My name is Surobi. I am a 15-year-old teenager who is among the 66.65 million people living in the UK who has been affected by this invisible virus. This article will be presenting some of the key highlights of how my life has been in these 6 months. 

March:

• Wednesday 18th March 2020 was the first day of lockdown for me. My school was partially closed but then on Friday 20th March, Boris Johnson himself announced a lockdown for the UK. This was the first time in billions of years that this ever had to happen. 
• Schools all over the country got closed down until further notice and GCSEs and A-Levels 2020 were cancelled, as well as people started working from home. This meant that as a Year 10 student, my GCSE Biology exams were also cancelled and I would get predicted grades from my Biology teacher. Most people slowly stopped eating out often including me and my family.
• There were certain precautions that everyone had to take which still exists today such as wearing face coverings outside, washing hands regularly and sometimes doing social distancing.
• I had to start doing online school where my teachers set me work through Google Classroom. Everyone had to adapt to staying at home for a long time.
• Since the NHS were and are the ones working hard and risking their own lives to save lives, the Government released a ‘Clap For Carers’. 
• On Thursday 26th March, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, himself got Coronavirus and even some other ministers got it too. 
• On Sunday 29th March, I made my first ever podcast which is known as ‘The Chat Library’ with my sister.We discuss all girl problems and we post twice a week still to the present day. This really boosted my confidence and pushed me out of my comfort zone. 

April:

• On Thursday 2nd April, I let my school friends know about my podcast which again pushed me out of my comfort zone but I got a lot of positive feedback and appreciation for it.
• On Friday 10th April, I started my second anonymous podcast which I will not share here but I also post there with my sister twice a week.
• On Thursday 16th April, I did my GCSE Biology Paper 2 Mock at home which was definitely a first for me and many others. 
• On 19th April, I started a mini series on my website where I shared 4 articles talking about my one-month experience quarantining.
• On Friday 24th April, Ramadan for us Muslims began, and this was the first time I was fasting in quarantine. Mosques were closed and families from different households were not able to eat together, but we went through Ramadan at home. Throughout this month and the next few months, I may have had a spiritual and religious awakening as I pray more and focus on my religion Islam.
• Boris Johnson was recovered after getting admitted to St Thomas Hospital and he came back to work. 
• As a person who used to watch Bollywood very frequently, I also found out that on 29th April, a famous actor called Irfan Khan passed away, and the next day Rishi Kapoor passed away (RIP to them both).

May:

• On 10th May, I started an Instagram for my podcast which is @thechatlibrary, where we post motivational quotes and podcast previews. 
• On Sunday 24th May, it was Eid-ul-Fitr which I celebrated at home and only went right outside my house to take some photos. Again, this was very different to my usual Eids.
• On Monday 25th May, one of the biggest tragedies which set a huge fire amongst many was George Floyd’s death, a man who was mercilessly killed just for being black. This went viral on social media, and people started raising awareness of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and even protesting outside during COVID-19. More people also started learning about racism and its history.

June:

• On 5th June, I activated my old Instagram @valuable.seconds and changed to @surobiscribbles. That is my personal/business account where I post poetry and photography. 
• My school decided to allow Year 10 students to come into school if they wished to only for 6 days before the end of the academic year. I did not go though.
•  On 14th June, I found out one of the biggest shocks ever. One Indian actor known as Sushant Singh Rajput passed away.
• On 20th June, I properly went out grocery shopping with my mother since lockdown began.
• Near the end of the month, I started having one-to-one meetings with my teachers via Google Meet and this was just such a new experience for me.

July:

• On 3rd July, a famous Indian choreographer called Saroj Khan passed away (RIP to her).
• On 17th July, it was the last day of school as a Year 10 student and on that day, I even went to Westfield Stratford with my mother. I took the bus for the first time since the lockdown began.
• On 19th July, it was my 15th birthday! I got ready, went to my local park with my mother, ate delicious homemade food and cut a small chocolate cake.
• On 22nd July, I met my three school friends after about four months at my birthday picnic. I, therefore, celebrated my birthday with my friends in my local park.
• On 24th July, I went to Lloyd Park with my sister.
• On 31st July, I celebrated Eid-ul-Adha by going to Gokyuzu Restaurant with my sister and this was the first time we ate in a restaurant since lockdown began.

