Ever since W.H.O. declared COVID-19 a pandemic, so many countries have been put on lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus which continues to take the world by storm. Lots of public places like schools, offices, cinemas, gyms, restaurants, religious houses, and many more have been banned from opening for the next couple of weeks in a bid to reduce the rate at which the virus is currently spreading. Companies in most countries including the GCC, have already asked their staff to work from home or take unpaid leaves which is likely to go on for weeks.
In spite of the negativity COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus) is spreading alongside itself, this period can still be utilized. Long before COVID-19 was a pandemic called ‘Loneliness’ and it is as dangerous to the health as any other pandemic.
This is the best time to spend more time with the things you rarely have time for and instead of seeing it as a frustrating time (staying at home for weeks can be very frustrating and boring), you can as well turn the situation around for your own good.
We have gathered these 10 most interesting things to do at home that’ll help you get through this social distancing period.
1. Watch as many movies as you can
There’s no better time to start marking your movie checklist than now. You can decide to join a Netflix Party if you don’t want to fly SOLO. The Google Chrome extension allows you watch a movie with your friends at the same time while you use a group chat to talk about your favorite parts as you all enjoy the movie. There are other streaming websites where you can stream your favorite movie online without having to go through much stress. This alone is boredom killer.
2. Listen to podcasts
Almost everyone in this digital age knows about Podcast and its importance in the entertainment industry. Listen to new albums on Spotify or Apple Music for cheap or no price at all. There’s virtually a podcast for everything that fascinates you ranging from crime to motivational audios. You can use these podcasts to get through this difficult time and give boredom no space to ruin this period.
3. Create a workspace
There’s no doubt most people are going to miss their offices so dearly that they’ll want to make replicas of them in their homes. Since most people will be working from home, it is very nice to have something close to what you work with in your office even if it’s not exactly like it. Make things as comfortable as possible by putting together a few things to make yourself a nice workspace where you can go about your office tasks right in your home.
4. Take care of your garden
If you have a garden at home, now is to spend more time with it. Watch your plants grow beautifully while you help pull up some weeds. You’ll be drawn to nature and the feeling is always amazing, with memories that’ll stay with you for the rest of your life. As you make those plants grow, you’re also beautifying your home and that’s something you can boast of when the social distancing is finally over.
5. Learn a new skill
If you’ve ever been attracted to any skill but time hasn’t allowed you learn it, now is the time to do that. There are so many free and effective tutorials on YouTube and Udemy. You can as well enroll in some cooking classes with any of your family members who’s good at cooking delicious dishes.
6. Start a journal
Keeping a journal goes deeper than just putting what you feel on the pages of your book. It’s a therapy that helps you reflect on so many things in the emotional sense. It’s a therapy that works effectively. It’ll also help you hold on to the memories gained from this difficult period, thereby leaving you forever thankful.
7. Play games (real or virtual)
Playing games has proved to one of the most effective ways to kill boredom and stay happy. Playing real board games is most enjoyable when you have people around and if you have your family members around you, you might just take out that Monopoly board and knock yourselves out! You can also play virtual games and thankfully, you can connect with people from the outside so it’ll make the whole thing more amazing.
8. Improve your body shape
You don’t want to step out when this whole crisis is over and have people staring at you in an odd way because you’ve gained some weight. You have to stay fit not just because you don’t want to look odd but because it is healthy to do so. Thankfully, there are some home workouts that do not require you to go to the gym.
9. Practice meditation
Let’s not forget how important meditation is to every human’s life; especially at a time like this. This is not what we get to do deeply everyday because more pressing activities wouldn’t let us but now seems to be the perfect time to pay more attention to the mind and look for a way to connect it to the body and soul.
10. Read books
Books are good to keep the brain functioning properly; especially the ones you love and can easily connect with. Try books from different walks of life ranging from novels to motivational books. You can also try comic books if you have them or better still, your children’s text books which are fun to read most times. You can also turn to Google Play Books which is a very entertaining app that encourages the reading culture by the distribution of digital books which can also be listened to.
