Sam Thaiday, Mitch Larkin: What top Queenslanders are doing during isolation

From meditation and brewing kombucha to learning how to paint, top Queenslanders share the creative ways they’re coping in isolation.

United by a global crisis that has changed life as we know it, top Queenslanders share the creative ways their spending their idle days at home and advice on how to cope.

Amy Sheppard getting creative in the kitchen

AMY SHEPPARD, 29, MUSICIAN

Isolating in Newstead

This has obviously had a devastating impact on musicians not just in Australia, but all over the planet. As for (our band) Sheppard, we’ve decided to move our operation towards an online, live streaming, content-driven operation.

We’re still committed to putting out a new song every month of this year, putting regular videos up on YouTube, and hanging out with our fans/performing songs on livestreams. I’ve been writing music in the home studio and trying to keep up our engagement with our fans and interact with them as much as possible. We’ve been doing live videos and thinking of other ways we can keep them entertained at a time like this.

Mostly, to cope, I’m trying to hold on to the feeling of gratitude and place it above any feelings of panic or stress. I’m grateful I am able to work from home, I’m able to work and be around my family and I’m grateful for my current health.

To keep busy, I suggest a clean out of every cupboard and drawer. Once all the cleaning is out of the way, try to discover some new music.

Make some playlists and share them with your friends. Not only does this support the artists but it supports the mental health of you and your loved ones – everyone knows music brings us all closer together.

Dami Im using her down time to create new music.

DAMI IM, 31, SINGER

Isolating in Brisbane

Just like everyone else my work and all my plans have been majorly disrupted but I’m using the time to focus on my songwriting and recording. I’m trying to be as productive as I can. I like to look up new recipes online and cook something I haven’t made before. I’m also eating a lot of ice cream (pictured, with husband Noah). It’s key to try and stick to a daily routine. I find it helpful to start the day in prayer/reflection and also put together a to-do list. This is a tough time for many of us but I’m thankful whenever I hear stories of people caring and looking out for others. Let’s be kind and compassionate and look after those around us.

Mitch Larkin is learning how to brew his own kombucha.

MITCH LARKIN, 26, OLYMPIC SWIMMER

Isolating in St Lucia

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics was hard to handle. I fully support the decision considering what is happening but it’s just disappointing. Knowing all of our training has almost been thrown out the window and we’ll have to start from square one, when we’re allowed to. I’ve been at home not knowing what to do.

It’s dangerous for athletes who are used to burning off excess energy, now we have no idea what to do with ourselves. I’ve been trying to maintain some level of fitness and I built a small gym circuit with skipping ropes, resistance bands, a chin-up bar and floor mat. I am also blessed to be studying at the moment – uni has never been easier.

I’ve got a bit creative in isolation and have started brewing my own kombucha. It takes around 14 days for it to cultivate, and why not use the days I’ve got at home to do it! I’m also enjoying cooking; I might attempt baking sourdough bread next.

It’s very much a challenging time for all, everyone I’ve spoken to has been impacted – from children to parents – so remember we are all in this together and it will pass! Just try to take things one day at a time, and before long it will be over. Speak to someone if you do need help because everyone does at some point.

Georgia Lewis working out at hope as a way to cope in isolation.

GEORGINA LEWIS, 41, NEWS READER

Isolating on Gold Coast

I’ve been trying to keep to a relatively normal schedule at home.

I’m an early riser and would usually go to a pilates or yoga class so now that gyms are closed, I still put on my exercise gear but do an online workout in my lounge room.

I’m trying to keep accountable with my fitness not just for my physical wellbeing but also for my mental health.

My closest girlfriends and I have downloaded the Houseparty app so we are planning a video catch-up and sharing a vino this weekend. Checking in with family and friends has never been more important.

There’s been laughter and tears but being able to support each other has been invaluable. I even had a friend send me an amazing meditation I could do on my couch.

It’s so important to heed the advice of authorities. Their job is tough enough at the moment without people ignoring their pleas to practise social distancing and self quarantine. We’re in this together, be smart because your actions could save lives.

Brisbane comedian Nikki Osborne playing dodge ball with her son

NIKKI OSBORNE, 38, COMEDIAN

Isolating in Melbourne

I went on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here so I could tour a national stand-up show. Every show just got cancelled. At least I have cruise ship gigs to fall back on. Oh wait.

