During lock down I have been blown away by the content I’ve read from bloggers. I wanted to write a post to celebrate the My top 20 Lockdown blog posts.
It took a little while for people to get back in to writing when lock down first began. There seemed to be a lull that we were all feeling. One where the word was so upside down that no topic seemed worthy of writing about.
It almost felt wrong to be thinking about anything other than Covid-19. But wrong to write about it, glorifying it or making light of it, or using it as a chance to get views. I don’t know what it was but I think the blogging community halted. Waiting.
And just like that, it kicked back in to life. At a time where we needed distraction, we needed ideas. We wanted to read about how to survive. How we were going to home school or work from home or BOTH.
We wanted to talk about the positives and the hopes we had post pandemic.
My top 20 Lockdown blog posts
And now we are almost out the other side, I thought it was only right to celebrate those amazing bloggers.
The wonderful writers who offered something new, something unique and bought us all together at a time we needed it most.
It was not an easy task, so many to choose from. When I put out a call on twitter I was overwhelmed with responses.
This post could easily be called the top 100 based on your responses alone. Maybe this could become a series of support to all those that spent their lock down writing amazing content.
1.Maintaining recovery during Covid-19
If you have managed to miss Nyxie and her blog, well where have you been?? Nyxie shares her journey of recovery and posts on important mental health subjects.
This post is hugely powerful and so important for many. Anyone who has Anorexia Nervosa will feel the negative impact of Lock down. Reading this though, I sense that the tips she offers would work for anyone in recovery.
2.Maintaining Friendships During Covid-19
As an adult, maintaining friendships can be hard enough. Life sometimes gets in the way. Drop a global pandemic in to the mix and it can feel impossible.
In this post Emma talks about the importance of touching base. I’ve seen a lot of posts around social media that talk about remembering who was there for you. I can’t help but think of this as being utter crap!
We all have a responsibility to keep in touch, even more so when we can’t physically be with each other. Emma’s post sums the need to do this up beautifully.
Don’t wait for people to get in touch with you, make the first move! It could really make all the difference.
3.200 Fun things to do with Kids
A huge number of us are at home with our children. For most of us this will be the longest time we’ve had at home with them since maternity leave.
In this post Crystal shares the best ways to keep children entertained, 200 ideas that will hopefully stop the ‘Mum I’m bored’ chorus! Well we can hope anyway!
4.126 Things to do whilst your social distancing
Some days I was lucky to come up with one thing to do each day. In this post by Grace she has found 126 things we could be doing.
126!! That is incredible! There are some really lovely suggestions in this post and also some that are really useful. Especially things like working on your CV or buying life insurance.
These small tasks can really help your future rather than just keeping your hands busy during lock down.
5.Quarantine Life Part 3: Embracing Change
When I read Thkeya’s post is resonated with me so much. I am always one for remaining (annoyingly) optimistic.
I think now is a time of change. OK so it was forced change but it has left me re-evaluating what is truly important to me. I want to move forward and embrace these changes.
But go and read for yourself, I am sure you will come away feeling the same.
6.5 Top Tips for writing a banging pub quiz
Who thought pub quizzes would be the thing to bring us all together? Zoom, beer and a quiz has been a weekly event for a lot of people throughout lockdown.
Here are Ashleigh’s top 5 tips to smashing it and hopefully wowing your friends with your superstar quiz skills.
7.5 Things I’m saving on during lockdown!
I am sure there are a lot of us who are struggling financially during the pandemic. But there are those of us who are saving a fortune.
Shon talks about what she is saving money on, I am sure most of us can relate to this list in some way. It would be so easy to just think about the negatives and what we are missing, meals out and travel.
But that money we are saving could really make a difference to us later on. See I am irritatingly positive right? Go and check it out!
8.Virtual Travel
In Mike’s post he has shared with us ways we can travel from the comfort of our home, thanks to virtual travelling.
From Dubai, to USA, Australia and the UK. This post has something for us all to explore. Places we may have never seen before or some you want to revisit but currently can’t.
OK so it’ll never be the same but it is the closest we can hope for currently.
