A guide to taking life offline

Last week Eskom congratulated itself on a whole 80 days without load shedding. But before we get too comfortable, load shedding is set to be the bane of our existence for some time yet. When the power goes, we’re often left frustrated and annoyed at how life has been brought to a standstill. AAISHA DADI PATEL, in partnership with DIAL DIRECT, rounds up 10 ways to deal with load shedding and have a positive outcome.

1. Get organised
With load shedding taking care of pesky distractions like cooking and last-minute work emails, you have the perfect opportunity to get on top of things – you could clear the pile of paper gathering on your desk or finally inventory the pantry.

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2. Enjoy the break from your family Whatsapp group

A dead phone means a brief reprieve from the relentless deluge of WhatsApp messages on your family group. Of course, you’ll have to deal with it all when the power is back but for now, enjoy the peace and quiet.

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3. Clean
Scrub the bathroom or mop the kitchen. It’s therapeutic. We recommend a toothbrush and some bleach for that stubborn mould between the tiles.

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4. Get your game face on
Board games are a great way to pass time with friends or family. When last have you dusted off your Scrabble board? You might have a better chance of beating the kids at Go Fish than at Call of Duty.

Family playing a board game [wikimedia]

5. Read
Lose yourself in some captivating fiction or catch up on an inspiring autobiography. Whatever your cup of tea is – take the time to sit, relax and just read.

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6. Sleep
Sleep is a thing of beauty and in these stressful times, who doesn’t need more of it? See if you can sneak in a power nap, or go all in and have an early night.

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7. Get crafty
For some, this could mean getting reacquainted with those knitting or woodwork skills you thought you’d forgotten after primary school. For others it could mean perfecting your application of winged eyeliner. Whatever the skill, now’s the time to practice.

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8. Eat
Perhaps not always the wisest thing to do to pass the time, but hey, at least it’s festive and sociable. Crackers and cheese anyone? Because, oh, the stove is off limits.

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9. Exercise
You might need to do a couple of jumping jacks after scoffing down those crackers. Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people tend to be less angry about load shedding.

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10. Write
Writing is a special type of catharsis. Write down your feelings, write down your thoughts, write some fiction, write an angry letter to Eskom. With a pen in your hand, you can do so much.

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However you choose to occupy yourself during load shedding and however much you enjoy living life offline, remember to insure all of your important appliances so that, when the electricity finally returns, you don’t get a nasty shock when your TV or PC refuses to come back to life after a power surge.

– Featured image by Deepak Adhikari via Wikimedia Commons and of boardgame-playing family via Wikimedia Commons.