I’m now at home, which is semirural, with my two boys and my “now working from home” husband and a trampoline.

We’re playing a lot of dodge ball in isolation. It’s brilliant. It gets a lot of frustration out. The kids love it and it teaches them how to quickly put 1.5m between them and something flying at their face.

I’ve also been making my own chai lattes. It looks like dirty side-road snow that’s been rained on. I’m also making comedic ads for brands. That’s me advertising my new business of ad creation. Hit me up.

My advice is to not watch the news. It’ll freak you out. Play games and use this time to do your last three years of tax.

If you don’t like your in-laws, you now have the perfect excuse to avoid them.

Abby Coleman working from home with her helper, son Koa.

ABBY COLEMAN, HIT105 BREAKFAST RADIO HOST

Isolating in Carina Heights

Doing the show from home has been challenging. My children (including Koa) have been popping in to say “hi” all the time which is hard when you’re live to air and the noise of them wrestling and fighting is hard to block out.

But honestly, I’m happy I’m working when my husband won’t be able to, and so many are without jobs.

Above all, we have made a commitment we will do anything to supply a little bit of normality for our listeners.

I’m surviving the isolation by writing lists. I’ve always written them when life gets overwhelming. When I’ve had a new baby, I write a list of things like vacuum the floor, mop the floor and so on. It’s so rewarding to cross things off and in this time of chaos it’s good for our mental health to feel like we are in control of things.

But life for me is all about entertaining the three boys.

We have built a racetrack out of a long plank of wood and put it on a slope on the back stairs and raced their Hot Wheels cars. I call it home school as I’ve been taking the odds of each car winning the race, ha!

We’re all getting pretty creative in isolation. We’ve been having dance-offs and my eldest son is writing parodies of songs. He got the idea from Stav (fellow breakfast host). They’re really funny.

Talking to friends and family on the phone is really helping me cope. Facetiae has helped.

It’s OK to not be OK at the moment but we will get through this.

I’ve pulled out all my favourite sayings and use them in rotation: It’s tough, it’s going to get tougher but we are the toughest; we are resilient; live in the present and ride the wave, and my favourite, just keep swimming.

Laurel Edwards and husband Troy Casser-Daly painting while at home in isolation

LAUREL EDWARDS, 53, 4KQ RADIO HOST AND TROY CASSAR-DALEY, 50, SINGER

Isolating in Brisbane’s East

LE: Being on radio with 4KQ, I’m lucky we’re able to broadcast from home. All of us have been set up with home studios but I’m really feeling for everyone else who isn’t so lucky. When I finish the shift, I’ve been painting our kitchen chairs and keeping busy. I think Troy has written about 15 albums worth of music already to go.

The most important thing right now is to stay connected. Everyone is talking about how if this sort of thing had happened 100 years ago, we wouldn’t have had the internet, Facebook, Instagram or any of these wonderful ways to keep in contact with each other. We’ve been through fires, floods everything else as a community so together we will get through this. But right now, while we’re living in each other’s pockets, Troy and I are just trying to stay positive by not arguing!

TCD: With all the gigs, festivals and shows cancelled, I’m sitting at home with Laurel.

Normally, I’m away a fair bit but being housebound is pretty interesting! We’re both loving it and getting used to it at the same time.

I think there’s going to be a lot of creativity that comes out of this. People will be bursting to share a lot of stuff and I’m like that.

Mental health will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. I hope we all keep an eye on each other with phone calls and regularly check in with people.

Sofie Formica spending time with her dog in their backyard

SOFIE FORMICA, 49, PRESENTER

Isolating in St Lucia

The majority of my work is in tourism and events; the impact has been devastating both personally and for the entire industry.

Like so many, almost all my work has been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future. I’m keeping myself busy and active. There’s always something to clean, cook, read or watch. I need to do some form of exercise for my sanity. The dog doesn’t understand why he is getting two walks every day all of a sudden!

As long as hardware and landscaping materials can be delivered, I have a long list of projects to keep me creative. We have years of photos and home videos to organise now that we have some free time. I also want to learn to meditate.

