47 Things to Do While Quarantined for Your Brain, Body, and Home

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For better (because of how much I learned), I’m no stranger to being locked indoors for extended periods of time. A few years ago, I injured my foot and my doctor prescribed bedrest for a month. Then I went into preterm labor towards the end of my pregnancy with my darling little boy. After a few days at the hospital the doctors prescribed, you guessed it, bedrest. So being on lockdown in Italy right now, is pretty easy for me. (Yeah, I can still walk around!) But most importantly, it makes me uniquely able to help.

These experiences taught me an important lesson, which I hope you take into account if you too find yourself in some sort of government-imposed quarantine and/or lockdown. It is all about mindset. It’s about how you approach the situation. The first time around I was like “woe is me. I’m in pain.” The second time around, I thought, “Okay, this is finite. This is for something bigger than me,” which in that case was giving birth to my healthy baby boy Lorenzo. 

And if your government is practicing social distancing as a measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus, then there’s a whole lot of great good involved in that too. Like helping to keep the elderly (our grandmas and grandpas safe), and protecting members of our community with compromised immune systems. And how about aggressively nipping this problem in the bud so we can go back to our lives, and maybe we can go back to a better version of our lives, having grown as individuals and as a society because of it. 

That said here is a plethora of things (47 to be precise) that you can do while indoors for your brain, body and home:

BRAIN

(Relax and Play)

1.     Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in six or more months . One of my dear friends did this for lent. Instead of giving up something, she committed to reaching out to one person per day that she hadn’t spoken to in at least six months. Whether a family member, friend, acquaintance or colleague. In this world that praises busy, it becomes too easy to not pick up the phone and call someone we care about. 

2.     Watch an Italian sing. Italians have been in various degrees of quarantine for some time now. It’s beautiful to see how they are dealing with it. People singing songs from their balconies, playing the Italian national anthem from their terraces, a woman playing her harp. Georgette from “A Girl in Florence” has a beautiful compilation of these moments of human creativity and resilience.

3. Netflix/Amazon Prime. Do I need to say more? Ok, if you insist. For Netflix I’m looking forward to “6 Underground.” If you’re in Italy, watch “Celebrity Hunted” on Amazon Prime. 

4.  Plan your next trip to Italy. Sometimes the best way to deal with being indoors is to daydream about what you’ll do when it ends. Plan your next big vacation. Start by buying my interactive guidebook “Discover Milan.” Decide your itinerary, which hotel you would stay in, and what dishes you want to try. You’ll also be doing a good deed, since until May 31, 2020 net proceeds from the sale of the interactive ebook will go to the Red Cross.

5.     Play Monopoly. I mean, hello, when it comes to board games that help past the time, Monopoly is the answer. 

6.     Play cards. Bridge, poker, blackjack… dealer’s choice. 

7.     Spend hours in a dark room playing video games. I have never been one to play video games, I mean except for Super Mario Bros. back in the 90s. If there was a time and a place to do so, it would be now. 

8.     Start a puzzle. I mean, what could be more of a time filler than a puzzle? I’m going to suggest this beautiful one of the Cinque Terre.

9.     Play with your pet. There’s scientific proof that it helps improve mental health. 

10.  Catch up on your favorite TV shows and YouTubers. We don’t own a TV. And I rarely watched YouTube because quite frankly with a toddler, a husband, and running my own business that was there were other things I rather do? Wow how things change when in isolation. 

11.  Color. A lot of you have children at home due to school closings, so this is a great activity to do with them. There are baby shark coloring books for the wee little ones, “I am Confident…” coloring books for girls, and even coloring books for adults, which are supposed to help reduce stress. 

12.  Book an Italian food tour of Florence, Italy, or San Francisco, CA, with Coral and her team. Plan your life post-quarantine and share in her incredible passion for food. She has years of experience, check her out at “Curious Appetite Travel”.

13.  Organize a picnic in your backyard. Canadian blogger Jasmine of “Questa Dolce Vita” in Bergamo, Italy, did this exceptionally well. 

