Self-isolating? Read These Books
The coronavirus is inducing a feeling of collective panic, one that I’m certainly not immune to and if you are self-isolating, or will be in the future, this might increase that anxiety. This is because it’s an interruption of daily life, reminding you that something is wrong but, even more so, it’s because self-isolating will probably encourage you to spend more time on your phone, seeking social engagement via the news and social media in place of finding it in the real world. And the news and social media are not very nice places to be right now. I’ve logged out of Twitter and am trying to spend less time on my phone generally, as the hysteria is multiplied tenfold on social media, with self-isolating being one of the most stressful things for many.
But instead of thinking about it as self-isolating, why not think about it as time off work to catch up on all the TV shows, films, reading and listening you’ve missed out on during the last few months? I think reading is a particularly good idea because it feels productive, unlike Netflix bingeing sessions, so it will hopefully stop you from feeling like you’re wasting time which could, in turn, cause more anxiety. But what to read? There’s so much choice!
Firstly, look at the books dotted around your bookshelves and home that you’ve been meaning to get round to but just haven’t had the chance yet. This is such a great time to get to those! If there aren’t any, instead of toilet roll, why not panic buy books? Things that were written before the word coronavirus became a part of our everyday vocabulary, so you can become somewhat oblivious to it (whilst still remembering to wash your hands!)
Any book will do, but if you don’t know where to start, here are some ideas that I think will be perfect during self-isolation…
the ‘lose yourself in another world’ book
This kind of book is ideal for times of anxiety, as it’s bound to get you out of your own head. A novel with a gripping, page-turning plot is perfect for this, which is great because these types of books exist across all genres and so there’s something out there for everyone. Fantasy would be a particularly good one though, for obvious reasons of escapism. This isn’t my genre of choice but I have been meaning to continue reading the Game of Thrones books so maybe now’s the time?
Here are some other ideas:
the ‘i’ve been meaning to read that’ book
We all have books that have been sat on our to-read pile, digital or physical, for a long time. According to GoodReads, I have 165. This is the perfect time to read them because it will make you feel like you’re putting your time to good use and ticking things off your to-do list! For many people, these books will be classic novels, either the traditional texts we think about when we say classics, some of which I’ve read and enjoyed, I have listed below, and modern classics. But this category will be different for everyone!
Here’s some ideas of books that I’ve read and enjoyed:
the ‘well it could be worse’ book
Approach this category with caution. These kinds of books might not be good for those who feel total hysteria about the world we’re living in but equally, they may remind you that what feels like an apocalyptic time has got nothing on what some writers’ minds have come up with. I’m talking about dystopian fiction, of course! It’s one of my favourite genres and for me, I think this would be a good thing to read during self-isolation, especially if it’s a dystopia that isn’t particularly concerned with health or the environment, which are two things that make me feel anxious at the moment for obvious reasons.
So here is a list of some great dystopian fiction that is not particularly focussed on health or the environment (although it inevitably does touch on them so maybe avoid this list if you don’t think it would be productive for you):
Exit West by Mosin Hamid (some would argue that this is more magical realism but I think it can also slot into the dystopia category)
the ‘relatable comfort blanket’ book
I think we all need a comfort blanket right now and luckily, there are so many books that act just like them! I’m talking about the books that you can see yourself in, the feel-good books with hope at their core, or at least somewhere in and amongst their pages. Self-care books aren’t really my thing but there are a number of books that, although don’t fall into the traditional category of self-care books, have acted as such for me.
Here are some of them:
the ‘I’m educating myself’ book
Like the books you just haven’t got round to, reading an educational book can help you to feel productive during a time when productivity levels are low. Educational is often synonymous with boring and dull but this certainly isn’t the case with some of the more informative books I’ve read. In fact, many of them have been empowering, enlightening and have made me excited about new ways of looking at the world, and inspired me to make changes, big and small.
Here are some of my favourites:
Hopefully after seeing all the wonderful books there are out there to read, you’re feeling more positive about the prospect of not leaving your home for the foreseeable or it at least seems more bearable!
If you aren’t currently self-isolating, do try and support your local book stores, whether it’s a Waterstones or an independent, and stock up on books there, as this will be a difficult time financially for them. If you’re unable to, I’ve added clickable Amazon links for every book I’ve mentioned!
