I need a mental break. I’ve served two back-to-back Health Risk Notices (I’m a close contact of a few positive cases) and I’ve had enough of staying at home. While each notice is 5-7 days and you can technically leave the house as long as you test negative on your antigen rapid test (ART), I felt a strong need to be socially responsible and just cancel any or all social engagements. Plus, the local case count remains above 15,000 daily. We’re a small country for 15,000 daily.

But I’ve reached my stay-home limit. Cabin fever is taking a toll on my mental health. I’ve noticed I feel down every morning, afternoon, and evening. It’s like a grey cloud that follows you everywhere.

I’ve decided to book another staycation. Previous ones were tied to birthdays, anniversaries, or Valentine’s. But this time I’ve booked a staycation which is purely for improving my mental wellness. I enjoyed staying at Heritage Collection Boat Quay last month. I remember how happy I was to be a few steps away from everything. Good food, great views, museums to explore… and it costs a fraction of staying at the pricier hotels in the vicinity. I don’t have the runway to spend much these days… so I have to choose carefully what fits my budget.

Here’s a soft checklist of what I want to do for my mental health staycation:

• Do nothing. 🙂

But me being me, there has to be an actual checklist so I don’t end up paralysed over being indecisive once I’m in the hotel. Here’s a better list.

• Cafe hopping. No Instagram photos needed. Enjoy coffee and aim to finish more chapters in books I’m reading (Ikigai, Sex and Vanity, The Bees).
• Run the Singapore River route I originally planned for last month. I only got to do the Marina Bay portion. It would be nice to complete the quays this time. Boat Quay. Clarke Quay. Robertson Quay. Grabbing kopi C on the way back to the hotel. That would be niiiice.
• Revisit that Vietnamese restaurant around the corner. Sorry I forgot the name but it brought me back to Ho Chi Minh City with the seating out front. They have set meals and… Vietnamese coffee.
• Check out the new basement concourse area at the National Gallery. Check the gallery if I missed any exhibits since my last visit. More importantly is to do this on my own. Museums and galleries are great when done at your own pace, right?
• Have a few skewers at an Izakaya nearby. Also forgot the name… but spotted it last month along Boat Quay.
• Hike up Fort Canning – if I could squeeze this in. This sounds like a stretch but who knows where the feet will lead us.
• In the hotel room it would be nice to cozy up by putting on any of the Oscar-nominated films this year. I’d like to see CODA.
• Speaking of films, maybe it would be worth checking out The Projector X at Riverside Point – during an off peak time since my staycation is on a weekday. Maybe I could get an early show where there are less people?
• Absolutely disconnect – no work laptops, no checking work emails!
• Spend time writing and blogging from another cafe or from the hotel. It would be nice to reconnect with writing…

Putting it out there. Let’s hope I could do at least a third of these things.

What do you suggest I do?