Things to do at home - Quarantine time

Sitting at home during the quarantine and not sure what to do? Boredom killing you, here are some of the things you can try to stop you from going insane. 

1. Go Marie Kondo
2. Talk with your family
3. Pray
4. Call
5. Conference call
6. Forgive
7. Meditate
8. Write
9. Get a life coach
10. Affirmations 
11. Learn a new skill
12. Exercise
13. Cook
14. Finances 
15. Draw, Paint, Craft.
16. Boardgames
17. Read
18. Garden
19. Photographs
20. Sing & Dance
21. Watch TV & movies
22. Online games
23. TO DO List
24. Working from home - Tips

• Go Marie Kondo

There was never a better time to clean your house than this. It is both the need and something that you would have probably been putting off for such a long time. For those who think their house is already clean, maybe just disinfect the house at least.

For those who don't know Marie Kondo check out her website - https://konmari.com/ she also has a few episodes on Netflix and Youtube

back to the top

• Talk with your family

I mean immediate family in your house obviously. When was the last time you all got together sat at home and chatted with each other face to face? Switch off the TV, internet and spend at least 1 hour together talking. This can be done during lunch & dinner and who knows this could become a regular habit that you all enjoy.

back to the top

• Pray

Most needed in these times to pray. Maybe its something you can do as a family activity. After all, a family that prays together stays together. If you are an atheist the least you can do is spare a thought for all the medical staff who are on the frontline and their lives are in danger. For all the poor and the daily wage workers who already don't know what to do and how to manage. And the people who control law and order this is going to be very important in the days to come.

back to the top

• Call

Think of the last time you picked up the phone and spoke to someone. I don't mean a WhatsApp or Facebook forward to say your alive. I suggest speaking to one or two different people a day for at least 5 mins. Think of all the people you have lost touch with. No one has the "busy" or "have to go for a meeting" excuse for at least for the next few days.

back to the top

• Conference call

Why use this only for work? Use your skype or other apps to have a video conference with friends, this can help you have a chat, have a party maybe even play charades sitting in your own house just use the online option.

How to play charades

back to the top

• Forgive

Its also probably the right time to reflect on all the people you have issues with and forgive them. Say sorry soon cause you never know if and when you will see the person again. Forgiving helps you more than the other person.

back to the top

• Meditate

Never has there been a good time to start doing this if you have not already been doing this. Don't know how to do it? Download a guided app that helps. My recommendation in the last few years has always been Headspace (see link below) this one has 10 min sessions to begin with. You can do it at the start of your day before you get into your daily activities.   

https://my.headspace.com/
You can try the code: REW30-V93MNY (not sure if it's still valid since it was sent to me a long back, but it had a one-month trial option)

There are some other apps as well, you can download and use the trial versions and see what works for you. Most of the guided ones have topics like depression, anger, love, etc so you can also focus on a specific part of your growth.

https://attentionshifting.page.link/okms (link for mobile phones)

https://www.calm.com/

https://www.aurahealth.io/

Of course, download these on your mobile phones and it can help you not just now but once you get back into the daily routine of life.

back to the top

• Write

Do you know who you are? When was the last time you described yourself to someone? You should write your journal. A few questions to get you started - Who am I? What do I like? What are my dreams/ambitions? If not about yourself, just do a daily gratitude list of things that you are grateful for. For more detailed way of how to journal check out Rob Dial. He has podcasts on various platforms including Spotify. He is a motivational speaker and his topics can be helpful to listen to on your way to work as well later.

https://www.dialedinjournal.com/training1

If you don't want to write about yourself then try your hand at stories or poems or even just helpful tips in a blog like this one.

back to the top

• Get a life coach

For long you probably kept wondering if this was the right job for you or not? Maybe it's a good time to think of your career choices. There are 2 types of coaches, one who can give you general advice about life and help with making decisions and there is the expert coach like a professional in the field that you want to excel in. e.g. Sachin Tendulkar if you want to be a cricketer or a Steven Spielberg for a wannabe director or a Mark Zuckerberg or a Bill Gates you get my drift. You will probably not make contact with these people and even if your do they may never have the time for you. The ideal coach for you is someone who is in your desired industry who is only a few years ahead of you in their career path, that way they are fresh of their mistakes and would be most willing to help and guide you. You can look online to see who can help.

You might not want a coach but you can definitely google some motivational speakers and hopefully get inspired. 

