2nd April 2020

Stay at Home Tips – Part 1

Stay at Home Tips Part 1

With most of the world currently required to stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, it is unquestionably a challenging time for everyone.

It can feel very daunting to think about the weeks ahead so over the coming weeks we will be sharing our top tips, to help you manage your time productively whilst staying safe during the current lockdown.

UK Lockdown

Since  Monday 23rd March the UK has now been placed on a police-enforced lockdown in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak and people have been ordered to only leave their homes under a list of “very limited purposes”.

All citizens must comply with these new measures in order to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, protect the NHS and ultimately save lives.  The relevant authorities, including the police, have now been given the powers to enforce these rules – including issuing fines and dispersing gatherings.

The government will look again at these measures after three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows this is possible.

 

To help stop the spread of coronavirus, you should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons:

  • shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
  • one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
  • any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home

These 4 reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

You should also:

  • wash your hands with soap and water often – for at least 20 seconds
  • wash your hands as soon as you get home
  • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
  • put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands
  • not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Establishing a New Daily Routine

A lockdown can be a difficult and complex time, as nobody is used to isolation, but establishing a strong routine will help you to stay connected and well during these challenging times.

Whilst we all have a part to play in helping to fight the coronavirus, it is important to strike a balance between adhering to the rules and the need to maintain some normalcy in our lives in order to maintain both our mental and physical wellbeing.

Developing a daily routine helps us to feel more in control of everything, and plays a particularly important role during these times of uncertainty by helping us to cope with change and reduce our stress levels.

If we organize our time well and set a daily schedule with activities, we can take full advantage of this time.

Think about how you can adapt and create positive new routines and set yourself goals.

You might find it helpful to write a plan for your day or your week.

If you are working from home, try to get up and get ready in the same way as normal, keep to the same hours you would normally work and stick to the same sleeping schedule as usual.

Creating a routine allows us to build in time for the important things and this includes time to rest, relax, and have fun. Structuring our time to include some downtime increases the likelihood that we’ll manage to have that time most days, and retain a healthy work/life balance during these challenging times.

Stay tuned for next week’s article where we will be discussing the importance of keeping your vehicle safe while its off the road.

 

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