August:

• Rishi Sunak, one of the Conservative MPs released the new ‘Eat To Help Out Scheme’ where you get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner) every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August as many times as you like. People started going out much more often and posting food on their social media.
• I started promoting my podcast  and my website on my personal Instagram page @surobiscribbles. 
• On 20th August, along with the other GCSE students, I went to school (after about 5 months) and collected my GCSE Biology results. I reacted to it at home and told my family. Some GCSE and A-Level students had mixed feelings about this.
• Throughout the month of August, I had travelled to Lea Valley Park, Gokyuzu Restaurant,  Sahara Grill, Franzos , Koz Restaurant, The Urban Chocolatier  and also went normal grocery shopping.
• Near the end of the month, I disabled my Instagram @thechatlibrary (which had over 100 followers) and my Instagram @surobiscribbles (which had over 500 followers) for my own personal reasons.
• Chadwick Boseman passed away on 28th August 2020 (RIP to him).

September:

• On 2nd September, I went out with my friend to Walthamstow Wetlands.
• I also have done some back to school prep.

My school will be starting again from 7th September 2020 and I will, In Sha Allah, be going into Year 11.

These were some of the key highlights of what happened over the 6 month lockdown. It has been a very different experience. Of course, there is no denying that I did have some low and negative days but you know what, there were more positives than negatives.

I know that this COVID-19 battle has not ended yet and I know that the cases could increase in the future. All my thoughts go out to those who have either passed away, have had loved ones passing away and to every single person’s life who has changed because of this virus. Please comment down below how your life has changed due to COVID-19. 

Please check out my other articles related to experiences for more of the experiences I have been through or feel free to surf through my website for any other article.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

And, if you don’t already know me, my name is Surobi and I am currently a teenager and a student who shares productivity tips and tricks as well as girl solutions here on this website and over on my podcast The Chat Library. And, remember it is your choice if you want to follow these tips or not.

Here we shall go on to the five bad habits:

Habit #1: Waking Up Late

I know that it is really tempting to stay asleep until midday and sleep at like 1 am but I don’t recommend that. Waking up late is not good as the morning is the time where you have the most energy and probably when everyone in your household is still asleep, so try to use this morning time to get your work done and be productive. This helps you to also start the day with a positive approach.

Habit #2: Having A Longer Screen Time

Okay, this feels inevitable but trust me when I say that it is not impossible to stop doing this. If you have access to your phone or electronic devices 24/7 during this quarantine time, you are likely to use them more. However, my tips would be to have a goal of your screen time on how long you will use it each day and track it in a planner to ensure you know if you reach that target. You could also assign times in the day where you don’t use your phone at all or you give it to someone in your family.

Habit #3: Having An Unstructured Routine

You were probably used to having a fixed or structured routine back when you were not quarantining. And even if you weren’t…this is the time! Build the self-discipline to make a routine as detailed as you want it to be to ensure that you are getting your work done. Fit in times for relaxation, work and even spending time with your family.

Habit #4: Piling Up Work

I know that taking care of your mental health is super important and you may take some time off to take care of yourself but if you feel completely fine, try to get some work done. I know it can be hard at times, but if you do some work now, it will be easier for you later as you won’t have to catch up on a lot of work. 

Habit #5: Not Gaining Good Knowledge

This is the time to also push yourself out of your comfort zone to do something good, whether that is by making a new platform like a website, learning a new skill, or reading a book. Since racism is quite a big issue right now, you may want to research on that or you may want to feed your brain with other good information. If you incorporate this into your routine, you may end up doing this for the rest of your life.

Those were my five top habits you should not do and instead try to do the opposites if you want to really develop yourself and become an improved version of yourself while quarantining. And, of course, remember to take care of yourself especially during this time :).

And while you are already on my website, stick around by surfing around my website and also listening to my Podcast: The Chat Library. 

