I am reluctant to write anything regarding the current pandemic because I am tired of seeing it everywhere. But the truth is that this is going to impact our daily lives for while (probably longer than what most of us are hoping). We are almost past the initial shock of the pandemic. There is less talk about the virus and more about how we are going to handle it and what the future has in store for us.
We are now at a stage where this outbreak is affecting every individual, family, business, and nation. So, if you haven’t already, it is time to take a moment to pause and think. This is going to affect each person differently, and everyone handles stress differently. Find a physical place, and a place in your mind, where you can be grounded and calm to analyze your situation. We all need to determine what is worth worrying about, what we have control over, and what strategies we can implement to combat these hard times.
We must practice being OK with uncertainty. As of right now, we do not know the severity or duration of the situation we are in. You will not find the answer, no matter how many articles, videos, and news channels you filter through. Staying informed is important, but obsessive exposure to fear-jerking content is only feeding into your stress and anxiety. Determine what things you need to prepare for (family needs, income, upcoming plans), and let the rest be for now.
Trying to find a silver lining during this pandemic seems a little inappropriate, but it is all we have left. Social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantine are not fun, but opportunity exists. I have been exploring options to make the most out of my quarantine time. As you may have seen, a lot of companies are offering free subscriptions and online content to help people who are stuck at home. From online courses to workouts, there is no shortage of activities to fill your time at home.
Here is a list of what I am participating in along with some more options I stumbled across:
Education
General Assembly – General Assembly offers online and on-campus courses for subjects such as digital marketing, data analytics, software engineering, etc. They are currently offering free online introduction courses that you can sign up for. (I have already taken one – digital marketing. They are 2 hours long and worthwhile! I will also be taking Data Analytics and Coding & HTML)
LinkedIn Learning – LinkedIn Learning is a great resource that I stumbled upon. You have access to hundreds of different courses on this app – you just have to log on with your school or company portal. There are single-video courses (1-5 hours) or complied courses (30+ hours). Once complete, you will receive a certificate on your LinkedIn profile.
Shaw Academy – Shaw Academy is offering a free 4-week trial for their online courses. (You have to sign up with a credit card, just remember to cancel before the end of the trial) They offer courses in photography, technology, health and wellness, marketing, beauty, business, finance, and language.
Class Central – Class Central is the #1 search engine for free online classes. Discover thousands of free online courses from top universities around the world.
Duolingo – Duolingo is a great, free app for learning a new language. I have really enjoyed using their program. They make learning a new language easy and fun!
Babble – Babble is another language learning application that I believe is offering an extended free trial during the corona virus.
Scholastic is offering a free digital learning hub for students from pre-K to 9th grade, covering topics like English, language arts, STEM, science, social studies, and social-emotional learning.
Exercise
Lululemon Sweatlife Facebook Group – Lululemon has created an online community to share home workouts, yoga, and meditations.
CKO Fitness Challenge – Canoe Kayak Ontario has started a weekly fitness challenge, starting every Tuesday, for athletes of all ages to participate and stay motivated while training at home.
305 Fitness - 305 Fitness has a variety of free workout videos on its YouTube channel.
Blink Fitness – hosting Facebook live sessions at 8am ET
Orangetheory – sharing daily 30-min at home workouts
Gold’s Gym – offering free audio and video workouts until the end of May
Planet Fitness – facebook live streaming daily 20-minute “Work Ins” 7pm ET
NHS.uk – Online 10-minute workouts, and couch to 5km running program
AARMY - offering daily bootcamp, cycle and "AARMY Challenge" workouts for free via Instagram Live.
Toronto studios hosting IG Live Workouts: @oneacademylife [on FB Live] 6:45am
@ellefitnessto 7:30am Hard Ass + 10am Bootcamp @fitsqr 10am *daily* 30min HIIT
@oxygenyongeandeg 10:30am Abs and Butts + 6pm Deep Stretch @alessiasculpt 12pm 30min Full Body @barre3toronto 12pm 30min Barre @itsjojomaisie 12pm 30min Arms @fitsquad_training 12pm *daily* Full Body @fitfactoryto 12pm + 5:30pm 30min HIIT @sweatandtonic 12pm Hot HIIT @rachelmcln 1pm *daily* Bodyweight @beverleycheng 4:30pm *daily* Strength & HIIT @tribe_fitness 5pm 50min Yoga Flow @boloinc 5pm Boxing Basics Clinic @6ix_cycle 5:45pm *weekdays* Full Body Sweat
*Find more with sweatabl For these next studios, there are MULTIPLE classes per day (posted the morning of) on the their account 👇🏻 🔸 @barryscanada 🔸 @unionyogastudio 🔸 @yogatreestudios 🔸 @poweryogacanada 🔸 @misfitstudio 🔸 @myhoame 🔸 @beacheshotyoga
Self-Care
Lululemon IGTV – check out lululemon’s Instagram for live meditations
Head Space – headspace is a great mindfulness app that has released a collection, called “Weathering The Storm,” that is free for everyone to help people cope with being stuck at home.
Stop Breathe Think – I personally use Stop Breathe and Think app for my mindfulness practice. They offer free lessons and have a custom collection for Corona virus anxiety
NHS.uk – NHS.uk has an array of online mental health and wellbeing programs
My coping mechanism for stress is filling my schedule to maximum capacity. So naturally, on my flight home from Europe, I made a spreadsheet to organize my 14-day quarantine (it’s titled Quarantine Calendar). I created one-hour time slots and different categories of activities (time blocking is a great strategy to stay productive at home!). These activities include online courses, health, recreation, work, and chores. Creating a calendar helps me see the opportunity for personal and professional development while stuck indoors. It also helps me commit to these good-intentioned goals.
However, on day one of my quarantine, I could already feel my mind resisting productivity. This is something we are all going to struggle with. Surely, we have access to great resources and programs to make our time at home productive, but what’s missing is accountability. I am challenging myself to stick to my goals and see how much I can really get done. For people who struggle with discipline, I recommend either joining an online group/forum or creating one with your friends to share progress and create accountability. Never again in our life (I hope) will we have this abundance of time that can be devoted towards self-improvement.
So, if nothing else, let's come out of this horrible situation being better people.
YOU DA FRICKIN GOAT! THIS WEBSITE IS TOO LITTY! TEAM PLANTE (PANT-EH)!