Lockdown Date Ideas

Hey Owlets,

Welcome to week 10 in lockdown - at this point it feels like I should be saying "in the Big Brother house". Since lockdown began I've been in a constant battle of slipping into a routine, that routine turning into a rut and doing everything I possibly can to break out of it. One of the toughest challenges has been adjusting from seeing Jack a few times a week when we both have busy jobs, to living in one room and being together 24/7 for 3 months. Before lockdown, on our days off we would try to have one rest day and one day where we do something nice together. Lockdown turned every day into a "do nothing day" whenever I wasn't working, so we wanted to find ways to do something different within the confines of the current situation. So, if you're struggling too then here's a few lockdown date ideas; I've tried to make them isolation-friendly, so if you're not living together you can still try some of these dates out, and of course these ideas are also great if you're single and want to treat yourself.

Inside Dates

I've split these date ideas into two categories, because if you're in a country that has stricter restrictions at the moment you might not be able to go outside. If you're allowed out a bit more then I also have some "outside" ideas further down.

Film Night:

I know that this is a pretty obvious one, but if it works then don't knock it. This one is great whatever situation you're in. You and your partner can both pick your favourite film, or one that you've not seen yet and really want to watch, then either take it in turns to watch them or have a film festival and watch multiple films in one evening. Grab your favourite snacks, put on your cosiest pyjamas, set your laptop/TV up and get comfy. If you're living together or single then this idea works well, but you could also Facetime your partner and watch it at the same time if you don't live together - it also means you don't have to share the snacks!! Netflix launched a watch party app just in time for lockdown which allows you to sync the programme/film so you watch it at the same time, but I haven't personally tried it so can't recommend it.

Quiz Night:

This is another one that's great whatever your situation, and you can put as much or as little effort into it this as you would like. We've been using the website Sporcle to find different quizzes - we each choose one on a topic we both know a bit about (or one that we know is our speciality to wind up the other one!) and depending how competitive you are you can either complete them together or do it separately on your phone to see who gets the best score. I love Sporcle because the quizzes are user-generated so there's quizzes on just about every topic, although you do find the occasional wrong answer. If you want to get really creative you could make your own quizzes on Powerpoint and create a Zoom call with your friends - you can take it in turns to be Quizmaster and make a weekly event of it. In "normal times" it probably sounds like a bit of a lame idea, but in lockdown it's actually really fun to do something different. We do quizzes as part of a "cruise ship night", where we make cocktails, listen to cheesy music and do quizzes - all that's missing is the ocean breeze and seasickness.

Themed Evenings:

This is probably one of my favourites, because not only do you get to try something totally different, you might learn something too. I already mentioned above about cruise ship themed evenings, but you could also use a country as your theme for the evening. Look up some recipes and teach yourself to cook that country's food, maybe make it together, and listen to the country's charts while you eat (Spotify lists them on the browse tab - just scroll down and click "top 50 by country", otherwise Google is your friend here!). It's a really good way to get a bit of time away from a screen, and travelling from the comfort of your dinner table definitely breaks the monotony. If you really want to make a full evening of travel, take a look at some of the hundreds of virtual travel experiences that have popped up recently - just search "virtual travel" and whatever country you're visiting for the evening then see what you fancy doing! If you're isolating separately then yes, this does involve you both cooking but you can still Facetime and do everything else I've suggested, or order from the same takeaway if you don't want to cook.

Outdoor Dates:

In the UK lockdown restrictions have been eased a little, meaning that (as I write this) you're able to go out as many times per day as you'd like, you're allowed to sit down rather than just going out to exercise, and you're able to meet up with someone from outside your household provided you maintain social distancing. With that in mind, it's opened up the opportunity to get some fresh air and do something outside of the 4 walls we've previously been stuck looking at.

Take a Walk/ Exercise Together:

As I write this I can't help laughing because my boyfriend and I are not the most active people during our time off, but everyone is different. Personally I've always enjoyed going for long walks but now we're spending most of the day inside it's nice to be able to go out and get some fresh air together. We have a few walks that we tend to do on autopilot, but sometimes we like to shake things up and choose a completely different route or just start walking and see where we end up. Okay, it's not exactly strenuous exercise, but it's still something to get you up and moving. With restrictions being eased slightly, if you and your partner live in the same town you could go on a walk together, just make sure you stay two metres apart. If you're more active you could download a workout and complete it together if you can find a park or quieter area near you. 

Have a Picnic:

Truthfully this idea is ripped straight from my birthday in lockdown post; the restrictions were eased the day before my birthday so we've been on a lot of picnics since. Pick up some snack foods or something to make sandwiches or salads during your weekly shop, then pack your favourite foods into some containers, then grab a blanket to sit on and head out. We brought a mini speaker so we could listen to music, then headed to a beach that not many people know about so it's always quiet. If you don't live together this is still something you can do together, just make sure you both pack your own food rather than sharing, both bring a blanket and sit a safe distance apart. One thing I will mention though, please be considerate of other people when you're doing this. We've all seen the news coverage of rammed beaches over bank holiday weekend, and as nice as it is to get outside please don't put yourself or others at risk. If the place you planned to sit it busy then head somewhere else and hope it's quieter.

Meet a Friend:

As well as you and your partner might get on, spending 24/7 together is never going to be easy, and sometimes it's nice to talk to someone that isn't each other. If you live in the UK then make the most of the recent changes and arrange to meet a friend. Try to choose somewhere in your local area that you know is usually really quiet so you don't risk anywhere that's too busy. Both bring your favourite drinks and some snacks, put on some music and enjoy having a chat with someone different. I know it sounds a little sad being excited just to see another human, but this is what lockdown has done to us. Trust me, it'll probably make your week!!

Hopefully these ideas will help break up your time together a little - being together all the time makes it so easy to get stuck in a rut of doing the same things every night, and making sure you put an effort into your time together will give you something to look forward to each week, as well as breaking up the feeling of being stuck in groundhog day! Do you have any date ideas that I've missed? If so I'd love to hear them in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Love and Feathers, 

 The Owlet 💜 

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