5 Ways To Invest In Yourself During The Shutdown

Like almost everyone on this planet, you’re probably feeling the blues from being under the shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis. To top it off, if you’ve been investing, then your portfolio has probably experienced some of the wildest swings in the past two months. So, what do you do in this situation? While it is hard to escape the constant stream of negative news headlines, it is important to not lose sight of the bigger picture. A better day is coming.

With that, here are some ways to weather these uncertain times.

1. Expand Your Mind

Learning new things and keeping your mind active even in simple ways helps to grow and maintain your mental health.

• Read – anything and everything. Honestly, when was the last time you picked up a book and had endless hours to dive right in? Need any suggestions, this lovely list includes some fan classics as well as a number of hidden gems.
• Open your mind – do you have someone on your social media, a friend or family member whose opinion is always different to yours? Now is the time to engage in conversations with those who disagree with you! Look at an argument and try to make a case from the opposing point of view.
• Keep your mind active – there are many ways to exercise your brain while feeling smarter. You can play word games, board games that include strategy, or try using your brain to perform simple calculations rather than relying on a calculator.

1. 2. Take a Class or Workshop

Developing a new expertise can help enhance professional marketability and promotes personal wellbeing. After all, strengthening your skills or learning something new could lead to a promotion and raise or better-paying job. And if you’re a business owner, acquiring a new skill can give you the ability to expand your offerings and gain more clients.

Actually, come to think of it, now is the perfect time to broaden your knowledge and refine your expertise on any given subject without draining your wallet. Here are some ways you can do that:

• Ever wanted to learn how to code or boost up your other skills? Look no further than www.udemy.com. The online platform is even offering very steep discounts to some of its most popular tutorials.
• Have you heard of www.coursera.org? The online platform partners up with over 190 leading universities and companies from around the world to offer online courses, certificates and degrees. You have to pay for some course, but there are plenty of free courses from Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Stanford University, IBM, Google and so much more.
• Are podcasts more of your thing? Here’s a list of cool podcasts that focuses on things that you want to learn.

1. 3. Explore Your Creative Side

There is a fountain of creativity within most of us that has never been tapped or certainly hasn’t been used to its highest potential. Creativity, in any form, helps us to grow personally and professionally, to view problems and solutions in different ways and to utilize other parts of our mind that may have been previously untapped. Maybe you’ve always wanted to improve your cooking, are into mixology, or finally want to become TikTok famous, why not give it a try now?

• Design: love making cool designs and videos? Look no further than www.canva.com . Not only is the site easy to use, the abundance of free templates makes anyone feel like a design pro.
• Cooking: I can personally attest to the wonderful recipes curated by Chrissy Teigen, and best of all? You can access them for free here. The Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese is bound to be a fan favorite.
• Mixology: You don’t have to be a professional bartender to make a good cocktail. These apps will teach you step by step how to do that.
• Feeling like stand-up comedy is more of your thing? Then this ranking of stand-up comedy specials probably has something you’d be into.

1. 4. Experience Culture

Ever wanted to be more #cultured? Now is the time. A lot of cultural sites might be closed for now, but that hasn’t stopped them from going virtual.

• Some museums that have virtual tours or exhibitions on their websites include the Frick, the Museum of the City of New York, the Whitney Museum, the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, The New York Transit Museum, and the Tenement Museum.

• The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts recently launched its “At Home” initiative and will host daily pop-up classrooms for families and regularly update videos of performances.

• The Metropolitan Opera: Every night, the Met makes a different opera available to stream for free. The performances can be viewed on apps for Apple, Amazon, and Roku as well as streamed from the Met’s own website. Each performance is available for 20 hours, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET each day.

• For a list of other global cultural experiences you can have directly from your couch, please click here.

1. 5. Care for Your Body

If there’s a bitter reminder from COVID-19, it is perhaps how crucial it is to take care of our bodies. So make sure to remember these basics:

• Give your body high quality fuel – meaning to make healthy food choices as often as possible. What you eat does play a large role in your energy and ability to perform. You truly are what you eat. Here are 5 tips to eating healthier during this lockdown.
• Polish the exterior – don’t forget to take care of the outside, too. I mean, when was the last time you put on nice clothes? Many people might dismiss this as frivolous and self-indulgent, but it can go a long way toward making you feel confident, attractive and positive.
• Lastly, gyms might be closed at the moment, but working out is still very important to helping you feel better. Here are some indoor exercise recommendations from your favorite Olympic athletes.