Expand your horizons like a student

A student is curious about the world and treasures educational experiences. But sometimes students struggle to decide on what course to choose or what hobby to put a focus on, because they’re interested in a lot of things.

Luckily today there are now a handful of opportunities online to catch up on old passions and forgotten interests. Many online learning platforms offer free online courses to dive back into old passions or take a completely new direction.

Pick-up where you left off or explore a new interest with these online learning platforms:

• Coursera
• EdX
• Duolingo

DIY like a renovator

A renovator once had big plans – a beautiful vision of a home. But daily life was very busy at that time. It was packed with work, sports, friends and time to rest. Maybe there were some children to take care of or a dog demanding to go for a walk twice a day.

Those big plans had to wait. But as we are all asked to spend more time at home during social distancing – there has never been a better opportunity to pick up the tools again.

Dust off the tools and jump into these fun DIY projects:

• How to build a raised vegetable bed
• Make a crafting table out of an old cabinet
• Plant & Play with Greenpop: Make your own planter from a can

Embrace your inner master-chef

The chef is a lover of food, flavor and good ingredients. But he struggled in the past. After work, he only came home in the late afternoon and was too tired to throw together a five-star meal for supper.

Nothing excites the chef more than the thought of trying one of the experiments described in his favorite books. And now is your chance!

Need some more inspiration? Look no further.

• Ugly Delicious on Netflix delivers an entertaining and political view into the world of food.
• The South African Vegan Cookbook author Leozette Roode has some wonderful plant-based cooking inspiration.

Sweat like an athlete

The athlete loves an opportunity to sweat and exercise. Unfortunately, his long commute and work schedule just doesn’t gel with his desire for an afternoon run.

During these challenging times, there is nothing better for your mental health than to get moving for a few minutes every day. 

Whether it’s walking, yoga or stretching – you won’t be sorry.

Here is some of our favourite sweatspiration:

• Local yoga teacher Naomi Marshak has taken her classes online.
• Headspace has released free meditations, stretches, and workouts for anxiety during COVID-19.

Embrace self-care

The self-carer enjoys taking moments for themself to unwind and re-energise themselves. Taking a moment for yourself may sound easy given our current situation, but it may be harder than you think.

With our routines completely out of whack, it’s challenging to switch off.

Stretching, caring for your skin, doing some gardening or laundry and baking a delicious treat are all examples of self-care.

Here is some inspiration to help you on your way:

• One of the most popular online courses about Happiness is Yale’s The Science of Well-Being.
• Make your own face mask from ingredients in your pantry

We live in weird times. Every day unpredictable things happen and uncertainty challenges our routines and plans.

Not giving in and adapting to constantly changing conditions is a big challenge. What we need to realize is that every challenge can be used much better than worrying about the future.

They are opportunities. Chances to reflect on what makes us feel accomplished and which habits might keep us from achieving that. Doing so we should focus on encouragement and inspiration, not on restrictions and limitations.

Let’s make the best of it and come out of it restrengthened and more aware of ourselves and our surroundings.