If you’re social distancing right now due to COVID-19, it’s likely you’re starting to get bored. I know I am. Anxieties are high in everyone and it’s hard not to spend the entire day reading the news and stressing ourselves out more. While it’s important that we all stay home and stay safe, that doesn’t mean we have to be bored while doing it. We need a variety of activities to keep our brains and bodies moving and happy. With that said, I’ve come up with 10 activities we all can do while we stay home and protect each other.
Cooking is an easy and productive way to pass the time at home. A lot of people are often too busy to cook or too tired after a long day of work. But now, being at home all day, we all have the time. No excuses. Open up that cook book that’s been sitting on your shelf for years. Or modernize and look up a recipe online. Social distancing is the perfect time to actually teach yourself something new when it comes to cooking, or even try a new food you’ve never had before.
Puzzles are the ultimate social distancing activity. They provide a lesiure way to pass the time at home while also stimulating your brain. Puzzles help with your long and short-term memory as well as your spatial reasoning. Puzzles get you away from screens and promote creativity and concentration. A lot of the puzzles out there today also allow for some unexpected nostalgia. There are puzzles featuring your favorite snacks as a kid, your favorite TV shows and even your favorite bands. So you can reminisce with your loved ones as put the pieces together!
Knitting is another social distancing activity that is good for your brain. Knitting gives you something to work for and concentrate on and the result is a cozy blanket or hat or scarf. Knitting and crocheting are also said to lower your blood pressure and heart rate, making your stress levels lower and you feel more relaxed.
There are various videos on YouTube that are specifically designed for beginners and teach you at a slow pace. Imagine how nice it would feel to curl up on a blanket you made yourself!
Having all this free time is the perfect opportunity to organize the places in your home that you keep saying you will but never do. I personally cleaned out my closet yesterday and was oddly satisfying. I especially recommend putting on your favorite music or TV show in the background. It makes the activity fun while still being productive. Seriously, you’d be surprised how much fun organizing can be when you don’t have much else to do.
I love to read but rarely have the time. As a recent college grad now stuck at home, I have already read three books and it felt amazing. Social distancing doesn’t even feel like social distancing when you find yourself immersed in a good book. Reading not only passes the time, but it’s good for you too. Reading improves mental health and memory. Maybe you can even find a book on knitting and accomplish two activities at once. The possibilities are endless.
Suddenly finding yourself with a lot of free time when you aren’t used to it can feel daunting. It can especially feel that way if you’re often so busy you don’t even know how to relax anymore. Social distancing provides the perfect opportunity to pamper yourself.
So paint your nails, take a bath with a glass of wine, do a face mask–you’ll be surprised how good it feels to actually relax and to realize how much you needed it.
It’s difficult to keep up with the last TV shows when you’re constantly working or studying. Having this free time as you practice social distancing is the ideal time to binge watch the shows you’ve always wanted to. Lay in bed all day if you want to, take the day to relax and catch up on those shows your friends are regularly raving about that you always wished you had the time to watch too.
This one may sound cheesy but I promise it’s not. Social distancing at home gives you a lot of extra time to truly think about your goals in life and what kind of person you want to be. Creating a vision board is a fun way to pass the time and learn about yourself. Cutting up old magazines is also a fun activity by itself, especially if you have some older ones that have celebrity stories or fashion trends you completely forgot about. But getting back to vision boards, all you need is magazines, glue or tape, scissors, some poster board and an idea of your dreams and goals.
Game nights are a great social distancing activity. I’m not suggesting that you invite people over, but whether its just with your significant other, your roomate, or whole family, games are always fun. Games are also great because there are so many of them. Even if you don’t have an abundance of board games at home, you can play things like charades by writing clues down on paper. You can even throwback to childhood by playing hide and seek. There are so many options!
Coloring has become one of my favorite activities when I’m at home. It’s relaxing, it passes time, and it honestly is just fun. Coloring is also said to be a stress reliever as it relaxes your brain and therefore gives your brain time to rest. If you don’t want to go to a store, various places sell coloring books and pencils online.
Staying at home for extensive periods of time can feel dull and boring. It’s crucial to find activities that not only pass the time, but also make you feel useful and happy. It’s okay to spend a day sitting in front of the TV, but it’s important to do other things too, things that keep your mind and body active and healthy.
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