Stay Sane at Home in Mallorca

11 January 2021

“Never keep yourself alone. Keep talking to yourself. And you'll start feeling better.” -Prerak Trivedi

Per the government’s orderBys for a total lockdown, with most non-essential businesses closed (depends on the size of the interior space) and people allowed out only for food, medical supplies, essential work and emergencies, many are wondering how they will occupy their time at home. Authorities have announced another lock-down. What to do? Here’s our best crack to helping you navigate enforced home time.

Older woman sitting in chair at home min

Overall Approach #

Routine: Planning out your days with a loose routine will be helpful. We are creatures of habit and this unexpected disruption to our norms has the potential to throw us out of whack when it needn’t. Especially since we have been dealing with this for a year now. Having a plan makes a difference in our mental health.

If your morning starts with a café solo at your local café, then try your hand at brewing your own specialty cup. Stick to regular meal times. Schedule productivity, relaxation, alone time and family bonding. No need to be rigid in your regularity. However, finding a daily beat might help to alleviate any anxiety unstructured time might create.

Coffee in Palma min

Self-Care #

Uncertain times call for nourishment and compassion towards yourself. We all have different preferences for self-care, whether that’s exercise, journaling, taking a bath, alone-time, praying, cooking a nourishing meal, or sitting still for a moment. If self-care is not in your normal routine, use this home-time as an opportunity to experiment with what feels good to you. However you do it, self-care can translate into resilience, health, and emotional well-being – all things vital to navigating COVID-19.

Woman doing squats Palma min

Communicate #

Call, text, instant message – alone time is healthy, but extended isolation is best avoided. We are graced with technology to connect – and connect we must while the shutdown disrupts our normal social touchpoints. We are now all familiar with Zoom, WhatsApp video, Google Meet and other video platforms. Use them for scheduled yoga classes, family conferences and celebrations or having cocktails with your professional colleagues. This is a time to reach out and touch someone - virtually.

Acknowledge Fear: COVID-19’s arrival to our island has been unsettling. It’s okay to let yourself feel your worries. Pushing down our anxieties about the virus delays our ability to take healthy actions in dealing with its reality. Here are a few ideas on how to manage fear and anxiety:

  • Write out your fears. Make art - sketches, drawings and collages. This art therapy is super helpful in the process of not getting stuck. And, at the end of this (yes, there will be an end), you will be able to move forward instead of getting stuck in 'The time of COVID.'
  • Share your fears with others - a spouse, best friend, family member, your pet or your plants. Help your children to express theirs. No matter how you do it – keywords are 'better out than in.' You can use this time to build a better you.
  • Access professional healthcare providers. Telemedicine has online resources that provide counseling for those in need. You don't need to wait until you are suicidal to begin accessing this help.
  • Join a 12-Step Group. A group exists for any condition you can name and many are now taking advantage of online help to connect face-to-face with others who are dealing with similar issues. If you've taken to using alcohol as a self-care tool, this might be the time to pull back on that one and connect with others who also use alcohol and drugs to numb out to this time of loneliness and isolation.
Young man on cell phone Palma Bay min

Take Action #

While many aspects of COVID-19 feel beyond our control, you can still take action – offer a listening ear, support local businesses, grow your garden or volunteer to help in a local charity– do whatever is in your control to help yourself, family, community, and beyond, for that matter. The movement of seeking for solutions to our current circumstances propels us outside of our 'thinking mind' into the present moment. Take heed and take action!

Cosy home winter

“Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Online Activities #

There is already a wealth of free, online activities, however; due to COVID-19, businesses are offering access to things not usually available.

  • Palma: The government of Palma and Palma Creative have enabled a new website as a digital cultural content space adapted to the current situation that will keep you busy for hours.
  • Magazines: Hearst Spain is offering free access through for all its publications on the Kiosk platform and more.
  • Music: a tumblr account has worked with musicians to put on a live-stream “Quarantine Music Festival”. The public will be able to connect through the artists' YouTube channels or see them all here. Additionally, check out your favourite artists’ Instagram profiles – many are posting 30-minute online music performances.
  • Theatre: Check out online theatre here.
  • More Virtual Cultural content here.
  • Books: Some authors have uploaded their books / comics for free, such as El Torres and authors of El Bosque.
  • Wine: Mallorca's The Wine Industry is doing wine deliveries with a full catalogue available online. Orders may also be placed by email at [email protected] or by phone 657883248. Credit card payments are the best form of payment.
  • Movies: Moviestar lite will be free for a month. Or if, you are a library member, you have access to the efilm catalogue, a Netflix library. Each community has its own catalogue.
  • Games: Runehead (Italian video game company) has uploaded a free key for its games. Perrolokogames published its Dirty Fridge board game in PDF format for anyone who wants to play.
  • Yoga: Yoga with Adriene is a free youtube channel with a variety of classes for beginners to experienced practitioners.
  • Virtual Museum Tours: The Museo del prado, Reina Sofia, the Thyssen and many other museums offer audiovisual content and explanation of pictures through their websites. Paris Museums also put 100,000 images online for unrestricted public use.
  • Podcasts: Podcasts are typically free and readily available online or from your phone.
  • Books: The World Digital Library has site with many free online reading resources. Mallorca's Rata Corner for the month of March will ship books or make reading recommendations – send an email [email protected] or call 971 21 46 22 or via social networks. If the orderBy exceeds € 30 then they will send it home for free. This might not be an online activity, but it's too good of a deal not to mention.
  • Mallorca: Read everything you always wanted to know about the island in our Affordable Mallorca magazine. We offer more than 420 articles written by insiders living on the Mallorca – for people like you and me.

If you have kids and are wondering how to keep them busy and entertained while schools are closed, read this article.

Woman reading tablet Mallorca min

The Spiritual Side #

Before we send you off to try the world of online and offline COVID-19 activities, we would be remiss if we did not mention the spiritual side of things. Self-care, productivity and community time are key ingredients, but here at Affordable Mallorca, we encourage you to go one step further and connect with your spiritual side. Pray, meditate, sit in silence. Read religious materials or spiritual books and articles. Do whatever you need to do to find your spiritual path. We wish you deep blessings, health and happiness on this journey.

Last But Not Least #

When you have exhausted your plans for entertaining yourself, try just one more - do a thorough cleaning. Closets, catboxes, cabinets, toilets and more, go through and discard the old and unused items. Give them to those in need. These times are calling for us to help others. Many have limited financial resources. This is an excellent time to give-a-way what you don't want or need.

If you look around on Facebook, you'll definitely find people who need food, clothing and toys for children. Try looking at Openmind Mallorca. This a group of 850+ members who live on the island and have a strong desire to help others and be helped. If you need help emotional or to meet your physical needs like paying your electric bill, reach out. If you can help others with emotional support, offer your time.

When we find a little something to be grateful for and can share it with others, that keeps our hearts and minds strong. We will get through this time, together.

Sources
Community references
Personal experience

#Covid19HowtoCope #Covid19 #Mallorca #StaySane #Coronavirus

11 January, 2021

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