How to find and pursue your passion - Think out loud with Jay Shetty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG3EUMArrU0

back to the top

• Affirmations 

Listen to this first thing in the morning every day. These help you keep your day positive also help you change your mindset into thinking positively. In these days of being stuck its a boost of positivity that is needed. Listen even if you are not paying attention as your subconscious will pick it up at least.  A few examples below

https://open.spotify.com/album/32HwMvas3unyLt3e5Xa3au

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEm-a0AhLu0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnWlERK0UJc

You can also look for a specific topic like an affirmation for confidence or  wealth etc

back to the top

• Learn a new skill

This is not to difficult these days and probably the most important thing you can do sitting at home, whatever you want to learn these days is available online from paid Masterclasses by professionals to free online learning on any topic under the sun. Name it and there should be enough videos online already and if not then maybe it's a topic for you to make a video on and become the master in that field.  

You can work on getting your degree in a subject or learn a new language or learn how to play an instrument (especially if you have one collecting dust in your house) master your DSLR camera, the list is endless. If you don't know how to find these videos or lessons then maybe its the first thing you need to learn.

TIP: Challange someone online and see who learns quicker, this always helps to keep you motivated.
PS: Not just google, look at apps that teach you all of these.

back to the top

• Exercise

This is going to be important. You are going to be stuck at home for a few days with not too much movement so make sure you do some easy home exercises. Look online and you will find a lot that can be done sitting at home with almost nothing.

Best ways to exercise at home
Top-25 at home exercises

back to the top

• Cook

Well if you did not know how to cook then now would be a good time to start. Look at simple recipes to begin with.  Try cooking your egg in different styles you will be surprised at how many different ways are there to cook eggs

Different types of ways to cook eggs

If you already know how to cook them maybe teach your partner or child how to if not that then at least try new recipes after all not too much ordering is going to happen for a few days.

back to the top

• Finances 

I know accounts are something that you probably run away from but it would be a good time to have a look and your bank statements and see where your expenses are going and plan some investments. Have a look if you have enough insurance and medical coverage as well not just for you but your family as well. Maybe fie your tax's as well while you are at it.

back to the top

• Draw, Paint, Craft.

This does not take too much to do, you can start off with just a basic pencil or pen and paper and move up to watercolours or crayons or go of oil or acrylics if you have them at home already. Have a look at https://zentangle.com/ for just pen and paper inspirations.

Zentangle for Beginners - Step by Step Tutorial for How to Draw a Zentangle

 5 min craft is also a good place to start if you want to get inspired. That should give you some handy ideas for home projects. Why not paint that wall in your living room or bedroom with some design, you can have a few days to get it right and anyway no one is visiting you for a few days if you get it wrong.

back to the top

• Boardgames

Maybe its time to pull out all the board games that have been collecting dust, a game of UNO or monopoly which can last you for hours. Don't forget the old carrom board something that keeps you close and 1 foot apart at the same time.

back to the top

• Read

If you don't have books at home a lot of them are available online in ebooks and pdf's as well, so what's your excuse? Mine is I don't like to read.

back to the top

• Garden

It might be a nice time to grow a few plants, after all, you are there every day to water and look after them. Help the planet even more now than before, just don't go looking to buy these if you don't already have a few to look after.

back to the top

• Photographs

What have you done with all the pictures and videos that you shot on your last few holidays? Now might be a good time to pull them out, and relive the good times. Maybe make a montage of them, or post them on your social media if not already done so. Another tip could be selecting a few nice ones and having them printed, framed and put up in the house (obviously later when things go back to normal) All in all these are your memories which might make you feel good while your stuck and can't go anywhere.

back to the top

• Sing & Dance

Put on your headphones or speakers and dance and sing by yourself, or involve the whole family in a sing-song session. Play antakshari or look for karaoke versions of your favorite tunes online.