Happy self-isolating or as I like to call it, happy-sitting-in-bed-and-reading-all-day-guilt-free-time <3
On Being Alone & Balancing My Time as an Introvert
(some links used are affiliate links which means I earn a small amount of commission if an item is purchased)
Top- Topshop
I love being alone. I am a self-proclaimed introvert and, generally, time alone is something I always look forward to. I remember when I was younger, in my early teens, I would saviour weekend nights spent only with myself; I could stay up as late as I wanted to and do whatever I pleased with my time, which usually involved writing blog posts (on a blog that no longer exists), scrolling through Tumblr and reading. My time alone now is spent much in the same way, apart from that Instagram has replaced Tumblr (which is probably for the best because despite Instagram’s many issues, at least it isn’t trying to convince me that thigh gaps are cool.)
It seems then that time spent with myself is time to be creative. It’s also time to binge-watch my favourite Netflix shows, don’t get me wrong. But I definitely spend most of my alone time working on creative projects and if I do spend too much time with other people, I quickly develop an itch to be on my own, so I can re-charge and work on these things that I love and care about so much.
I find the ideas surrounding extroverts and introverts interesting and largely baffling. I often question how anyone could re-charge by spending time with others because it is so natural to me to restore my energy by being on my own. This isn’t necessarily because I relax in conventional ways when I’m on my own; most of my time spent doing ‘nothing’ (i.e. watching TV, chatting and generally chilling) is when I’m with my boyfriend and my friends and, as I just explained, most of my alone time is spent working, even if I am working on things I enjoy. It sounds kind of counterintuitive really: I relax when I’m with others but I re-charge when I’m on my own.
But I don’t think re-charging and relaxing are necessarily the same thing. It’s true that I feel exhausted after spending the entire day socialising or even just being around other people but collapsing into bed and binge-watching TV isn’t always the answer to that. More often than not, turning to my blog or other projects that I’m a part of feels like the ideal way to end my days. I think I crave this kind of ending to my day because I feel the most like myself when I’m doing something creative/something that I’m interested in. And I think that’s what this concept of ‘re-charging’ is all about- where it is that you feel most like yourself. Alone or with others? Watching TV or working? etc.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to the question of where you feel most yourself but I do think that my ways of re-charging can be problematic. Re-charging by working (even work that I enjoy) can definitely cause problems, namely me becoming completely over-worked (how many times can I say work in a sentence?) It’s pretty normal for me to leave my house at 9am and stay in university till 5pm, to come home, eat something and spend the rest of my night working on my blog with maybe an hour of Netflix when it gets to about 10pm. This isn’t me pushing myself because I feel like I have to, (I find it very frustrating when people force themselves to work more than they need to just to feel worthy), it’s because I want to, well when it comes to my blog anyway! I love my blog and I love working on it. It makes me feel good and if I didn’t do it in the evenings and on the weekend, I wouldn’t have time to do it at all.
But re-charging in this way certainly does blur some lines of what is work and what isn’t, and how far enforced relaxation (even if relaxing in the conventional way isn’t what I feel like doing) is necessary. Right now, it feels like this way of living works for me. But then again, I haven’t been to university in a week (it’s the Easter Break) and a couple of weeks ago when I had been enforcing this routine for 8 weeks straight and was feeling burnt out to say the least, I might have felt very differently.
I love being alone but maybe I don’t quite know how to yet in the ways that are best for me and my mental and physical health. I think as I grow older and learn more and more about myself (and I hopefully spend my days doing work that fulfils me creatively so I don’t have to spend my nights doing so), I’ll learn what is best for me though, and I hope Ii find a healthy balance between genuinely relaxing whilst also being able to re-charge, whatever that phrase really means.
Writing this post has made me realised that being alone is much more complicated than many people, including myself, like to think. Maybe I’m just thinking into it too much (I mean, I am an English Literature student so that’s a fair assumption) but considering much of my time is spent by myself, I think this is a worthy topic as any to spend my time thinking and writing about.
Let me know how you feel about being alone in the comments! Do you love it or hate it? Are you an introvert, an extrovert or somewhere in between? As you might be able to tell, I’m very interested in this topic so I’m keen to hear your thoughts!
