From her essay on moving to Wales after a breakup last year, to a recent Instagram post about dismantling single woman clichés, Lena Dunham’s words on being single always hit the nail on the head. People also connect with Dunham when she candidly talks about her mental health, the realities of living with endometriosis and her experience of getting sober through rehab.

That’s why her latest post, which is addressed to single people, is well worth reading.

Dunham, who is currently in self-quarantine, has shared several updates about being home alone during the coronavirus pandemic. And in one shared on Monday (16 March), the director and actor gave advice on how to get through the isolation period as a single person living alone.

Dunham shared a set of activities to do, which she called: “Self-quarantine activities for single QTs.” 

Dunham captioned the post: “Hello my stir crazy friends. I know a lot of you who are social distancing and starting to feel like your walls are closing in on you. And I’m getting a whole lot of ‘I’m bored’ texts. Boredom is something I rarely, if ever, experience because I enjoy my own company, probably much too much… so I thought I’d share my list of ideal isolation activities. If you try any, will you let me know how it goes? Wishing you all health, safety and [peace] of mind.”

She uploaded a series of screenshots with the activities explained on them.

Here are some of Dunham’s suggestions:

Read long form articles

“Books are great but what about the long form articles you’ve always wanted to read but didn’t have time for? I’m currently enjoying every piece Robert Kolker has ever written!”

(You can read a selection of Stylist’s best long form pieces here).

Start an online film club

“Organise your to-watch list on every app. Start a themed film club with your other isolated friends and discuss them as a group on Zoom! My current genre is: ‘movies that are actually amazing.’”

Do a kind deed

“Organise your clothing into giveaway piles and plan to take what you don’t need to a shelter the minute we are up and running. It’s good to have a kindle deed in the works.”

Paint or draw (even if you’re bad at it)

“Challenge yourself to paint of draw a series of five pictures a day – it allows you to be loose and a little sloppy and get you out of a perfectionist mindset.”

Keep a quarantine diary

“Try keeping a quarantine diary – your future kids/students will be interested in this very specific and complex time and how you dealt with your anxiety and the disruption to daily life. Hello, I’m interested.”

Meditate on what really matters

“A lot of people hate the word meditation but what about 20 minutes of reflection a day? It’s a great time to focus on where you’ve been and where you’re headed. We are often so deep in the cycle of achievement, stress and exhaustion that we forget to focus on our actual desires – what if you took a moment to separate your own goals from the ones that are impressed on you?’”

Pay attention to your body while showering

Take one of those showers where you attend to every part of your body – literally wash behind your ears. Pro tip: try sitting down in the shower, it’s heaven.

And her final tip? “Learn the dance from the Miley Cyrus Black Mirror episode.”

For information on how to tackle the self-isolation period, Mind has put together this brilliant guide on managing coronavirus and your wellbeing.

Images: Getty