Ok, you’ve watched every show and movie on Netflix (even the low-budget cringe-worthy ones), organized your home, read a book, tried 5 minutes of meditation (and realized it wasn’t for you), cleaned out that overstuffed junk drawer, pinned your perfect Pinterest life with all the projects and recipes (that you’ll probably never get to, even though you’ve convinced yourself now’s the time since you now have all this extra time on your hands) and color-coordinated your closet. All this, and it’s just Day 1 of “The ‘Rona’ Lockdown”.WTF? 30 more days of this, at minimum?! This can’t be life.

But, it is my friend.

Sadly, this is the reality of the world right now. Being confined to our homes to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. If you were a pro at social distancing before social distancing became a thing, like me, then you may be better at coping with this sudden isolation than our extrovert counterparts. Even still, spending days, weeks, months at home, with limited contact on the outside world can begin to wane on anyone. So, I’ve put together a list of a few worldly ways to survive the coronavirus while you’re stuck in the house on lockdown.

Have a virtual dinner date

With the world of technology that we live in, it’s easy to stay connected even when we can’t physically be present. Who says you can’t still have Friday Happy Hour with your friends, or Sunday brunch with your besties? Get in the kitchen, whip you up a meal, pour you a glass of wine or your drink of choice and fire up Facetime for a virtual dinner date. Or invite the whole gang of friends and make it a dinner party! This is an excellent time to catch up with friends or loved ones who may live in another country or city that you haven’t talked to in a while.

Cook with Grandma

While we’re on the subject of food, Italy is undeniably one of the gastronomic capitals of the world, if not THE capital. But, as we all know, the country is currently on lockdown, like so many others. So, since we can’t get to Italy, then Italy will come to us by way of Nonna Nerina, an Italian grandma who invites you into her kitchen and teaches you how to make pasta by hand, from scratch. This was an in-person experience offered on Airbnb Experience; however, you can now join in with Nonna and her sisters virtually as they teach you how to make the perfect pasta dish via livestream. Grab your laptop, your ingredients and follow along with Nonna and family for an authentic Italian meal. Buon appetito!

Dance with JJ

Music is the universal language. No matter where you are in the world, music is the one thing that unites us all. If you’ve been on social media at all, you’ve probably seen the video clip of the people in Italy hanging out of their balcony windows singing and playing music. Such an incredible thing to witness – people coming together and finding joy through music, despite the world’s unfortunate circumstances. Being on lockdown during coronavirus doesn’t have to stop the party. You can have a solo dance party (which I recommend daily anyways) or you can Dance with JJ. Jennifer “JJ” Johnson is your trainers favorite trainer. I’ve been taking her Bangin’ Body classes here in Mérida, but she also offers her classes live online weekly. These classes combine dance and cardio for one fun, kick ass workout session. It is not only perfect for getting exercise to boost your immune system, but also to help relieve anxiety…and let’s be honest, we all need a little less anxiety these days. Also, these live classes are two-way so she is able to give you direction and encouragement during class.

Take an online class at an Ivy League School FOR FREE

I saw a meme the other day that said “Coronavirus is canceling everything but Sallie Mae and this student debt”.

I see no lies.

Word to the wise, save yourself the debt and enroll in online courses. Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton and Columbia are offering free online classes across several platforms. Everything from computer science, to business, programming and engineering is being offered. This article gives you the full rundown.

Learn a Language

Now is the perfect time to learn a new language or brush up on those Spanish skills from your high school Spanish class, 15 years ago. Of course there are tons of apps you can download, like Duolingo, to learn the basics on your own. But, if you really want to learn the language AND get some social interaction while you’re on coronavirus lockdown, then try a virtual language exchange instead. These language exchanges allows you to video chat a native speaker for 1-on-one conversations and/or lessons. Below are a few sites to check out:

italki
Verbling
Hello Talk

Plan your next trip

Yes, traveling has come to almost a screeching halt around the world and despite the super cheap flight deals floating around on the internet, I do not recommend traveling at this time. The sooner we can get control of this thing, the sooner we can resume our normal lives. People continuing to hop on planes and potentially spreading this virus is only a further detriment and helps no one. It can only do more potential harm. That being said, traveling is not the best idea right now, but that does not mean we cannot plan for the future. Who knows when this thing is going to blow over, but eventually it will; and when it does, it’s gonna be on like popco’n! Get those Pinterest boards popping, create a bookmark collection on Instagram and start saving all the places you want to visit. Search sites like Skyscanner for flights in the fall or winter (hopefully they’ll be some sense of normalcy by that time) or check out Secret Flying for the latest flight deals for future travel. Read up on some of your favorite blogs (like WOAW of course 😉) and even discover new ones to help with your trip planning. The world might be a disaster right now, but that doesn’t have to stop you from dreaming.

How are you spending your days while on lockdown? Any suggestions to add to the list? Leave me a comment below!