So you’ve been stuck at home for over a month, you have been bored out of your mind for days on end, you are getting sick of social media, and now you mostly just lie around all day when you aren’t doing schoolwork which has messed up your sleep schedule a bit. First of all you are not alone, but now it’s time to get creative with activities to do.
For the athlete:
- If you are missing your sport and still want to get some exercise, many trainers have posted some at-home-no-equipment workouts. Some really great ones are Hasfit and Obi Vincent.
- If you aren’t looking for heavy exercise but still want to get your blood flowing daily, yoga is a great break from lounging on the couch. If you haven’t done much yoga and need someone to walk you through it Yoga With Adriene is a youtube channel that features many different types of yoga for different parts of the body. If you would rather not have a video you can go here where there is a variety of yoga poses with pictures and instructions on how to complete each one properly.
For the art student:
- For those of you who are creative and struggling to find an outlet, here are some ideas that just might help quench your creative thirst. The top one on the list is bullet journaling because it is a way to be both creative and organized. If you have never bullet journalled before you can purchase one on amazon and to get you started there are plenty of great ideas on Pinterest.
- The next idea is to create a mood board which will enable you to express your feelings through pictures and colors. Again if this is something you’ve never done before an easy way to make one is through the website Canva. Here is a tutorial for a Canva mood board to help you get started.
- Another activity is to create your own photoshoot. The only thing you need is your phone and anything that sparks your interest as a good subject. Get as creative as you want here by setting up a background for your subject or turning the shoot into a collage– the possibilities are endless.
For the intellectual:
- Some of you might be missing school a little bit and maybe you feel like you aren’t learning as much in online school. To combat that learning loss there are many things you can do to keep your brain busy. For starters it never hurts to learn a new language. You can pick a language and start learning online with duolingo. Duolingo is a website and app that slowly teaches you a new language of your choice; you always start with the basics.
- If you prefer more hands on learning try doing some science experiments. There are countless youtube walkthroughs for many different at home experiments but I recommend doing the messy ones in your yard.
- Maybe you don’t want to learn anything new but you still want to challenge your brain. A fun way to do that is with a difficult puzzle. It’s okay if you don’t have any physical puzzles at home because you can visit jigsawexplorer.com or download Puzzle Crown on your phone.
For the social butterfly:
- You are probably missing hanging out with your friends and who can blame you? To stay in contact and keep yourself busy you can set up virtual activities with your friends. If you have a group of people who are all as bored as you, you could set up a virtual book club with regularly scheduled online meetings.
- Or if you just want to chat you could host a zoom meeting with all of the people you are missing.
- Now is also the perfect time to call your relatives and check up on them.
For the foodie:
- So you’re eating because you’re bored but you’re sick of snack food. The perfect solution is to bake a yummy treat. It will keep you busy for a little while and then you will have something delicious to consume once you finish. A great website to find scrumptious desserts is Sallysbakingaddiction.com.
- If one treat just isn’t enough to satisfy your hungry soul, try to create your own cookbook with a compilation of all of your favorite recipes. That way you have something to refer to when you’re feeling hungry.
For the musicians:
- When you play an instrument, practicing it is an easy way to keep busy, but for the music lovers who don’t play an instrument, don’t fret– there are other ways to channel your passion! One of the simplest ways to get your music fix is to create a playlist. The best kind of playlists are one with a central theme. Maybe try to create a new playlist with a theme that matches your mood or for playing during a certain activity. For example, you could create a good morning playlist, a sleepytime playlist or even a meditation playlist.
For the Netflix bingers:
- You have probably spent a lot of time watching tv and movies, which is completely understandable. While it is fun, it can get boring, so try to spice things up a little bit. Stop rewatching the same tv shows and explore something new. Maybe try watching classic films from different time periods.
- A fun way to get the family involved is to host a themed movie night. You can try to make snacks to match the movie, decorate the room, control the lighting and set a time. It will really help shake up the blasé lounging-in-bed-watching-an-old-Netflix show on your laptop routine.
- A great way to get your Netflix fix and connect with friends is using the Netflix party chrome extension. This will enable you to video chat whilst having a movie night with your friends.
During these uncertain times many people are missing their favorite activities and people. The consolation is that there are plenty of other fun things that you can do to keep busy without leaving your home and that you can always connect with your loved ones online. Remember to stay home, social distance, and stay positive!