I’m coping by spending time with my kids. I’m loving that my adult children are being forced to spend time in the house. My youngest daughter has planned weekly family meetings. She has a whiteboard with the meeting agenda and has informed us that she expects us to take notes. Apparently we need to clarify our isolation boundaries! This is a time to be reassuring and support each other and our neighbours. We are so fortunate to have the ability to use technology to not feel lonely. On a positive, many people will now find themselves with a lot of time on their hands – we all have the opportunity to use it wisely.

Keep healthy, eat as well as you possibly can and get stuff done.

Look for something positive to celebrate in each day, even if some days you need to look

a little harder.

Alastair McLeod with his two-year-old daughter Clancy are enjoying time on their property in Samford Valley.

ALASTAIR MCLEOD, 50, CHEF

Isolating in Samford Valley

This will change the rest of our lives. My father, who was from Belfast (Northern Ireland), died eight years ago but, growing up, he told us stories of the times he went through. He used to tell us how he hid under the stairs as he listened to bombs go off just out the back of their house during World War II but he never complained. He never used that as an excuse and was determined to still create a lovely upbringing for us kids, which he did, alongside my mother.

This will affect us all but there is the notion that the sun will come up and this too shall pass. We are resilient and, now, we are going to see the best in people as we come together to cope. The landscape is different but the best days are ahead.

We’re keeping our business on life support but we will rise again. We’ve been playing a lot of games as a family and we’ve got our daughter, Clancy, 2 (pictured), hooked on (board game) Guess Who? We live on five acres (2ha) and now have the chance to spend some time there. We’ll look at this as an opportunity to do some preserving and plenty of gardening.

Eventually, we will look at getting into food delivery using produce from farms in our local area but for now, we’re going to use our time to focus on our family.

Kay McGrath in her backyard with her dog.

KAY MCGRATH, 63, JOURNALIST,

Isolating in Auchenflower

I’m dealing with a smorgasbord of impacts but the most severe and serious effect has been on the work done by the State Government’s Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council. The virus means we can’t travel around the state to support frontline workers, engage with local communities and draw attention to the issue. There’s serious concern about an inevitable rise in domestic family violence as anxiety and frustrations grow, and families become isolated. It’s never been more important to stay in touch safely with family and friends.

I’m trying to master Zoom, FaceTime and Skype! Spending a lot of time on the telephone to work colleagues, family and friends and I bought a selfie stick, so look out. We’re lucky to have an acreage property on the Sunshine Coast with

a tranquil rainforest, birds and no shortage of fresh clean air. Richard, myself and Loui the dog (pictured with Kay), make a point of walking for an hour every day, reflecting on just how lucky we are, and we make

a point of not looking at the share market. This too shall pass and hopefully rebound before I’m on a walking frame. A long-held interest in mindfulness and yoga is definitely helping me cope.

My tips for parents would be to be kind and compassionate to yourself. There’s no instruction book about parenting during a pandemic. Do your best to stay calm and not transmit your anxiety or frustration on to your children.

Most importantly, try to keep things in perspective. One of my favourite sayings during this time is: Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. So we need to work hard to come through this as kindly and carefully as we can. This will pass.

Rachel and Sam Thaiday with their kids enjoying family time.

RACHEL AND SAM THAIDAY, both 34, QLD PERSONALITIES

Isolating in Samford

Our two children are now home from school. It’s been our own decision to keep them home, and we are both now home from work and have no events on at all.

Sam is not working either as the football season is now on hold.

Life for us is all on hold while we ride this out. We’re keeping the mind active, the body moving and trying to keep our normal daily routine in place to a degree to maintain normal life for the kids.

I think everyone knows by now the Thaiday family is not shy to a good lip synch battle or a dance party in the living room. So we’ve been keeping ourselves entertained with that.

We’ve got to keep sane somehow, with both of us having no work and stuck at home together. It’s unheard of for us.

We’re coping by spending lots of time together, disconnecting from phones for an hour or so a day. Staying open minded and open hearted. We are all in this together.

People need to get outside and let the sun touch your skin and your face, even five minutes a day, vitamin D is so good for you.

Put your bare feet in the grass, connect with nature. Write and pick up a pen and put it to paper. Download all your thoughts, stresses, set your intentions – this is so good to release some tension from your mind.

