In the midst of this pandemic and the potential of a long quarantine, we are going to need to think of some unique ways to stay busy. Here are 5 things you can do to help pass the time.
- Adopt, or foster, a pet (or two…or three…).
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Being in quarantine can be daunting, especially if you live alone, but bringing a new animal into your home will give you a lot to do. New animals need a lot of attention, plus, you can’t help but watch them explore! While you are going to be home for extended periods of time, it is the perfect excuse to bring a new animal into their forever home. Adjusting to a new space for a pet can be hard, especially when you are not home to spend time with them, and quarantine solves this problem. Use this time off to spend some time getting to know your new fluffy friend, since this is the perfect way to bond with them as they adjust to their new surroundings. Not only that, but you will be able to get to know their personality as well, and get to witness all the little quirks you’ll grow to love. If you are unable to keep an animal in your home long term, consider fostering for a shelter. This can even help to alleviate the stress that shelters are feeling now with self-isolation!
- Start a book series.
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While reading doesn’t seem too unique, stating a series will take up much more of your time, since there are multiple books to get through. Make sure to pick a series that has a lot of books, or significantly longer books. My personal recommendation is Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments Series, since it has six books, and though each of them vary in size individually, the entire series totals 3,163 pages (though this will also depend on which editions you purchase—I have the original hardcover editions). Not only that, but Clare’s books also have two spinoff trilogies and a few stand alone books right now. She is still in the process of writing more, but if you like young adult urban fantasies, I highly recommend it.
- Play Movie Roulette with the people you are quarantined with.
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Basically taking your general movie watching plan and tipping it on its head. I learned this one from one of my professors. Using a streaming service, DVDs, or however else you enjoy movies, rotate around your quarantine group with everyone picking a movie each night. No one can veto a movie, no one can opt out of a movie, and you have to watch whatever movie is chosen. If you really want to spice things up, you can make this a random selection, by choosing the first title in a genre, letting the cursor scroll and stopping randomly on a movie, or by blindfolding a friend and allowing them to choose the movie without looking.
- Create your own board game.
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It won’t take long before you are sick of playing monopoly every night, so take the chance to brainstorm some new game ideas! Use a poster board or cardboard box to design a board, find some trinkets to use as pieces, and get ready to play! Not only will you get to bond with the people you are quarantined with by creating the game, but you will also get to play the game once you have created it.
- Learn a Foriegn Language.
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This is something that is difficult to do and takes practice, but spending a lot of time isolated from everyone else can be the perfect opportunity to be able to learn the language you have always wanted to learn. Plus if you commit to it with someone else, you can learn and practice the language together. There are a lot of online resources that can help you learn a new language, and this is something that will benefit you after the quarantine restrictions are lifted and life goes back to normal; so it is both productive and fun! If you are not sure what languages you might want to learn, might I suggest American Sign Language, which is vital in a lot of roles and helps you become a more inclusive team member, or Italian, since it is a lot of fun to speak and people in Italy could really use some love and compassion right now, and what better way to show that than through language (and maybe some food, but since you can’t do that, language). After you learn the language, you can tweet out some videos of you speaking kind words to Italy, since everyone there really does need some care and kindness during this hit to their home.
The world is pretty crazy right now, but that doesn’t mean that you need to go crazy sitting inside all day. Take this chance to check off all the things you want to do around your home, since you have to be there anyway! Stay safe and stay healthy!