Things to Do During a Pandemic When Your Internet Goes Down

As if being cooped up at home hiding out from a worldwide pandemic wasn’t bad enough…

internet users across Singapore experienced a full day’s disruption over StarHub’s broadband services recently

Here are 4 things you can do IRL when your internet goes down

1. CREATIVE JOURNALLING

Before Tumblr made blogging hip, keeping a diary belonged to the domain of pubescent teenagers. Journalling has become a tool for productivity and self-help, along with meditation. Scientific studies have shown it to be essentially a panacea for modern life, lifting moods, improving mindfulness, memory and communication skills. Writing in a journal can lead to better sleep, a stronger immune system, more self-confidence and a higher I.Q. Research also suggests that journalling may even help wounds heal faster.

6 years ago when I first began journaling, I felt stuck. Trapped in a dissatisfying career and facing a death in the family, my mind was in a bazillion different places all at once. I didn’t know what to write about, but once I start putting ink to paper, thoughts took shape. In the beginning, it was all rumination and angst, a way of spewing out unstructured thoughts. I worked hard to get all that load off my mind. As time went by, and my mental health improved, I was able to think more clearly and my writings started to reflect that.

2. Your Body is a temple

We’ll admit it: When it comes to food, we’re lazy.

There are dozens of great dining options within a few blocks of our home, yet we still end up ordering food through delivery apps.

If its one thing that this quarantine period has shown us, its that the cost of ordering your favourite grain bowls add up quickly. For the price of convenience, we were complicit with releasing extra carbon emissions into the atmosphere to transport a sub-par and lukewarm lunch to our doorstep.

Now that we have nothing but time on our hands, we are hanging out in the kitchen more often. Previously a drag, grocery shopping has become an adventure. Finding creative ways to beat the crowd (and germs) by shopping in the wee hours of morning, planning meals in advance and buying ingredients in bulk. Taking ownership of what we put into our body is a privilege and an empowering feeling.

All this for a fraction of the price you normally would spend on Deliveroo, Food Panda or GrabFood.

However, if you’re looking for something a little more special, you can consider supporting our local restaurants. It’s no secret that F&B businesses are struggling during this pandemic.

Our chef friends at Slake are still keeping the lights on. And unlike a food delivery platform that takes a cut from the business without actually making the food, Slake services the immediate community by directly procuring ingredients, creating interesting food concepts and delivering to your doorsteps all on their own. They are 100% invested in feeding their community. With no middle man charging you an exorbitant markup, Slake’s prices are competitive and the food deliciously underrated.

Use Promo code: 10QUCB for 10% off

Check Out Slake's Menu

3. Get outside

Environments can increase or reduce our stress, which in turn affects our health. How you see, hear and take in your surroundings is regulating not just your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working.

An unpleasant environment can cause stress and make you feel anxious, depressed or helpless. It can elevate your blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension and weaken your immune system. A pleasing environment reverses that. Walking outside among nature boosts endorphins, the feel-good hormones that improve your mood.

Ever wondered why you’re so tired when all you’ve done is to sit around all day? We’ve all had those days. Science has drawn a correlation between low energy and passiveness.

As the saying goes “Energy Begets Energy.”

Instead of moping around holed up at home, we’ve taken to going on longer walks together with our dog. Our days are richer for those rich conversations shared while outside. At the end of our walk, we come home with a hungry body but nourished soul, ready to pick up where we left off earlier at work.

4. Try new things!

So how did we spend those long lonesome hours?? I'm glad you asked! Complete noobs at ukulele we were, however, we mastered enough during the downtime to string together a tune.

I guess there is some truth in that if you apply yourself hard enough, you’ll get there eventually.

And don’t be afraid to have a laugh at yourself while at it.