Here is something fun for you to try - Play antakshari on your WhatsApp group with your family or friends using the record audio option. You can come up with rules to go alphabetically on the group or the person who ends the song nominates the next person on the group.

back to the top

• Watch TV & movies

Don't have to suggest this one you probably already know this. Discover OTP platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime where you can binge-watch your serials. If you are bored of your regular stuff look for the Natgeo or Discovery type stuff even on these channels and you will be surprised. Check "Night on Earth" or "Our Planet" or "The Mind Explained" to name a few on Netflix

back to the top

• Online games

If your alone in your house there are a lot of solo and multipayer games that you can play online. For the ones who think gaming is only for kids to look for the mystery ones or games like chess, quiz etc. See what suits your style and happy gaming.

back to the top

• TO DO List

There is no need to do all of the activities in one day, but pick what suits you and mix and match your activities for different days. To keep your day busy you can plan a TO DO list and that can help your give time to different activities and you can also plan different days for different activities that way keeping the days mixed up.

back to the top

• Working from home - Tips

Suddenly you feel that there is a lot more work just because you are working from home, I tell you its just an illusion. Follow the below tips if possible and you will see the difference

- Get ready as if you have to go to work (so you keep your morning alarm, shower, breakfast etc keep your morning routine the same)
- Dress up - maybe not the tie and shoes but change from your home clothes into something more formal.
- Walk / Step outside your door and back. If possible only go at least a flight of stairs up and down or take the lift all the way down and back up to give you a feeling of going to work.
- Ideally have a separate room to work in, of not try having at least a workstation, a desk and chair. Working off sofas slows you down.
- Keep your workspace clean as if your office had an inspection. Try and keep the home distractions away from your workstation. 
- Let the people in your house know that you are work so not to disturb you.
- You can tell them that you will be taking breaks during which you can chat or do whatever household with them. Think if you were in the office would you have been able to do that?
- Remember not to keep the breaks long, after all, if you were at work you wouldn't have had that long breaks?
- and finally, pack up you normally wouldn't take work home then leave your pending stuff till tomorrow (only if possible - trust me it is)
- you can go back up and down the stairs/out of your front door before you change back into your home clothes
- Don't forget to sanitize once you go out and come back. 

back to the top

All these tips still not enough, then just slap yourself and control your mind. Tell yourself that you have to do this not so much for yourself but for others too. If you have any more interesting tips to do at home besides washing your clothes and dusting then do share them in the comments below

so please #DONOTSTEPOUT of your house unless it is an emergency. 

Remember the choice is between sitting at home or in the ICU staring at the ceiling

How I remained 1 Year Gout Free

So its been a little over a year back that I have had my last gout attack, a very bad one at that and thanks to a friend's tip I have stayed gout free for the last year.

Well before I go on how I managed to control this you should read a few articles on what causes gout, how to identify and prevent it. Here are some but you can find plenty more online

Webmd - Gout attacks at home

Patient Info - Gout leaflet

Arthritis.org - How to stop a gout attack 

Everyday Health - 10 steps to ease gout attack


Of course the more you read the more confusing it gets, especially as far as diet if concerned, some sites will say a particular set of food is good for you while there are some who will the say the same exact set of food is bad for you. Apart from that which still confuses me, I will let you know what I did which might help you stay away from it as well.

A little history first, I am currently 37 yrs old so gout happened a little early in my life,  I have had gout attacks for the last 4 years approximately.  The first 3 times it happened it did not even get diagnosed as gout, what happened with me each of these 3 times was I would wake up one morning and one of my foot would hurt so bad that I could not even put my foot down, after having done all possible tests like XRAY, MRI of my foot, the doctor though it could just have been a sprain from me playing tennis, (also since I was so young it was not one of the expected things) so I was asked to relax my feet for the next 5 - 7 days and surely things were back to normal. The second time it happened was around 6 months later and this time I did not even go to the doctor, just sat with my feet up and like the last time it went away. After my 3rd attack and this time the pain was a lot more concentrated a lot more around the toe of my foot, I went another doctor this time and a Uric acid test later it was confirmed that I did have gout, over the period of next 2 years the attack would happen initially every 6 - 8 months but towards the end it had come down to within 2 -3 months, food and drinking patterns had changed but it was still not helping. Then last April during Easter celebration I was fed up of being on a diet for so long I ended up eating a whole lot of sea food and meat which I was not supposed to and 3 days later I really had to pay for this. The difference this time round was, the attack did not go away for almost a month, normally a attack would last for a average of 5- 7 days but this time the pain would almost die down and the pain would only flare back up. I was on a total diet, was not eating anything I was even doubtful of, till finally it did go away with a lot of medicines and diet and a whole bunch of other things.


