11 Things That Made Self Isolating A Little Easier This Week

Sometimes it's the little things that get us through uncertain times.

1. This guide to spring, inspired by the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine.

Chuntian / Via chuntian.world

Chuntian is a helpful and informative guide featuring recommendations on food, drink, music, and film all inspired by the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine. What started as a personal project has grown into a platform, highlighting the positive traditions and practices at a time of heightened xenophobia towards Asian people due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Personally the idea that 'food is medicine and medicine is food' was incredibly relatable to me, especially during this period of isolation. The silver ear mushroom and goji berry soup recipe looks delicious and I can't wait to make it!"

– Ben

2. This article from TV show writers, creating Corona Virus episodes of famous shows.

HBO

"This article was really great – I think this is such a weird time where so much feels unfamiliar, so it was nice to read fictionalised accounts of how some of my favourite characters would react to the pandemic. There’s been a few funny tweets like these going round, but the fact that these were written by the actual writers of shows made it 100x better – each account was funny, felt really authentic and was also a great reminded that we’re all in this together."

– Hanifah

3. This TikTok video featuring a dog who is clearly dying to be petted.

📟🌐 TRÉ VAYNE, INC. 🌐📟 @trevaynebitch

This aggressively country child DEMANDING to pet this dog is sending me

08:32 PM - 13 Mar 2020

"This TikTok video isn't exactly new, but it has provided so much entertainment to me and my boyfriend for the last week or so. It's overlaying an older viral video with this cute pup. Whenever I watch it I find a new layer of humour in there – my favourite at the moment is that the mum says 'no, he's sleeping' while the dog is clearly awake and probably willing to be petted. I've been shouting 'CAN I PET THAT DOG?' for the last 7 days and I can't imagine it stopping anytime soon."

– Josie

4. Making natural hair and face masks.

Svehlik / Getty Images

"I’ve been experimenting with making natural hair and face masks – mixing up different ingredients like yoghurt, oats, and honey to work out what natural ingredients work best for my skin, because I don’t have to worry too much about breaking out now."

– Hanifah

5. Taking up hobbies that you always said you would.

Yanyong / Getty Images

"I have a midi keyboard in my closet that I never use. But during isolation, I've found I can spend hours exploring synth sounds and making beats on my computer. Music is a soothing escape from the world. You can put your feelings into a song. And it's a nice hobby because when you're finished, you have produced something you can share with others. Who knows, maybe I'll start a Soundcloud. It's 2020 — anything could happen."

– James

6. The "Cheer" docuseries on Netflix.

Netfliz

Cheer follows Navaro colleges cheerleading team as they prepare to compete in the National Cheerleading Championship. The series documents the team through the highs and lows of cheerleading at the highest level.

"I'm a little late to the party here, but I just finished watching Cheer and really enjoyed it! It turned me into a bit of an emotional wreck as I found myself rooting for these kids so much. As someone who doesn't know anything about cheerleading this was a really great insight into how physically and emotionally strong these young adults are when competing at the highest level. I'll warn you though, prepare to shed a tear!"

– Ben

7. Listening to records instead of using streaming services.

Jeff Thurm

"I started listening to all the records I have. Spotify is usually so much easier because you can just hit play and not think about it, so I rarely actually listen to them. But since I now have a desk in my room next to my record player. I'm spending more time in my room, I'm using it as a chance to actually listen to all of them (and clean the dusty ones!)."

– Jeff

8. This yoga app which is perfect for beginners.

Downward Dog

Down Dog is a brilliant at home yoga app. It offers over 60,000 different configurations meaning that every practice you do is different. You can explore different practices from Vinyasa to Sun Salutations. Down Dog is currently offering all it's features completely free until May 1st to help people stay active during isolation.

"As someone who is new to Yoga, I've found dog extremely easy to use and informative. The app offers a 3-day intro to Yoga series that has given me the basics to be able to practice every day from home, which has been both calming and a good source of exercise."

– Ben

9. Streaming Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness on Netflix.

Joe Exotic / Netflix

For those who don't know, Tiger King centres around eccentric zoo owner Joe Exotic who owns over a hundred and fifty tigers at his private zoo. The story follows his life and long time feud with Carole Baskin a rival zoo owner.

"Tiger King has GENUINELY got me through this time, it's the ultimate and best distraction bc if how insane it is. Like yes the world is ending but I can't exactly focus on that when I'm watching the iconic video 'Carole Killed Her Husband' now can I."

– Amy

10. This tweet from The Doctor.

Doctor Who Official @bbcdoctorwho

Incoming transmission. #MessageFromTheDoctor #DoctorWho

12:00 PM - 25 Mar 2020

"I don't even watch Doctor Who but I saw this when I was having a bit of an anxiety ridden day and it made me feel a little bit better. Weirdly reassuring to have a fictional character tell me that everything will be okay."

– Josie

11. This three ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe.

Tasty

"Baking can be a great stress reliever and you also get to eat some delicious cookies at the end of it, which is always a bonus. This three ingredient cookie recipe is both quick and easy to follow and doesn't require loads of ingredients which is great for the current food shortage situation."

– Ben

What has helped our through isolation this week? Let us know in the comments!