I’m Eilidh— I’m 17 years old and I’m a young adviser for the Commissioner’s office.

I’ve been a young adviser for about a year now and it’s something that’s changed my life and my outlook on it massively!

The current situation with lockdown has been quite difficult for me, especially as my mum is a key worker so I’ve had to look after my younger sister quite often whilst trying to keep myself happy and engaged also.

I wanted to put together a list of things I’ve been doing that help me stay happy and occupied during this difficult time, and I really hope that you take the time to read the post!

One: Knitting or Sewing 

Lockdown is the perfect time to learn a new skill or hobby. Learning something like knitting or sewing does seem like it would be quite difficult, but that doesn’t have to be the case! There are so many YouTube videos available that give different types of tutorials on how to learn these skills, and they make it so much easier. It would feel amazing to come out of this knowing that you’ve picked up a new skill!

I’m currently learning how to start off a basic knit, and I’m perfecting this before I go on to a scarf. 

Two: Baking 

Baking is something so many people are doing at the moment― it may not be for everyone but it’s something that can make you feel very accomplished afterwards! There are so many different recipes available on the internet, and I’ve linked my favourites for flapjacks and cheese scones! 

Three: Open University Free courses 

Another thing you can do to keep your brain going is go onto the Open Learn section on the Open University website where they offer several different types of courses that you can earn a certificate for completing. I recently completed the Forensic Psychology one and I would highly recommend it!

Four: Quizzes with family and friends 

It’s very difficult not being able to see friends and family, but you should still keep in contact and have some fun to keep you happy! A good way to do this is to use Zoom and set up a quiz— or you could even hold a little bingo game! Things like this can make you feel a lot happier and make a difficult time easier for everyone. 

Five: Do some yoga 

A lot of people are using this time to start up running or cycling— but if that’s not for you and you prefer a more chilled exercise, then yoga is maybe for you! It’s a great way to de-stress during this difficult time and gives a moment to yourself! There’s tons of yoga videos available to copy on YouTube and I’ve linked my favourite here!

Six: Make a bucket list

Right now we’re not able to do much, but now is a good time to plan all the exciting things you want to do when lockdown is over. This will give you something to look forward to during this hard time and will also be a really fun activity to do! 

Seven: Learn British Sign Language (BSL)

A few of our young advisers – including myself – have been doing an online BSL course and it’s really been interesting so far to learn all these different things. It’s something that is really beneficial to learn and is also a plus to put on your CV! The british-sign.co.uk website are running a pay what you can course at the moment, which is a perfect opportunity for people of any age! 

Eight: Keep a scrapbook/diary 

What’s going on now is going to go down in history and documenting how you’re feeling or what you’re doing in the current situation would would be great. You can pass it down your family when the years go by, and when the younger generation are learning about what’s going on now they will have first-hand learning resoures! This is also a really good way to let your feelings out.

Nine: Listen to a podcast

Podcasts are great to listen do when you’re doing activities like cooking and walking. There are so many different ones you can listen to, and they’re a a great way to chill out and take a moment away from the stress you may have right now. 

Ten: Check out our website 

Last and definitely not least you should take a moment to check out our website! Right now more than ever it’s so important to know about your rights, and we have so much information available for you to look at— not only on our website, but also all our other social media which you can find on the “contact” section of our website!