9.5 Mistakes to Avoid when ‘Home Schooling’ during the Pandemic
If there was ever a time we needed this advice, it was right now. In steps Amanda. Reading her post, I instantly felt calm.
It was just the post I, and many others need to offer the reassurance we so desperately crave. Home schooling is hard. REALLY HARD! I can’t be alone in feeling like I am letting my boy down?
Amanda’s post was perfectly timed with a huge maths meltdown, mine not his. We closed everything down and took some much needed time out.
If you are home schooling, please pop over and check this post out. It will make you feel so much better.
9. Simple ways to practise self-care during isolation
I love Lisa’s posts anyway, but this one is perfect right now.
I am terrible for preaching about the importance of self care but rarely making time for it. I remember reading Lisa’s post and heading off for a long bath while reading a book. I then did a face mask, tinted my eyebrows and painted my nails.
It doesn’t seem like a huge deal but I felt incredible for it. I felt like myself again and it was a great feeling.
Go and have a read and make yourself a priority.
10. 6 Lists to make during Lockdown
If you know me at all, you will know I love to write a list. I will literally write anything down and call it a list.
When I read Sophie’s post, it combined a lot of the ideas I had seen in other blog posts. Plus it was about making lists. What more could I want.
If you are looking for lock down list ideas, look no further!
11. I hope when this is all over
When Lauren shared this post with me, I was blown away. It summed up my feelings about this time completely.
It is simple and beautiful but so full of meaning. If you want the world to be different following this crisis then you will love this poem.
Lauren said she was unsure about posting this but I am so very grateful that she did. A very talented writer.
12. How to work from home while educating multiple children
Aimee shared this post with me and thank goodness she did. Learning to adapt to a new way of working is always going to be difficult. I have never worked from home before so this is new territory. As it is for most people.
If your a parent, home working just got a whole heap harder. Suddenly you are teacher too. Maybe to one child, or maybe to 5! Whatever the situation in your home, we all need any guidance we can get. This post has it all there for you.
Well worth a read, it could safe your sanity!
13. How to look after your mental health when Covid-19 is over
A round up of blog posts would be incomplete without Jenny. It was hard to choose my favourite so I went for the one I thought was so important.
It would be so easy to just keep calm and carry on when lockdown is released. But the impact this time could have had will be felt for some time.
Jenny shares some great tips to help in the new world we will be emerging in to. We can’t ignore how we feel and we need to look after ourselves more now than ever.
14. Small success during lockdown
I feel quite passionately that we should celebrate our successes, whatever they may be.
Kayleigh shared her successes during lockdown and it made me feel OK to be proud of things we’d achieved in this time.
I think so many of us were worried we were doing too much or not enough or that everyone else was nailing lock down while we maybe felt we weren’t. Or that in some way we shouldn’t feel proud of ourselves. I don’t know, it was and continues to be an odd time with so many strange feelings.
But I loved Kayleigh’s post and the positive vibes!
15. 100 films before you die
We have a little time on our hands currently, what better way to spend some of that time watching films.
Can you beat Katies score of 29? I might have done… 49! In my defense I live with a film buff who has made me watch all kinds of crap. Now ask me how many I enjoyed!? That would be a very different number.
This post for me was perfect for those of us looking for a bit of escapism through film.
16. 200 series to watch on Netflix
If you’re not a film watcher but would rather binge watch a TV series, then Jordanne’s post is the one for you.
If you are looking for a comprehensive list to work your way through, this is a great place to start. I am not sure you’d manage them all in this time unless you plan on not eating and staying awake permanently!
I have seen 36 of these, not in the last 11 weeks I might add but I have picked up some ideas for the future.
17. Lockdown has been good and bad for my mental health
This super honest post from Karen will strike a chord with many. We know that Covid-19 has been a complete rollercoaster of emotions.
One minute you’re loving life and the next a feeling of utter despair washes over you. I really appreciate Karen being so honest with her audience. We have to be open to talking about our mental health.
I love the light posts that lockdown has given us but I am so glad that we can share our struggles openly and know we are not alone.
18. Best of Lockdown baking
I will be the first to admit that I can’t bake. Maybe I could if I really tried, but if I bake, I’ll eat! Thats not good news.