(Learn and Implement)

14.  Read a book. There are so many different interesting books. I recently started “Mating in Captivity” by Ester Perel, which I recommend to anyone in a long term relationship. If you haven’t heard of her, Ester Perel has two viral Ted Talks: Rethinking Infidelity and The Secret to Desire in Long-term Relationships.  

15.  Read another book. Try “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. It’s an oldie but definitely a goodie, something I think needs to be revisited from time to time to remind us that we’re on a journey, and sometimes the best things are on the other side of the hardest of times. 

16.  Research what’s going on in Italy. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand what’s happened on both sides of the Atlantic. I think we can learn from what Italy and other nations have done well, and not so well. Let’s use this information to our advantage when dealing with the novel coronavirus[KP3] . But stop if it starts to make you anxious or worried

17.  Asses your finances. Times like these are a good reminder of the importance of having your financial house in order. Personally, three main things shaped my views on money: Suzie Orman, graduating shortly before the 2008 recession and Italian society that generally believes in the importance of saving money and buying things in cash when possible. 

18.  Start a business. That’s how I started mine. The first idea came to me while I was on bedrest for my foot. Maybe this is your time to make your entrepreneur dreams come through. There are a gazillion resources out there, like Marie Forleo or James Wedmore

19.  Grow your social media following. “Influencer” is a great book to get you started on the interesting world of growing and monetizing your social media following. Plus, just because you are home all day doesn’t mean you can’t [KP5] share something interesting with the world. 

20.  Start a podcast. I’ve been thinking about starting one for a few months now. There a gazillion how-to guides out there. One resource I’ve considered is by Nicaila, who just happens to have a podcast I love. 

21.  Read another book. Next on my list is “First Bite: How we Learn to Eat” by Bee Wilson. It’s all about how different cultures weaning, which is something that increasingly intrigues me. 

22.  Teach/Learn a language online. One of my friends is giving Italian students private English lessons via Skype. 

23.  Learn how to play the guitar. I don’t know how to play the guitar, nor am I really planning to, but maybe music is your thing. I’ll gladly listen to a video/audio of your progress. 

24.  Watch the rock start Italian chef Massimo Bottura cook at home with his family on Instagram. 

(Contemplate)

25.  Meditate. Times like this call for reflection. Take a few moments out of your day to center yourself. Maybe even using an app. 

26.  Gratitude journal. In these interesting times, it may be hard to remember all the blessings we have. But I assure you, we have many. Think about the food you have in this very moment. The water you have. The roof you have over your head. The clothes you have on your back. The quality time you get to spend with your family. 

27.  Catch up on your favorite podcasts. I’m an avid podcast listener. I love the fact that I can listen while washing the dishes, cooking dinner, driving to work, etc. Here are some of my spiritual favorites:

a. Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations If this isn’t the moment to get a little bit more thoughtful about what we’re doing on this planet, then I don’t know what is. 

b. Jim Fortin: A Self-Described Leader in Subconscious Self-Transformation

28.  Prepare your arrow. My husband is a self-described realist,  has been surprisingly optimistic about all of this coronavirus stuff. He says, it’s a perfect opportunity to take some time to step back, reflect on what’s going on in your life and business and make plans to catapult forward when this passes. 

29. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. I think the title of this book says it all.

BODY

30.  Do your nails. If you’re reading this before your world goes on lockdown, like here in Italy, then I strongly suggest you get a standard manicure at a nail salon. There’s nothing like looking at your gel nail polish grow out and not having all the tools you need to get it off. With an old school mani/pedi, you can keep it up from home. If your world is already on lockdown then check out this video on how to removed gel nail polish at home.

31.  Exercise. No more excuses about not having time. As a person who has rarely stepped into the gym and is a firm believer in passive exercise, like walking up five flights of stairs and walking 40 minutes to the city center on a sunny day, and back. Those options aren’t available right now. I’m contemplating taking Zumba lessons (online of course). My husband has been doing push-ups every morning. How do you all stay fit?

32.  Stretch. If you have a yoga mat, that’s a great way to keep your body in shape and flexible. 

33.  In-home spa day. Slice a few cucumbers, light a few candles, fill your bathtub… a perfect way to relax when things are so anxious outside the doors of your home. Here are a few tips by The Every Girl that I liked.

