With fears over Covid-19 rising, the phrase on everyone’s mind at the moment is self-isolation. The government is advising everyone with symptoms of the virus- high fever, dry cough and difficulty breathing- to isolate themselves for 7 days.
The prospect of staying in for so long is enough to drive anyone stir crazy, and those of us who are used to having the bustling city of Liverpool at our fingertips might feel the boredom set in early- but there are a few things you can do to help make your stay at home less maddening.
Curl up with a good book (or six)
Long journeys, relaxing by the pool, soaking in the bath- it’s pretty much agreed that losing yourself in a book is one of the best ways to while away some time without losing your mind, so it only stands to reason that one of your best mates during self-isolation will be your bookshelf. Better yet, there are plenty of brilliant books to get stuck in to that are written by Liverpool authors, or feature the city itself. If you want to be sure that you don’t run out of reading material, Tom Slemen’s Haunted Liverpool at an impressive 32 volumes of short stories will do the job- and you’ll be guaranteed afterwards to see the city in a spooky new light. If fiction isn’t your thing, Peter Aughton’s Liverpool: A People’s History looks at the development of our city, from a fishing village on the banks of the Mersey in the 1200s to the in 2008 and everything in between.
Tune in to a podcast
Podcasts really took off in 2019 so there’s a load of choice to tune in to while you’re stuck at home for a bit. Fitness fanatics who are bouncing off the walls not being able to work out will love A Girl and a Gay at the Gym, a podcast from two of Liverpool’s leading personal trainers, offering advice, motivation and a dose of scouse wit that’ll have you in stitches even if your burpees won’t. Anyone who follows the footy will know the gap that’s been left now that the Premier League’s been postponed, but there’s plenty of podcasts to help fill the hole for reds and blues alike. The Blue Room and The Anfield Wrap have hundreds of archived episodes full of discussion and interviews, as well as new episodes each week.
Sign up for a (free!) online course
We’re only three months into 2020, but research suggests that most of us have already let at least one of our new years’ resolutions fall by the wayside- so why not use a bit of time indoors as an opportunity for self improvement without even having to get off the sofa? The Open University have loads of free online courses on a variety of different topics, whether you want to brush up on the French that you never kept up after your degree, or challenge yourself with an introduction to particle physics. Their website gives you a course difficulty level and some of the courses take as little as three hours to complete so there’s no excuse for not shutting the Netflix off for a bit and giving your brain a workout.
Support a local business
Alright, so this isn’t so much about keeping you entertained but hopefully it’ll give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside while you work through the rest of the list. It’s no secret that small businesses are anticipating the hardest hits to their livelihoods as the pandemic grows, so if you find yourself self isolating when you’d usually enjoy a meal and a few drinks, why not see if there’s a local bar, restaurant or café has a gift voucher you can buy (online, of course)? This way they’ll feel the effect of your custom straight away, taking the sting out of the lack of footfall they’re expecting over the next few weeks, and you’ll have a paid-for night out to look forward to once you’re up and about again win-win!