This does not mean I can’t appreciate the skills of Bailey. In this post she shares some lovely home made goodies to inspire any budding Mary Berry.
I’ve told her I would willing try them for her…
19. Stay healthy at home
I am sure we all thought we’d use this time to get super fit, I know I did. For others it was the least of their worries and that is fine to.
Lock down has been about pure survival for many of us.
Mariam’s post offers 8 great tips to help stay healthy during lockdown. Ranging from self care to clean eating, this post has it all. And even if the only advice you take is getting a good night’s sleep, just know how important that is for your well-being.
20. 40 Self Isolation journal prompts
I couldn’t leave myself out could I? Maybe I should have done, I was already spoilt for choice to be honest!
But this is a post I love and has also been really popular on twitter and pinterest. I’ve also really enjoyed journaling this journey throughout. I am on my second round now and it is amazing how much your answers differ over time.
And that’s it. I didn’t expect to have so much to say. And in honesty I have barely scratched the surface. I have lost count of the amount of blogs I have read today following my twitter post.
Maybe I’ll come back with a part 2 next week!
For now though, a huge thank you to all of those who have shared such inspiring posts. Posts that have picked us up, allowed us to feel, offered invaluable advice and welcomed distractions.
Have you got a favourite Lockdown blog post you’ve written or from another blogger? I’d love to see it, drop a link in the comments.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for including me in this amazing round up, Claire! And I’m so glad my post had such a positive effect on you, that’s wonderful. I think you’re right, lockdown and this whole wretched situation has made a lot of us find ways of adapting and coping that we’d probably never have thought about before. I’ve loved reading other blogs and discovering tips and tricks (homeschooling!!!) to save my sanity. This is a great list, and I’ll be heading off to read some of the blogs that I haven’t already read and loved later. Again, thank you for including me, I feel very honoured to be in such wonderful company! Lisa xxx
Thank you so much Lisa. Thank you for the amazing content you share and not just in lockdown x x
Lockdown has been such a steep learning curve hasn’t it? I love reading all these blog posts about it and getting an insight into how others are tackling the situation
Thank you Georgina x x
I love this, what a great idea to celebrate some of the posts out there helping us all to get through this. 300 fun things to do with kids sounds amazing, I’ll be checking that out!
Thank you Nichola, some brilliant ideas in there x x
Some great posts here, a few to check out that I haven’t read too.
Number 20 is my favourite 😃 the post I did answering some of your questions was a big hit for me on Pinterest too. Since then my pin engagement has gone from strength to strength. So I owe you one 😂
Aww Adam! That’s brilliant news so pleased for you x
You have clubbed it really well, I hope you include me in your list someday in the future if you do this kind of blog again!
I’d love to. Thanks for reading x
Thank you so much for including my post on 126 things to do in lockdown 🙂 I’ll admit, I had my mom’s help with some of the more sensible suggestions haha! This is such a great list full of really interesting blog post, I’m going to give them all a read now! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing the post… And to your Mum of course!
Amazing round up of posts, Claire! And thank you so much for including me in it! I’m definitely going to check out loadssss of these!
I hope you enjoyed reading them x x
What a round up! So much inspiration of films to watch and activities to do with the children – thank you 🙂
Who thought we’d ever need to watch so many films!!
I love this post so much!
I’m now gonna have to go back through and read all 20 posts 😂😂
Hahaha, Sorry! I hope you enjoy them though x x
Thank you so, so much for featuring me and for your kind words. This is an excellent post and I’ll be visiting each one of these and giving them a read.
Sending much love.
Thank you lovely! Just blown away by so many amazing bloggers over the last few months x x
You’ve got some great posts listed here! Many that I have already read and enjoyed (I follow Jenny and Kayleigh’s posts) and many others that I’ve yet to read. It’s a good thing that I just made a fresh cup of tea – time to dig in!
I hope you enjoyed x x
Thank you so much for including my post on Netflix series! There are loads of fabulous posts here, thank you for this roundup, a lot of reading to do!
Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk
Thank you for a brilliant post. I have pinned as well so I can get some inspiration when we are running out of things to watch x
This is a great list of various topics that we have experienced through lockdown, I am going to have to sit down and read all these blogs in full thank you for sharing x
I hope you enjoyed them x x
Some amazing posts here lovely! I will be giving them a read tomorrow! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you Lucy x x
Oh wow, some great posts here! Think i’ve already read a few but i’ll have to go through some more at the weekend!xx
I hope you enjoyed them all x x
I’m going to have to spend some time reading through these posts. Netflix, films and activities to do with kids?! What more could I want 😊
A great variety of topics. I’m going to read through. Make my lockdown diary a bit lame. Thanks for the round up.
Oh I bet it wasn’t. I hope you enjoyed them x x
I love this post! I am amazed at all of the awesome articles that have come out of this pandemic. Thank you for sharing!
They have been amazing haven’t they. It has really kept me going x x
Thanks for sharing your top 20, I have yet to read some of these, when I have the time myself 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
I hope you enjoyed them x x
What a great selection of blog posts to help people during this lockdown and pandemic. You have shared some great bloggers too. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Lauren x x
Ah this is such a helpful resource, I’ve added this post to my favourites and plan to visit it at the weekend while my partner is at work.
Oh bless you, thank you so much x x
Thank you so much for including me in this. There’s some amazing posts and bloggers on here.
Lauren | https://www.laurenyloves.co.uk/
Thank you Lauren x x
I think I am going to grab a cup of tea and work through these – I’ve been blown away by the content people have been producing during the lockdown period.
It has been an amazing time. I have never read so many blogs before x
There have been so many great lockdown inspired posts out there. It really goes to show how creative everyone is by coming up with ways to keep entertained during this trying time. I have already read some of these but I will be reading the rest soon to get even more inspired to keep going as the lockdown continues.
Thank you Sarah, I hope you enjoy the others x
I think it’s so nice of you to create this roundup! You’ve listed so many wonderful and helpful posts. Although this period has been rough, I’m glad many bloggers kept writing and sharing content.
Much love always,
GABBY | http://www.gabbyabigaill.com
Thank you Gabby, It has been an amazing time for content x x
I love this idea – there’s so much inspirational content out there relating to lockdown.
Thanks for sharing x
Thank you Kelle x x
These are some great posts and as much as I hate to think about it I have a feeling that we will definitely need some of these as this year goes on as I expect that we still have a ways to go before we beat this virus.
Unfortunately, I really do think that you are right. Let’s hope better times come quickly x
There are some fab posts here for sure, Love the one about 126 things to do while social distancing. I think a few people need to read this lol x
Lol yes I agree!
Never enough activities with the kids, honestly! Thanks for the tip, saved that one for a read later.
Thank you Eva x
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Thank you for reading x
Wow this is such a great collection of posts. I have loved reading blog posts throughout lockdown, like many I struggled initially but have loved getting back into the writing flow.
Me too, Although I wish I’d made more time for writing x
This is such a lovely idea. There has been so many great posts come out of lockdown and its great that your supporting fellow bloggers by sharing their work.
It has been an amazing time. I have never read so many blogs before x
That is a great round-up. I seem to have been busier than ever during lockdown and have really let the blog slide
Me too. Life is slowing down in some respects but wow I feel busier than ever x x
This and the newer one is a treasure trove. I wrote my own lockdown diaries, and I’m quite partial to The 7 Stages of Staying at Home. https://ginlemonade.com/2020/03/27/the-7-stages-of-staying-at-home/
Thank you Lorna, I will be checking out your post too x x
Thank you so much for including me in this! This was such a good idea and I’m going to check out a whole lot of these blog posts!
Thank you Mariam. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did x x
This is kickass! Such great, great posts. I found almost all of them useful. & so many talented bloggers to follow. Thank you!
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed x
🙂
& I loved this line – “I am always one for remaining (annoyingly) optimistic.” I’m this too, on most days.
Oh what a fabulous idea for a post! Definitely bookmarked for later so I can come back and go through it again as some of these posts sound really good (although 200 things to watch on Netflix might have dire consequences…) This must have taken ages to collate, thank you so much!
Lindsey | https://aramblingreviewer.wordpress.com/
Hahaha yes I know what you mean!! I have taken some inspiration from it x
Some amazing lockdown posts from so many great bloggers Claire! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk