6 ways to make the best of your home during lockdown

The Spanish lockdown is one of the strictest in the world. Unfortunately we are not yet able to go out for exercise or to simply get some fresh air. This can be very difficult to cope with. The first bit of positive news is that from Monday the 27th of April children will be allowed out for an hour a day. This is a great relief for parents as well! For those who do not have children, there are still a few weeks left of confinement.

YES! We know that everyone is making suggestions about how to cope with the lockdown which can be slightly irritating to say the least, especially if you are having a bad day! Saying this, the team at Future Homes have kept in touch daily during the lockdown. We have discussed useful tips to help not only “get through” the day, but actually enjoy it and create a good structure. Here are some of the things that we have implemented at home and that we hope will help you:

1- Organize your space!

This is perhaps the most important one of all. It can be very tempting to do everything in one room of the house, normally the living room. You might decide to set up your work computer on the dining room table, do the ironing in front of the TV, have lunch with a tray on your lap on the sofa, exercise in front of the TV (hello, Joe Wicks!). Of course your relaxing evenings will normally be spent in the living room as well.

It can be very helpful to make use of your entire home. For example you could set up a home office in your spare bedroom or even your hallway. Have a separate area for housework and chores. Exercise in your garage or in your garden if you are lucky enough to have one! It is amazing what you can do in a small space, with simply a yoga mat (bodyweight exercises, cardio, Pilates.. etc!) and finally try to keep the evenings as normal as possible. If you normally relax in front of the TV then go ahead and enjoy this time!

2- Stay informed but not “too informed”

Needless to say, we have all found the media coverage of COVID-19 to be somewhat overwhelming. If you are someone who likes to be informed on a regular basis, you can find yourself checking a large variety of media outlets hourly or even minute by minute. If this makes you feel good, then by all means go ahead. However it can also cause serious anxiety and it can stop you from creating a positive home environment. By having the radio on in the background throughout the day, talking to friends and family and then watching the news on the TV, you will be amazed at the amount of information you are being exposed to.

It is vital to filter the information and see that often it isn’t an announcement that provides us with new information. More often than not it is the media reiterating what we already know or even sharing false news to get more clicks. Staying informed via trusted sources is extremely important. Once you have checked for updates try to disconnect in some way and enjoy your day. Make the best of a difficult situation and have mental rest, this is so important for us all.

3- Keep in touch!

Before the lockdown we were all so busy with our day to day lives that perhaps we forgot to reach out to people who we care about. Old friends or even family who we haven’t spoken to in a long time. This is a great time to reach out and enjoy catching up. We read so many lovely stories about grandparents who have learned to use Facetime and can now see their loved ones in real time (including our nanny Wendy in the UK!). If you have neighbours and can chat from a safe distance, then by all means enjoy this social interaction which has temporarily gone from our lives.

4- Hobbies!

Aside from working from home of course…  From a personal perspective, I (Alicia!) have rediscovered my love of painting, something that I haven’t done in years because I´ve been “too busy”. I actually painted a funny picture of our family dog Twiggy which I am pleased to say was a big hit! My partner James ordered a 3000 piece puzzle which now occupies the entire dining room table! Victoria has started to write her book, something she has been wanting to do for many years. Lidia is keeping very busy rediscovering her love of cooking while entertaining her 4 year old daughter. Martyna is enjoying time with her husband and her Jack Russell! It is amazing what you can do when you have too much time on your hands and you turn it into a positive experience. Find something you love and do it!

5- Help others

There are many people who are struggling during this challenging time. Some suffer from extreme loneliness, anxiety, depression, difficult home environments, … the list goes on. There are also thousands of charities who are finding it impossible to carry out their fundraising work on a daily basis. It is very important and truly rewarding to think about what you can do to help. Call someone who needs a chat, volunteer on a helpline, donate to charity or even just spread awareness.

As a company (and as a family) we have donated to various local charities and relief efforts in Estepona and we are here to help in any way we can. Adana is a local charity who take in abandoned animals in Estepona, here is the link to their Facebook page. Another great page to follow is Help the Homeless Costa del Sol. To our clients and friends we would like to send a message of encouragement and we are on the other end of the phone at all times.

6- Stay positive

Last but not least! During this truly unprecedented time we have all had bad days where we struggle to see a positive outcome. However, we must keep strong and be reminded that we will get through this! Do things that make you happy and surround yourself with positive messages. In a world where a great deal of choice has been taken away from us, we still have the choice to make this a productive experience.

Thank you for reading and we wish you all the very best from Estepona!

Adios for now

The Future Homes team

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24 Apr 2020 by Alicia Rodriguez Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, Estepona, health, news, property, wellbeing