What are your plans for the weekend?

Oh, nothing much? Washing your hands? Fighting for toilet paper at the supermarket? Talking to your folks on Facetime?

Me? Oh, just the usual.

• Pacing in circles in the yard
• Counting pasta shells
• Trying not to kill my wife and kids (because I can't go outside to bury the bodies – although there'd be no one around to see me do it)
• Pretending I enjoy Scrabble

“Life going nowhere, somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah”

It's not easy this social distancing/isolation lark. It's amazing how much we take our freedom of movement for granted. While all of the businesses designed to bring us together are closing their doors (temporarily I hope), I hope you're not going stir crazy.

If you're glued to the constant stream of breaking bad news, cooped up with a partner and/or kids, I bet you can feel your anxiety ramping up. Here in the UK, a more severe lockdown is imminent, restricting our social movements even further. I'm not relishing my only exercise as pacing round my back garden. It's going to be tough.

But saying that, it's not a war, or a zombie apocalypse. It's a virus – and all we're being asked to do is keep calm and stay away from each other. We can do this together, right?

I get that we might need a little helping hand to do it though. So, here's my 10-tip guide to help us get through these testing times.

1. Make time for 'me' time

Being in tight quarters with family means it's more important than ever to get a bit of time for yourself. Whether it's a quiet cup of tea on your back door step, or a long soak and a glass of wine in the tub. When your normal physical boundaries close in, your mental space is vital. Make sure you get it.

2. Lose yourself

A little escapism is welcome at times like this. Make the most of your extra time at home! Watch that Netflix box set you've been threatening to look over. Read a book. Fire up a video game. There's some snot-nosed 8 yr old somewhere who reckons they can kick your ass at Fortnite. Go get him.

3. Exercise your body and mind

Until you're on tight lockdown, get outside as much as you can. Get fresh air, walk, run, whatever your thing is. Do sit-ups, run up and down your stairs. Keep the blood flowing, it's super important.

Do crosswords and sudoku. Play Scrabble! Feed your head – keep those neurons firing.

4. Take regular breaks from social media and news channels

Keeping one eye on Twitter and the other on a breaking news feed is a surefire way to imagine that this is the end of the world. Check social media at certain points of the day. If it's getting too much, back out. It will still be there when you come back.

Watch the news round up at the end of the day – a constant stream of devastating news from morning til night will chip away at your soul.

5. Don't let things you can't control raise your anxiety

You can't influence the news and social media. You can't influence the people who are STILL going out to bars and restaurants. You can't tell the people on the train that they're standing too close together. You can't tell another country's government that you think their strategy for dealing with the virus is wrong.

Focus on your own behaviours. Make sure you're doing YOUR bit. Control the things that are in your gift to change. It's all you can do. Accept that and life becomes a little less stressful.

6. Be (but don't test) positive

Maintain a positive frame of mind! I know – not easy, right? It doesn't feel like it right now, but there ARE pros as well as cons in this crazy situation. Whatever is important to you, you will find creative ways to keep doing it.

Share what you're doing and make someone's day with your innovations. Whether it's using a drone to walk your dog, or putting your snacks in a time-locked pet food bowl so you don't eat more while working at home.

With no bars and restaurants to go to, think of the money you'll save for when they re-open!

7. Maintain your work/life balance

It's tempting and easy to let it slip, but try and keep your normal routine on the go. Get up, have breakfast, shower. Walk somewhere and back to trick your brain that you've had your morning commute.

Do it again at lunchtime. Do it again at the end of the day.

When your work laptop is out and open on the kitchen table, it's easy to spend another hour emailing people who have already logged off for the day. Turn it off! Be strict about when you log on and off for the day.

8. Harness technology to maintain your relationships

I know I said take regular breaks from your social media feeds, but do think about how social and other technologies can enhance your relationships by delivering face-to-face contact without crossing social distancing boundaries.

You can use apps like Facetime, WhatsApp and Slack for instant messaging and video calls. If you want something more stable to get a wider number of friends or family on the same call, you could use things like Zoom, Google Meet (formerly Hangouts) or even Microsoft Teams.

9. Learn something

I started to learn Spanish on Duolingo quite a while ago, and it was an easy thing to drop when life got in the way. Now, with a little more time on my hands, it's something I intend to pick back up.

You could learn a language, a musical instrument or maybe a piece of software, or some poetry. Keep your brain fed and it will serve you well.

10. Create something new

Challenge yourself to make something new! Draw an amusing picture, write a story or poem, take photos, make music, code, knit a sweater, crochet a blanket, sew a quilt!

These are interesting times! It feels very surreal and weird right now, but incredible creativity can come out of the imposed constraints we find ourselves working within.

Let's be inspired by #QuarantineLife memes and web apps that show us how much toilet paper we need. Because that's what we do – we refuse to be beaten by anything. We find humour and positivity shining in the darkest of corners again and again.

For Coil subscribers below, a further reflective note on where we are right now. Not a subscriber? You can sign up for less than the street value of a small packet of pasta.