Stay happy, healthy and well! Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

The government recommends that you should quarantine to protect your health and others’ health, specifically the vulnerable people such as the elderly or with underlying health conditions. But with my school being closed, I have a lot of free time in my hands at home so in today’s article, I will share with you many ideas of how you can make the most out of your time while quarantining. It is your choice on whether to follow these tips. Please avoid non-essential travel and avoid social gatherings.

Tip #1: Study

For those of you who still have exams in the future, you should still try your best to study. I know it is unfortunate to not have a teacher to help but do try your best. I am privileged to have teachers who set tasks while I am at home for each of my subjects every day so we are not falling behind. Do some revision but don’t stress.

Tip #2: Read a book

After having a productive day, instead of lounging straight into your bed and going on Netflix, I recommend that you enjoy some creativity with a good old book. If you don’t have many books at home, try finding online ebooks or if you want, subscribe to audiobooks like Audible or Kindle.

Tip #3: Watch movies

Yes, this is controversial to what I said before but after reading a chapter of the book, you may want to go and watch a show. It is fine to do this as long as you are allowed and have done your work but I still recommend not to be glued to a screen all day. We have better things to do.

Tip #4: Organise your room/house.

It is good to organise your room so you feel fresh and especially now that it is coronavirus time, it is useful to disinfect objects in your house, have a clean and also wash your hands regularly for twenty seconds.

Tip #5: Clean up your devices.

Update your phone and backup everything to make sure your information is safe. Delete any unnecessary photos and other apps you don’t need. This will make your phone and your devices feel brand new. 

Tip #6: Watch TED talks and documentaries.

This is the perfect time to develop yourself so I recommend watching some empowering relevant TED talks free on YouTube and gain knowledge. Truly, knowledge is power.

Tip #7: Practise self-care 

After lots of work, you may want to relax by putting on a face mask, getting your sleep and practising self-hygiene. It will make you feel refreshed. That me-time is important.

Tip #8: Produce content

We should hopefully, In Sha Allah survive this outbreak and come out of it as a stronger, developed person. In order to put ourselves out like that, we should produce content such as possibly starting a YouTube channel, starting your own website or creating an Instagram account about something that you are passionate about.

Tip #9: Talk to your family at home

If you and your family are at home and have nothing to do, talk to each other. As teenagers, it can get boring at home by ourselves without much social interaction so talk to your loved ones and have a chat. 

Tip #10: Call your friends

If you still feel bored at home, phone your friends rather than texting as it is better communication than texting where you can’t hear your friends’ voices. This will help you to express your feelings.

Tip #11: Learn new skills

Have you always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, apply henna or learn how to sing? Then do not fear, this is the time for you to subscribe to courses on Youtube or maybe even on websites like Skillshare or Udemy and learn something today.

Tip #12: Look outside the window.

Don’t be tempted to go outside. Just enjoy the weather from your window.

Tip #13: Have time for your hobby.

If you haven’t picked up your camera to make a video or played your guitar, relive those good memories and enjoy some time doing what you love to do. 

Tip #14: Exercise and eat well. 

You don’t necessarily need to go outside to have a good workout- just do some simple stretches or a workout at the comfort of your house (make sure you are careful though) and also stay healthy to boost your immune system. Drink lots of water. Remember, you are what you eat.

Tip #15: Pray

COVID-19 is concerning for all but do not worry. As a Muslim, I try to protect myself and others around me by washing my hands regularly and quarantining but also by asking help from Allah to protect all of us. Your mental health is important at this time and if you have issues with it, seek Allah’s help and also go to websites such as Kooth if you want someone to talk to. Overall, focus on yourself and your family’s well being.

I hope this article gave some insight into some ideas of things you can do at this time. I have also linked some sources for more information. 

Sources: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-51951914/coronavirus-uk-schools-to-close-to-prevent-virus-spread

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

As I said, I know this is a concerning time but do not be afraid, just protect yourself and focus on being positive and having hope that In Sha Allah the world will overcome this. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your family and friends and check out my other articles:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! Stay well!