So here below are things that I have done to stay gout free for the last one year. This are mostly simple lifestyle choices that have helped me to prevent another attack from happening. Now these are things that I have done and may not work in your case, also benefits from this are over a period of time, so do consult your doctor if you are having an attack, what I am letting you know are things that I changed in my lifestyle in the last one year that has helped me stay gout free without getting frustrated from the diet restrictions.

First thing you need to identify what is the biggest trigger that causes you to have the attack, I have realised that if you follow the internet and the whole list of cannot eat items you would be left with nothing much to chose from and that can be very frustrating. For me personally I realised that every gout attack of mine was proceeded by me having gone overboard on things that I should not be eating, but for how long can someone who is a hardcore non vegetarian suddenly only be eating chicken and veggies. For me personally the biggest trigger was seafood, and within that any sort of shell fish.. so prawns, crabs, lobsters etc all my favourite food if had in plenty was a trigger to a attack almost in the next few days.

So here are some of the things I changed in my lifestyle -

1. Water -
While you have read it practically everywhere make sure that you are drinking more than 3 litres of water per day. Looking back I realised that days before the attack apart from too much eating food from the NO list I was not having enough water as well. So now I keep a big bottle of 1.5 litres of water with me all the time,  (you can use a 1 Lt bottle as well) I made sure I finished that 2 times in the day, in addition to that the other change also was when I wake up I have around a little less than one litre of water, read Drinking water after waking up OR Benefits morning water therapy and remember to keep at least 45 minutes before you begin eating or drinking after that.

2. Alcohol -
Beer was a very important part of my alcohol consumption, thanks to the amount of pain that I went though I have giving up beer completely, well I did at least for whole year, now I occasionally have 1 or 2 beers but only once in a way. For the rest of my drinks, I never liked white sprits so no vodka, gin, etc for me, I only have whiskeys, single malts or dark rum. The trick here is to control the amount of consumption of alcohol, not having a whole lot on one night and then staying off does not help as much as spreading the same amount over a few days, this gives your system enough time to flush out the uric acid created by them. Of course during an attack a complete stop on all alcohol is highly recommended, you can start only after you feel you are fully recovered. Remember to drink a lot of water with your alcohol consumption (during, before after)

3. Food -
As mentioned earlier, keep track of what you are eating and what is the food that causes you to have a attack immediately, I am sure its different in different peoples cases, once you have identified that reduce or stop having that kind of food, in my case though the year, seafood has been eaten only once in a long time and the quantity of intake also just enough to feel good and not going overboard on it. For me other no foods like red meat was still consumed once or twice a week only keeping a gap between them, again during the days of the attack it is best to avoid all the kinds of the no food but once your have sufficiently recovered can re-introduce some of them in limited quantities.

TIP - The trick for both food and alcohol is to plan your week / month ahead, if you know you have a party coming up where you would most likely break all your diet make sure the week leading into and out of you are on a stricter diet, will help you body deal with the excess. Also limit quantities and spread as far as possible help big time

4. Apple Cider Vinegar -
This is been the best advice my friend could have given and I think the most effect way of keeping gout away, you can look up online and see that this has multiple benefits and while some people are a bit skeptical towards it, all I have learnt in my one year of using it that it works for me, it has no side effects so it has been the best thing that I could have every discovered, not had to take any medicines for gout at all. I have made sure I carry a bottle with me especially when I go on holidays cause that is where I am most likely to break all diet rules.
Do your own search online and you will find plenty of links, here are a few to get you started.

I have tried both these brands over the last one year and both work perfectly fine for me

15 Reasons to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day

6 proven health benefits of apple cider vinegar


The way I have apple cider vinegar is around 1 to 1.5 teaspoon with a glass of normal temperature water, to be had just before breakfast and dinner works fine for me, don't have it with too much of a gap as it would tend have a feeling of burning up. After a few days you get used to the taste of this and does not affect you but its worth it, in my case my diet tends to go off a little more than often these days thanks to this. Can have before lunch as well, so 3 times a day.

The biggest benefit that I noticed after I started having this that my weight did not increase drastically at all, even during holidays where normally I used to put on quite a bit was now reduced to putting on only a little bit at those times. So it is helpful in keeping your weight in check for sure.

Finally to recap, find out what food and alcohol suits your body type the best, this of course assuming that you don't have other complications to deal with, and go with what works for you and remember during an attack a full restriction is your best bet of getting well soon.


Check out Gout diet sheet comparison where I have compared different websites to tally what is good or bad to eat