaf, this should be interesting. 

#11 Limit your media

It can be tempting, but try not to get sucked into the social media and news black-hole. Sometimes, you just need to turn the devices off. Maybe take a walk. 

#12 Read

Hey! You’re stuck at home, so now’s a great time to actually get into reading. Right now I’m reading Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino and it’s amazing! It is a series of essays about self-deception which delve into scamming culture, literary heroines, and much more. It is an honest and beautifully written account of the expectations of modern society.

Several other recommendations are:

• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

• Normal People by Sally Rooney

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

• Notes to Self by Emilie Pine

Finally, there will be days of doing nothing “productive” and days where you feel low, but hopefully this list will spark a few ideas for picking yourself back up if you need them. We can take this time to focus on the small things that we never had time to do, like reading the book that’s been sitting on your bedside table for ages, or catching up with friends who never had the time to talk before. While the realities of lockdown are very serious and many people are caught in struggle, having enforced downtime can sometimes act as a gift in disguise: forcing us all to slow down, think, and take a pause from the fast-paced lives we lead in normal times. 

Alex Aitken is a third year student at the University of Edinburgh studying History.