Being at home during this period of isolation could become a little tiresome, so I’ve found an array of boredom busters that could genuinely improve your life – not just now, but for the longterm. Also, some are just for fun.
Join a Local Burlesque Class
Now is as good a time as any to channel your inner Sasha Fierce (aka Beyonce) or Lady Gaga, don’t you think?
Local adults-only dance studio, Burlesque L’amour are now offering all their classes online. Learn burlesque, hip hop, or commercial jazz from the comfort of your home. There are great warm up and cool down videos and all their routines to learn online. Slide into their DMs to book your course of 5 or 11 classes, or just try one to start.
Become a Sofa Singer
If there was ever a time to sing out in joy (rather than cry in your coffee), this is it. One of the most beautiful things to be born from this madness is The Sofa Singers. Vocal leader, James Sills was asked following the UK isolation restrictions if there was anything he could do online for those wanting to continue choir practice. 72 hours later he was leading 500 people across the world in song. The next session is TONIGHT, Friday April 3rd, 8:00Pm EST (11:00am BST). Register now to join for FREE.
Take a Virtual Tour of Paris + More
Travel is pretty gosh darn impossible right now, but you can still take a tour to just about anywhere in the world! Walk through the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre, Dubai Marina, Monaco, museums and attractions all over the world with Wanderlust Travel Videos.
Enrol in the Yale Happiness Course
In its 317-year history, Yale’s Science of Well-being course has become it’s most popular course to date. It is now available online, completely free. There’s no required reading, every piece of information you need is covered in the online lectures. Though optional reading, and “rewiring” activities are suggested to help your shift in mood and overall well-being.
The course is delivered in weekly instalments, and covers such topics as “Misconceptions About Happiness”, “Why Our Expectations Are So Bad”, “Stuff That Really Makes Us Happy” and “Putting Strategies in Place”
Enrol online for FREE. If you decide to do this, let me know as I’ve just enrolled, and I’d love to discuss it along the way – let’s Zoom!
Stream Broadway Musicals at Home
If you’re a big old theatre geek like me, you’re probably wigging out right now! Indeed, this is NOT a drill, you can stream all of the latest broadway musicals from your couch! From Shakespeare and Classical Ballets, like Swan Lake, to Tony-award winning contemporaries, this is a treasure trove of theatrical delights.
You can sign up for a seven-day free trial with Broadway HD, and then you can access a subscription from just US$8.99 per month.
Join the Library for Online Reading
YES – you can access the library from home. Sunshine Coast Libraries have an extensive online catalogue of ebooks, audiobooks, encyclopedias, online magazines and newspapers, music and movies. If you’re not already a member, you can join online for free to start accessing the e-Library.
There are also lots of free titles on Audible for those not local to the Sunshine Coast, or check out your own local libraries.
Get Your Zen on with Online Yoga
I’m a bit of a YouTube yoga obsessive, so I’ve found quite a few faves over the years. It’s a great way to start the day – try this 10-minute full body stretch, or this 11-minute wake up yoga session. If you want to dive into cultivating a new daily practice with progression in difficulty, try this 30-day Challenge, “Home”.
PRO TIP: Personally, I get a little bored during yoga. So once you build up your confidence in the stretches, turn down the sound and turn on a podcast or audiobook instead. Some may say this is a sacrilege, but it keeps me stretching *shrug*
Listen to Podcasts
Here are some I recommend…
Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies), the podcast
There is a corresponding book by Scarlett Curtis, which is a fantastic read. It’s a book of 52 essays by the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Jameela Jamil, Keira Knightley, Helen Fielding, and lesser-known, but incredibly insightful teen activists, poets and doctors. You definitely don’t need to have the book to enjoy the podcast, though I do also recommend the book.
Bon Apétit Foodcast
For anyone interested in food and the people who make it. This podcast features interviews with chefs, authors and anyone who has something cool to say about food.
The Anthropocene Reviewed
The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. On The Anthropocene Reviewed, #1 New York Times bestselling author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska) reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale.
Only Wrong Answers
Who remembers The Katering Show? Well, the Kates are back with a podcast and it’s freakin’ hilarious. The two comedians offer only wrong answers to anybody who writes in to ask them anything at all, and very entertaining banter. I’m going to write in one of these days – what do you think I should ask them?
Serial
Honestly, if you’ve not yet listened to this one, I’d have serious suspicions you’ve been hiding under a rock. Therefore, if this is the case, stay under the rock, it’s a great place to isolate. However, be sure to get your listening ears ready for some crazy real-life baffling crimes explored by investigative journalists, complete with interviews with suspects and witnesses.
My Dad Wrote a Porno
Now is a much safer time to be listening to this podcast than the time I did on my drives back home from the morning school run (note: NOT for young ears!) I have to admit, I literally had to pull over on the side of the road to prevent losing control of my car from laughing uncontrollably. Jamie Morton discovered his Dad had written an erotic fiction, which is properly horrifying. So he got his two mates together to start a podcast where he reads a chapter each episode and they engage in hilarious commentary. WARNING: Not for the faint-hearted!
Dear Sugars
The Agony Aunt column-style podcast, where hosts Cheryl Strayed (author of #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild) and Steve Almond (New York Times bestselling author of ten titles) offer radical empathy in response to listener questions, no matter how difficult and dark. It’s the thoughtful advice you always hope for.
Join a Book Club
Ah, to indulge in reading right now! Bliss! Personally, I have a craaaazy to-be-read pile I’m making my way through, but I’m thinking about joining an online Book Club as well.
On Goodreads you can find any kind of Book Club that would suit your reading preferences. A couple of the most popular are of course Oprah’s Book Club and Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine.
Get Fit with Centr by Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth has a fitness and wellness app called Centr, and right now he’s offer six weeks free membership to help people to stay fit during isolation. But hey, if you just watch him do pushups while you sit on the couch eating chips, I won’t tell anyone… I’m not saying I condone this behaviour, I’m just saying I won’t judge you. Register to claim your free six weeks and get access to workouts and healthy meal ideas and recipes.
Learn a New Skill, Get a Hobby, or Start a Side-Hustle
Online short courses are a great way to upskill or find a new hobby. Skillshare is a subscription service that offers creative workshops from over 8 million creatives worldwide, and right now you can get two months free trial.
Udemy offers over 100,000 online courses of various lengths and costs, on almost any subject you could think of. There are wonderful courses on marketing, SEO, and many areas of business. There are also courses on such interests as makeup application, knitting and other crafts, gardening, and more.
If you’re thinking this might be a great time to find out how to generate a passive income, you’re not wrong! Try this course by Louise Croft that’s only $15.99.
Now would also be a great time to further your skills, so when you go back to work you can cement your value in your workplace. It’s just a matter of searching skills topical to your line of work or industry.
Keep Planning Your Wedding!
Of course now is the perfect time to plan your wedding from home, and we have some handy ways you can do this.
- Dive into finding your Dream Team with our A-list Vendors
- Read + download our latest FREE Online Magazine and check out our huge back catalog as well!
- Find your dream venue with our Best Sunshine Coast Wedding Venues digital guide
- Join our private Facebook Group for BRIDES ONLY
- Once you’ve joined our group, join us for a Zoom Chat with local experts – details posted regularly in the group
- Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for daily inspiration
- Get your Pinterest on – start with our boards, of course
- Download our FREE Planning Tools to get you started on all the little details
