In line with the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, the Malaysian government has announced the extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO) by an additional two weeks (until April 28) to further curb the spread of Covid-19.
While this announcement was not entirely unexpected, the prolonged period of self-isolation will no doubt cause many to groan in frustration with the ongoing uncertainty. There is no knowing just how long more we have to curtail our usual activities and continue working from home but it is better to be safe than sorry.
We hoped you enjoyed our first article recommending activities to keep yourself busy at home and we now have some more recommendations to keep your spirits up over the next two weeks.
Listen To Some Relaxing Podcasts
With all the negative news that is floating about, sometimes it can just weigh down on you. So what can you do about it? Take a step back from all the negativity and regain your composure with some calming podcasts that you easily access on your smart devices or computer.
Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast With Caroline Foran
If there is something we are not in short supply of, it is anxiety. Hence, there may be no person better to talk you down during these chaotic times than the author behind the book ‘Owning It: Your Bullsh*t-Free Guide to Living with Anxiety’. Sharing her personal experiences with dealing with anxiety since her early 20s, the expertly uses her soothing voice to ease your anxieties away.
Deep Energy And Dark Ambient Podcasts
Now here is a podcast for anyone who can’t fall asleep easily due to the amount of worry and stress they have going on in their mind. As the name suggests, the hour-long podcast primarily includes ambient sounds that are meant to usher in the Sandman and take you to dreamland. These highly soothing tunes can also double for bedtime yoga or meditation if you so choose.
Great Detectives Of Old Time Radio
Who can recall a time when there was no mention of Covid-19? Well, how about rewinding the clock way back in time to the days of the golden age of radio. This daily podcast regularly delivers fun vintage detective tales that normally last for an hour, making it great for easy listening and if you lose interest and doze off, all the better.
Embark On A Virtual Vacation
The entire world may be on lockdown and social distancing is the norm but even though you are stuck at home, there are plenty of opportunities to unwind a bit at the end of a busy work from home day and just let your mind wander to someplace far away.
For a start, it helps to set your mind to your virtual vacation by planning ahead where you would like to go. If you are a thrill seeker and love amusement park rides, why not “experience” some virtual roller coaster rides over YouTube? Theme Park POV is a channel that has an exhaustive list of real-life theme park rides that you can pick and choose from.
Perhaps, you would prefer more scenic surroundings that are grounded in nature? Then experience the ocean like you never have before with this amazing 360-degree tour of the corals of the island of Palau. While you can’t feel the grains of sand under your feet, you can always imagine yourself walking on the beautiful sandy beaches of Wikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii.
What about if you have a specific city in mind that you’ve always wanted to visit? There are also guided tours through some of the world’s most exciting cities such as London, Bangkok and Milan.
Explore The World Via Radio
Just because we are confined to our homes during the MCO, does not mean we can’t enjoy the music and voices of people from around the world. Radio.Garden is a website that allows you to listen to live radio from around the world. Housed within a simple to use interface, you have a massive globe right in front of you and from there you are free to spin it around to any location in the world and begin listening to any radio station you choose.
You never know what you might find yourself tuning into during your time with Radio.Garden. It could be the sound of smooth jazz playing in New York, Europop tunes in France or a remote radio station playing sea shanties in the Faroe Islands.
If you prefer listening on your smartphone, you can download the Radio.Garden app for your Android or iOS device.
Enjoy A Bit Of Culture
Actor Patrick Stewart joins a long list of celebrities taking to social media to reach out to everyday folk and providing them with some form of relief. The 79-year-old English actor went back to his roots in theatre, digging out a copy of Shakespeare’s sonnets and devotes every night to reading 154 sonnets on his Instagram account.
Stewart, who is well known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, is definitely qualified to deliver Shakespear’s finest considering that he is a classically trained thespian who started his career as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
