Everything You Need to Thrive While Self-Isolating

When life gives us lemons…

It’s time to change our perspective and focus on making gallons and gallons of lemonade.

The good news?

• Sir Isaac Newton fathered early Calculus, thought up his theories of Optics, and discovered Gravity – all while quarantined and self-isolating.

• According to scholar James Shapiro, a little known author by the name of William Shakespeare wrote three of his wonderfully acclaimed works (King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra) while in quarantine.

• Albert Einstein is attributed this quote: “The crisis is the best blessing that can happen to people and countries, because the crisis brings progress. Creativity is born from the distress, as the day is born from the dark night. It is in crisis that invention, discovery and large strategies are born.”

With three of the most brilliant minds in history showing us how this time could yield endless opportunities, we want to do our part in fostering the creativity that is required to make it rain silver linings during these circumstances.

During this global lock-down, we have already seen some industries like Fitness & Health manage to rise to the challenge (modifying their platforms to be fully online), while the Hospitality & Tourism sector has seen most of their short-term business fade away in a heartbeat. Some smaller businesses have found areas of opportunity for themselves, like this illustrator who launched her “Change the date” products to help engaged couples deliver the news of their postponed weddings to their invitees.

This self-isolation period presents two paths, the choice being entirely up to you: 1. The "rest and reset" path, with a chance to “escape” the realities of a usual day-to-day for a while, which can be wonderful for a busy brain and can give people whole new perspectives, or 2. The "make the best of it" path, pulling back to see the glass half-full and figure out how to turn chaos into order. You know that thing you’ve been putting off for lack of time, but that you’ve really wanted to do? This could be the perfect time to take the leap.

Whichever path is more closely aligned with what you'd like to get out of this, we think it’s important to have the right resources at hand to fuel your passions. Whether you’re looking for escapism or inspiration, we’ve scoured the web to find all of the best activities you can leverage during your “free” time while staying in (this goes beyond the Netflix/Hulu/Prime Video binge, we trust you’ve found that already):

BASK IN THE ARTS:

• Though most places are closed, you can take virtual tours of some of the best museums without setting one foot out of bed.

• Are you a fan of Broadway or West End productions? Broadway HD and Digital Theatre have made it possible for you to catch world-acclaimed plays and musicals from the best seat in the house: your own.

• Love concerts? Jump on the bandwagon and watch them from home without having to buy tickets (with crazy fees), secure parking spots, or splurge on those massively expensive drinks.

• If you’re a fan of the last two options, how about a mashup? Broadway World has partnered with some incredibly talented performers to bring you Living Room Concerts.

• Do you like things a little more Classic? Give your ears the gift of these operas and philharmonics.

• How about a dance with D-Nice on his Instagram live? Everyone’s doing it!

LEARN AT YOUR PACE:

• You've seen those commercials to take classes from experts in their own industries for a while. Learning how to photograph from Annie Leibovitz, how to do comedy from Steve Martin, or how to compose music from Hanz Zimmer? You may not have had time before, but now you do. MasterClass has over 80 classes to choose from, why not learn from the best?

• In a previous blog entry, we suggested using Coursera,,Udemy, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, or HubSpot Academy,as platforms for gaining new skills you can use at your workplace or your side gig.

• Do you want a certificate from an Ivy League school? There are over 400 courses you can take for free and fully online, with the option to pay for the full class and the certificate (which you can add to your LinkedIn skills).

KEEP YOUR WANDERLUST ALIVE:

• Do you love skylines and breathtaking views? Step up (or stay lying down, it works either way) to some of the most beautiful views from high up in some gorgeous cities! You can also travel the world with Oculus, with tons of free experiences in the mix.

• Crack a window to breathe in the fresh air from outside while you take in London’s Royal Parks, the Grand Canyon’s archaeological tour, and views from U.S. National Parks like Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, or Grand Teton.

• You don’t have to wait until 3:00 pm to check in to enjoy these stunning hotels from around the world in 360°!

• If you don’t want to be confined to hotel tours, we get it (it’s like turning on the TV at the hotel and getting their amenities channel on a loop). That’s why it’s great news to have all of these amazing virtual reality apps that let you tour entire countries, go underwater, or live POV adventures, especially if you have some VR equipment at home (if you don’t, check out a tutorial to make your own virtual reality headset!)

(NOT) JUST FOR KID

• Awaken the science curiosity in your little ones at home with science lessons from the Kennedy Space Center, on Facebook Live!

• Have you wondered what it takes to create a Disney character or what goes into designing a theme park? The Khan Academy has an Imagineering in a Box course just for you!

• Captain Fantastic has online interactive classes for toddlers focused on fitness, science, math, and other important development areas.

• How about a 30-day Lego Challenge?

• Fans of Star Wars? Here’s a page full of DIYs for your family to find the force within and turn your house into a Jedi temple (or the Death Star).

• Lots of educational pages with lessons of all kinds (including P.E.) for your kids – especially helpful if you’d like to expose them to the British accent!

• Are you a fan of Bear Grylls? Have you considered enrolling your kids in a Boy/Girl Scout program? Find out how to make the most of “The Great Indoors” of your home first!

• If you're having a hard time getting the little ones to understand what's going on, this illustrated booklet available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Swedish, and Euskera has proven an amazing help for parents around the world! (Pro tip: for older kids, this might also be a helpful way to expose them to new languages!)

We hope this list of resources feels like the starting point you needed to get started on your journey to get inspired and creative, or let your brain rest and reset. Feel free to share any other sites you have found helpful during this time either by leaving a comment below, communicating with us via our social media channels, or sending an email to info@nytromarketing.com. Last but not least, subscribe to our blog so you're notified when we publish new content!