Top 4 free self-development activities during the lockdown

Have you been inspired by all the super-productive people you are seeing on social media during these challenging times? If that’s the case, here I will provide you with my personal pick of 4 free self-development activities you can do during the lockdown.

Because after a full month of lockdown, chances are you already finished all the TV series that your friends, friends of your friends and friends of your neighbours recommended. If you are like me and rarely watch TV series, then you might have had some other kinds of activity filling up your days. For me, that’s been streaming (vegan) recipe videos – of which I ended up preparing less than 10%. Not even sure all of them were edible.

Anyway, here I am today to provide you with my top alternatives to TV series and unattainable recipes that you can enjoy totally for free during this lockdown. Except for number three – which is taking place this weekend – I’ve tried them all myself and I’ve recommended them to my closest friends. So here we go.

1. Reach ecstasy (the natural way)

Did you know that you can reach ecstasy naturally and for free? All you have to do is letting yourself and your body go to the rhythm of the music. This is called Ecstatic Dance, and no, it doesn’t involve any drugs. Although the energy that you’d get from performing it in a group is priceless, you can achieve the same ecstatic and meditative feeling moving all by yourself in the comfort of your own house. Here I leave you with my top top top ecstatic dance soundtrack. I discovered it on my recent trip to Malapascua in the Philippines. So put the music on and just dance away!

2. Self-development as a Global Citizen

If you’ve never heard of Global Citizen, well…. it means you are not a Global Citizen yourself, at least just yet. But there is a remedy. And it’s quick, free and good for the world. Simply download the Global Citizen app to your phone and become a Global Citizen today. You will start having a positive impact on the most pressing challenges the world is facing right now. Because changing the world starts with self-development, and you can do this activity for free during the lockdown.

Basically, Global Citizen campaigns to end extreme poverty in the world. It’s a movement created to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The guys at Global Citizen believe in democracy and the power of the people. They do all the research on what’s going on in the world and what decisions are being made, so you don’t have to. They will then create simple actions for you to take and make an impact.

From signing a petition to the Prime Minister to tweets, emails, calls and quizzes. They have templates ready for you to use, so it will literally take you seconds to take action. They will then share with you the impact of your actions. So far, there have been over 25million actions taken, with almost $50billion worth of commitments made, impacting 880 million lives.

As part of the movement, National Geographic released a short documentary-series called ‘ACTIVATE.’ It will take you on a journey around the world to discover Global Citizen’s efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Each episode features a different celebrity, including Hugh Jackman and Pharrell Williams. Very inspiring and motivating for these days at home. You can watch it here.

3. Take care of your mind and body for free during the lockdown

We’ve already touched on ways you can take care of yourself during this period, but this event was too good not to mention it. OM & Bass are offering a 2-day online Wellness and Joy Festival completely for free, starting tomorrow! With over 70 sessions ranging from yoga to music, you will struggle to pick which activities not to attend. I am so looking forward to this festival that I ended up adding too many overlapping sessions to my schedule… These are just some of the activities I’ve signed up to: Shakti Dance, Jungle D&B DJ Set, Acro Yoga Play and Guided Partner Thai Yoga Massage. Go get your free ticket here.

4. Sustainable Development for self-development

Ever heard of EdX and Coursera? I absolutely love these platforms. You can find a plethora of free courses from the world’s most renowned universities, including MIT and Harvard.

I’ve made good use of these platforms over the last few years and one of my favourite courses was ‘Age of Sustainable Development’. Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs can teach you about sustainable development and how the economy and our environment interact. Definitely worth using this time at home to increase our awareness and knowledge about sustainable development and global issues – because there will be life after COVID-19 and we cannot forget about the long-lasting issues in the world.

5. Bonus, just for you – join the Fashion Revolution week

We are towards the end of the Fashion Revolution week and we are ‘stuck’ at home due to the Coronavirus. What better time to learn about the damages caused by the fast fashion industry? Exactly, there is no better time than now! Documentaries are a great way to learn about the impact of fast fashion on the environment and on humanity. In case you didn’t have enough free self-development activities to do during the lockdown, you can watch The True Cost and RiverBlue.

Now you should be well equipped with ideas. I hope you will take up at least one of these free self-development activities during the lockdown. If you are hungry for more, go check out our previous post with Top 5 sustainable things to do during lockdown.