HOME

34.  Make limoncello. It’s lemon season and this is super easy to make. Plus isn’t it great to have a delicious and refreshing homemade spirit to enjoy while being isolated? Plus, once all this coronavirus stuff is over, can you imagine the conversation starter it will be? Get your limoncello recipe here.

35.  Clean your house. A few years ago I read “Keeping House” that has more or less been my bible to house cleaning and management in general. It had everything from what cleaners to use on which surfaces to how long I could store just about anything in the fridge. It was printed way back in 2005 (how time flies)! Since then, others have released seemingly similar books, like Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk. I haven’t read it, but the reviews are great, and it looks pretty. 

36.  Host a private dinner party. Just you and whoever is with you. Dress the table with pretty things from around the house. Light a few candles and make the everyday a little more special. Maybe even put on makeup and a cocktail dress.

37.  Spring clean. If you’re anything like me you always find lots of reasons and excuses not to do a good old fashion deep clean. I don’t mean just cleaning your house. I’m talking taking food out of your pantry and wiping it down. I’m talking taking down curtains so you can wash, dry and iron them. LOL. Note. If this sounds like torture, skip this one and maybe you can hire someone to do all that work, when coronavirus is behind us. 

38.  Sew. If you have a sewing machine and some quilting fabrics, by all means, get at it. I don’t have any of those things lying around the house, but I do have a few buttons that need to be reattached to shirts, a shirt that needs hemming, beads that need to be tightened. 

39.  Make an authentic Bolognese sauce. There are lots of recipes for meat sauces recipes out there, but this one is an authentic recipe. The one where you let the meat simmer for hours. Taste it after about 30 minutes (once the ground meat is cooked through), and then again after two hours. There’s a huge difference. Here’s my recipe for authentic Ragu alla Bolognese .

40.  Declutter. With this one, I’m talking going in and tackling all that unnecessary clutter and other stuff you have, but never actually use. You’ve heard of Marie Kondo, what better time than now to do it? 

41.  Knit. You all may not know this, but I have a total domesticated goddess tendency to me. As a child, my mom and my aunts taught me to crochet, and then more recently my mother-in-law taught me to knit. Somewhere along the way I found We Are Knitters, they have these super modern take to this traditional tasks: providing stylish patterns, a variety of yarns, lots of different colors and shades, and various technical levels from novice to expert. 

42.  Make Pastiera Napoletana. This traditional dessert from Naples is sort of like a pimped-out cheesecake made with ricotta and candied fruit. Get my recipe for pastiera napoletana here. 

43.  Make French Onion Soup. Yeah, this is a blog about Italy, so what? I’ve been craving French Onion soup for days. This low and slow recipe is perfect for days in quarantine when you have lots of time indoors. Check out the Serious Eats recipe, full of interesting tips/suggestions that will take your soup from good to wow. 

44.  Organize your computer. While the other files on my computer are generally organized. The downloads file on my computer is a hot mess. Is yours as well? If so, maybe this is a good time to handle it. 

45.  Finish that album. Remember when people used to print pictures and stick them to photo albums? You can still do that. There is also a host of online companies that will let you put together albums online that they will print and ship to your home.

46.  Online shop. Can we commit to buying less, but better things? What sense does it make to buy that cheap plastic shoe that disintegrates after just a few uses, or the poorly made but fancy looking soap dispenser that rusts after a month? It’s okay to spend a little more on quality items that last. For example, I really love shoes from Thierry Rabotin. It’s a family run business that makes 100% handmade shoes. I also really like Artknit Studio that specializes in wool and cashmere pieces made to order at relatively affordable prices. 

BONUS

47.  Love. That’s my last one. Love life, love yourself, love your friends, and your enemies, your blessings, and your challenges. Life has its ups and its downs, but if we are wise then we’ll learn to slow down and listen to what lessons life is trying to teach us. Then we can love the journey. 

Stay Calm. Stay Safe.

 Xo, Thea 

Photo Credits: Dog at home by Brina Blum. Chelsea shapouri - Beverage with white Jen P. - Photo of lady in pink with stripes by Annie Spratt - Photo of home spa by Uby Yanes - Tagliatelle with bolognese by me Thea