8 ways to keep your spirit high while in self-isolation:

1 Take time to clean your home, declutter and refresh your space. A 2010 study published in the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin used linguistic analysis software to measure the way 60 individuals discussed their homes. Women who described their living spaces as “cluttered” or full of “unfinished projects” were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than women who described their homes as “restful” and “restorative.” The researchers also found that women with cluttered homes expressed higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

2 Move More. Regular exercise and physical activity have been consistently proven to be beneficial in improving overall health and well-being and in the prevention and reduction of many adverse health outcomes, including mental health, such as depression and cognitive function.

3 Do a hobby or start a new one. Taking time to engage in an enjoyable activity can help benefit your overall health. Some hobbies can keep you active, require creativity stimulation, strengthen your relationships if they include others- therefore improving connection, can improves your career. One study even compared practicing hobbies like painting, puzzles, calisthenic moving to meditation- as a way to calm your mind and connect with the number one Creative

4 Connect with what and who is around you. the demands of daily living can take a toll on our connections and time spent with the ones around us. Whomever you’re in lockdown with, sharing a space, including your pets and plants, now is an excellent time to work on strengthening your relationship. Share your thoughts and express how you feel to others. Time has been lent to ponder on the relationship and offer it some attention. If you’re having a solo lockdown, you are not limited and have a different privilege of connecting to oneself and developing practises of self-development like that through meditation or journaling.

5 Read! Netflix, movies and telly are some ways to entertain oneself and provide some downtime/stimulation, so here’s just a friendly reminder from the books, articles and journals you’ve been putting off, read me too. Reading not only provides entertainment from its content, it has been proven to improve functioning of the brain, sharpening memory, increasing vocabulary and if don’t before bed, has been shown to improve sleep condition.

6 Grow something! With 21 days worth of food, it is an excellent time to learn how to grow your own food, especially with all the seeds and food scraps that can be collected in this time. Luckily, this is not limited to space as herbs and veg can also grow in boxes or smaller planter boxes on balconies, even indoors with the right amount of light. Start saving seeds and learning how to begin the seedling process. Books and websites are vast with methods and tips and wonderfully available. It is an incredible, fun activity to get young and old hands involved and satisfying when delicious food has been grown, from soil to soul. Besides… the planet needs more plants!

7 Upskill yourself. Time is something most of us are always seeming to run after, or at least it feels like we never have enough time. Self-isolation is a great time to learn a new skill or improve on a skill you already acquired. Yes, it may be slightly restricted to your facilities, but the internet is vast and there are a bunch of online universities that have opened up free online courses.

8 Learn how to cook! Food is and will always be one of the primary needs of all creatures, yes us humans too. If we’re going to be eating food, the most ideal way to equip ourselves with a survival tool is to know how to prepare food- ninety points if you can make it taste good too. B-Well is passionate about healthy and delicious food, especially ones with Omega-3 for that extra anti-inflammatory, immune-system boost! That’s why they have created fun health hacks, delicious food & meal recipes and informative cooking videos for you to enjoy and empower yourself and your health with B-WELL. Find all the goodness on Facebook @B-Well or Instagram @Bwellfoods. You can also download the free cookbooks on www.bwellfoods.co.za. Happy cooking and creating for your soul.