We know its tough to stay movitated during stressful times like this. Here are 10 things we've been doing to keeo ourselves occupied: 

Gardening - Despite how low the mood is, the sun is starting to shine bright these days. Ever tried growing your own vegetables? Why not start now? Even if you don't have a garden or a big space, try growing some herbs which you will later use for cooking. Check out this link for beginners tips from reader’s digest. 

Meditating - we can't recommend this enough. We love apps like insight timer (free) or headspace (subscription based) or even look at youtube which is packed with free guided and unguided videos ranging in length from 2 minutes to 100!

Group video hangouts. We tried the houseparty app and it works great. Do it with the groups of people you would have usually met up with on a regular basis or great for people you haven’t seen in a while.

Read. But read things that are happy and fun. Check out this list of happy books for some great picks. 

Write - take 5 -10 minutes daily to do a brain dump. Write about how you are feeling, what went well today and what didn't. Maybe now you could also start that book you always wanted to write?

Cook - but cook something you’ve never made before. It doesn’t matter if it goes horribly wrong, there’s loads of time to practice over the next few weeks. Maybe a new dinner recipe, or how about making your own fresh bread? Guaranteed to taste better than anything you buy and give you warm and fuzzy feelings. We’ve tried and tested recipes from odlums and can confirm most are easy peasy and tasty!. 

Learn something new! There are so many great websites with free or inexpensive courses to help you brush up your skillset or learn something you’ve always been curious about. Try this site 

Do a big clear out. Now more than ever, charities will appreciate donations clothes and household goods, just check with your favourite charity on how to do this. Hide away your winter woolies and bring out your bright and fun clothes and. For the best way to recycle other items not suitable for donation, check out www.repak.ie. We bet it will make you mind feel fresh too!

Workout. Gyms are closed but that doesn't mean we can’t be active. Here’s 50 resources, you’ll be sure to find something you like from dancing to planking that is sure to help destress and focus! 

Make a schedule. For example, maybe Thursday evenings are pamper evenings. Self-care- hair masks, pedicures, body scrubs and all those nice things that we tend to leave till last so schedule these in. It’s so important during this time to try as best you can to stick to a routine during the day, getting up and getting dressed, taking the same lunch breaks. A schedule will keep structure to your day but make sure you make plans for the evenings too, like is friday netflix night and saturday the day for a big walk?

We hope this helps. Feel free to share any other ideas you have with us!