If you need it, please ask for help. We will get through this, we will get through this together, united as one, stronger than we were before it.

Most importantly, right now we cannot give a friend a hug, but a foot touch, or an elbow touch, or even just a smile might make someone’s day. Pay it forward. Kindness and love is everything right now.

Georgia Barnes getting into her vegie patch in isolation

GEORGIA BARNES, 32, CHEF-NUTRITIONIST

Isolating on Gold Coast

I work in a beautiful place called Eden Health Retreat in the Currumbin Valley as a chef and nutritionist.

We unfortunately closed the gates last weekend and it’s sent me into full isolation.

As much as Netflix bingeing and cooking all the things is tempting, I’m actually really going to make my health and wellbeing a priority and enjoy tackling those jobs at home I say I never have time to do.

I plan to eat well, do daily exercise and meditation, spend lots of time in my garden and vegie patch.

I might even reorganise the pantry, sort my wardrobe, update my website and share recipes with my followers. I’m a hoarder of recycled jars and bottles for the purpose of pickling and preserving (I legitimately have a jar cupboard). I plan on filling them and experimenting with different ferments. I’ve planted the garden out with some quick-growing veg.

Embrace the slower pace, practise mindfulness, explore your creativity, read and learn about something of interest to you other than news headlines, focus on your personal health and don’t forget to play and laugh.

Remy Hii reading a book to his sister’s dog while he copes in isolation

REMY HII, 32, ACTOR

Isolating in my sister’s house in Watson, Canberra

I was in Los Angeles when the DFAT warning came out calling all citizens back home. Within 24 hours Qantas and Virgin announced they were ceasing international operations and tickets back home shot up to $2200 one way! Luckily, I managed to score a cheaper flight and within a couple of days I was back home and ready to begin my two weeks of self-quarantine. I had been based in the States since January for what is usually the busiest time of year for any actor – pilot season. This, of course, all ground to a halt when it became obvious that COVID-19 was quickly becoming a global crisis.

Since I got back I’ve been burning through my MasterClass subscription, learning new cooking tricks. I’m finishing that book I told myself I’d finish last year (Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow) and, on my first quarantine day, I planted a vegetable garden with my sister. I try and get a good hour of backyard exercise in every day with whatever I can use. Turns out a watering can full of water makes for a pretty good makeshift weight!

I’ve also been making a lot of Instagram videos with my sister’s Doberman named Fe. We need to remember what we’re doing this for: our grandparents, our immune-compromised friends and for anyone at risk.

We have never in our lifetime, and hopefully never will again, see a global public health crisis of this magnitude. We have the opportunity in this country to save so many lives for a relatively small sacrifice. So stay indoors, put on your favourite record and let’s all wait for this to blow over.

Josh Holt practising his putting skills at home.

JOSH HOLT, 39, WEATHER PRESENTER

Isolating in Brisbane City

You can get pretty creative when you’re forced to slow down. I bought my partner, Skye, a keyboard and she has been learning to play during her self quarantine, although I’m getting a little tired of the song Shallow currently. We should be using our time productively: home renovations, learning an instrument, do some extra study or even read a book that maybe you have not had time to read.

Please remember that there is always someone out there who is doing it tougher than you are right now.

We have to love and look after each other. If we can all pull together, don’t panic buy, and do something small each day for someone else, we will all get through this.

Tess Alexander did this beautiful painting off an online tutorial.

TESS ALEXANDER, 28, MODEL-PRESENTER

Isolating in Brisbane City

When you have no control over the world, I find it helpful to focus on things that are in your control.

Creating a new home routine and schedule has been instrumental for me in fighting that nebulous blur that is home/work/relax and sun up to sun down. For me, it’s a morning workout, good nutrition, dedicated work hours (with a lunch break and finishing time) and carving out time to actually relax. I’m a huge believer in learning new skills, and painting is something I’ve always wanted to try! I’ve probably held a paintbrush twice in my adult life and I’ve never painted a landscape before. I just did a tutorial online, anyone can do it! Art doesn’t have to be perfect and there is a certain poetry in that. It gives you this beautiful brain space: to think, create and block out the world for a few hours.