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20 Things I've Learnt in 20 Years
Today is my 20th birthday! I feel very weird about it. I’m no longer a teenager which freaks me out but I also feel like I’ve been part of the 20-something generation for some time now. Anyway I’m officially joining the 20-something club today! Who knows if that’s a good or bad thing? I’ll let you know in 10 years. For now, let’s go with good because I’d rather not live my life with a constant sense of impending doom.
On that positive note, here’s all the things I’ve learnt in the 20 years of my life so far, that is other than learning to walk, talk, eat, write, read… you get the idea. Really, this post is more about what I’ve learnt in the last 5-10 years of my life, but I’m sure some of it started to click a little bit earlier and 20 things in 20 years sounds much better so there you have it.
Anyway, let’s start my 20th year off with a little less rambling than normal and get on with the post! Here are the 20 things I’ve learnt in 20 years of being alive…
1. I’m a very hard working person and that’s probably one of my best and worst traits.
2. It’s ok not to enjoy the same things as everyone else.
3. I’m an introvert… definitely.
4. However much I think otherwise, I enjoy exercise and it’s one of the best things for my mental health.
5. Friendship is so, so important.
6. I’m a summer person through and through- the only thing I like about winter is Christmas. Period.
7. I have a sweet tooth.
8. It’s important to be engaged with politics but not at the expense of your mental health. It’s possible to be engaged without it being overwhelming but there’s a fine line.
9.It is actually possible to drink too much water! I am living, breathing evidence! It has affected my sleep and it’s just very inconvenient to need a wee all the time. But then again, nothing beats a refreshing glass of water- I’m an addict!
10. Travel is the best thing to spend your money on, or at least I think so. New clothes are all well and good for a couple of weeks or a month at best, but the anticipation, experience and memories that travel provides is unbeaten in terms of its longevity and how it can make you feel.
11. I’m happiest when engrossed in a book, preferably on a beach, and reading is something that I’ll never get bored of. I am a bookworm, always have been, probably/hopefully always will be.
12. I am a cat person and no one brings me joy like my little (he’s actually huge) cat Harley.
13. Working 24/7 doesn’t make you successful or even productive. Time off from work is so important and you can excel in your work without dedicating every breathing moment to it, probably even more so.
14. It’s ok to admit that you’re not coping with something and to ‘give up’. I’m not the most resilient person in the world and I’m learning to accept that. There’s no point pushing yourself through something you hate just to prove something to yourself or the people around you.
15. There’s nothing more rewarding than a good bargain from the charity shop. I will never stop feeling smug over my £2 favourite ever pair of jeans that I found.
16. Always eat the ice cream, or the chocolate, or the crisps. Restricting your diet is tiring and boring. To quote the great philosopher Drake, you only live once, and I’d like to spend my one life eating as much delicious food as possible.
17. You’ll never regret taking photos on a film camera. Whatever the cost and the hassle, they’re so worth it.
18. Romantic relationships don’t have to be easy to work. The harder times make the good times all the more incredible and they’re both just as important. I’ve learnt never to take advantage of any of my relationships, but particularly romantic ones, as the joy they bring and the things they can teach you are often unmatched.
19. Liverpool is the best city in the world.. I’m not biased okay? Honestly. I’m yet to visit a city with people as friendly as in my home town and that’s always the thing that makes me most homesick when I’m anywhere else. There are many other amazing things about it, but that deserves a blog post to itself.
20. Finally, life has bad moments, life has good moments, life has extremely mundane and in-the-middle moments. All of them are overwhelming. All of them will usually make you feel as though that’s what life is like when you’re in them, which can be as depressing as it is exhilarating. Perspective is key and learning to appreciate these moments, whether they’re minutes, days, weeks, months, or years, will only ever make you develop as a person. And I’ve done a whole ‘lotta developing over the past 20 years, let me tell you! (Very aware that this sounds like something a life-coach would say, but it’s my birthday so just let me get away with it, pleeeeease?)
Anyway, happy birthday to me! I’m off to drink cocktails in a hot tub whilst having a massage. Joking! I have an exam tomorrow and I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment, so I’m probably currently sat at my desk with a glass of water (or cordial, I mean it’s my birthday, I’ve gotta live it up a little!) 20 is a very adult age anyway so I might as well embrace it! Here’s to a great 20th year with more life lessons, more ice cream, more quality time with my cat and the people around me (but most importantly, my cat) and more of doing what makes me happy!
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