You’re probably tired of reading and listening to news about the coronavirus. We’re all in shock that something like this could happen that has restricted us all to our houses, keeping us from work and school to the point that we all want to go back to work and school. But for the sake of our sanity, we need to get creative in what we do to pass the long days spent at home, often in close company with family members. Here’s a list of tasks and distractions to tackle while at home for the next few weeks. Printing it out and checking off items as you go may be a fun challenge that the entire family can participate in.
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Work out: I always complain about not having enough time to work out, but now that I have unlimited time, I can’t exactly go to the gym. I have been using a stationary bike that I have at home, trying to clock in half an hour at least every other day. If moving around is more appealing, you can find dance or Zumba tutorials on YouTube or even put the old gaming consoles to use and play Just Dance! or other fitness games.
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Have a family game night… every night: If you have a well-stocked board game shelf, rotate games every night. Monopoly may take hours to complete, but what better time than now to play a full game? If your family is lacking in the board game department, get creative with games like charades or pictionary, which don’t require specific parts or boards, or use a deck of cards to play any number of games.
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Start a new show or movie with your group of friends: Google Chrome has an extension called Netflix Party, which allows you and your friends to watch the same show or movie all at once and even includes a chat feature to talk about it throughout.
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Go on walks, jogs or bike-rides: Quarantining doesn’t mean hibernating indoors. Go for a walk around your block or neighborhood that doesn’t involve contact with others. Bonus if you combine this with a workout by running or cycling instead.
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Start a huge jigsaw puzzle: You’ve may have seen the video of Ellen starting a 4,000 piece puzzle recently. Puzzles will help you kill time and can be done with family little by little.
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Teach yourself a language: Apps like Duolingo make it easy to self-teach a language, and now you have all the time in the world to log on your apps. Bonus if you get someone else in your household to learn with you and turn it into a race.
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Read books: This one may seem obvious, but I am always surprised to learn that some people don’t read. Take this time to download an ebook that attracts your attention instead of one you were forced to read in school. Or go through your bookshelf reading books you bought but never started reading. Shameless plug: I’ve just started an Instagram account where I review and recommend books. Check that out if you’re not sure what to read next.
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Deep clean your room/house: During a regular week, I usually start Monday off with a neat room and a closet full of clean clothes. By Friday, dirty laundry hangs on every surface and my sheets are halfway off my mattress. Take this time to clean and organize your space thoroughly, and then take a few minutes every day to maintain the space. Clean out your closet and fill up a box to donate once you can go out again. Organize your bookshelves or movie collection. Declutter that one drawer in your kitchen. You know the one.
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Discover new music: This is something people seem to do on a regular basis but when I’m driving to work or school, I like singing along to music I already know and love. During these days inside, though, it’s a good time to use Spotify or Apple Music to find new artists and stream their entire discography.
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Get into yoga and meditation: Yoga with Adrienne is a great YouTube channel with videos ranging from beginner-level to difficult, and they’re a great way to get into a healthy new practice which is not only good for the body but also great for the mind. If you’re feeling restricted and being around the same people for days on end is affecting your mental health, yoga and meditation could be ways to relax and reset.
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Learn TikTok dances: This is great for people with siblings or roommates. Learn a few popular TikTok dances and get really good at them. You’ll feel silly but it will be so rewarding to watch back a video of a flawless dance routine.
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Get artistic: Watch painting or drawing tutorials and spend hours perfecting your art. Even if you’ve never been a good artist, this is the time to practice and improve, even if you’ll never pick up a paintbrush or canvas again when this is over.
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Make penpals: Remember everyone is in the same situation as you right now. Chances are some of your friends and plenty of strangers would love to exchange letters back and forth, especially if you can’t hang out in real life. You can find penpals on the Internet, but if you’re worried about safety, bring up the idea to friends that you won’t be seeing for awhile and start writing!
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Change up your hair: Be reasonable with this one. If you’re restless and need a change, cut yourself bangs or chop off enough of your hair to donate. If you have the supplies at home, maybe even bleach or dye it. The best part is, if it goes badly, no one will see it for at least a week or two.
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Stay positive: This is the most important thing on this list. It’s easy to feel hopeless or like this situation will never end, but the more we refrain from going out, the sooner it will be over. Think of this as a time to refresh and take care of yourself and do everything you wish you had time for during regular working hours.