Covid-19 made for a cruel year in 2020, and we continue to face high infection rates and uncertainty in the coming year. With a 1.7% case-fatality ratio in the U.S. combined with roughly 25 million known cases, we’ve lost far too many people and suffered too much already. Still, everyone has to do everything in their power to stay safe and to try and stop the spread of the virus. This means staying locked in our homes for the majority of the time, and aside from essential workers, most people are even working these days remotely.
It makes for a lot of time to sit at home and think about the situation. This leads to high stress, and it has the potential even to cause some serious mental problems. Couple this with the fact that small businesses have been struggling to stay afloat during coronavirus, and it’s not hard to see how many people are wondering how they’ll make it through this. It doesn’t do anyone any good to ruminate on these thoughts, however. We all need to find ways to keep ourselves occupied during this crisis. Here are just a few good ideas on how to stay busy at home.
Pick up a new hobby.
Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to learn or a hobby that you thought would be interesting if only you had the time? One of the few silver linings about self-quarantine is that you now have an abundance of time trying out any of these ideas you want. Here are just a few great ways to start making the most of your newfound free time.
Cooking: Have you ever thought you would make a great chef if you just had time to practice a few recipes? OK, maybe your ambition isn’t that high, but now is a great opportunity to pick up a cookbook and get to work. You’ll want to avoid going out as much as you can, which means stocking up on food at home. It doesn’t have to be microwave meals and sandwiches. Even just a few simple recipes can help you make food for the whole week. The best part? Once the pandemic is over, this is a skill you can always use.
Creative projects: Have you ever wanted to write a good book or at least a short story? How about learn to produce electronic music? Maybe you’ve thought about taking up knitting to see if you can put together a masterpiece as grandma makes. The good news is that you’ve got nothing but time to throw your hat in on a new creative project. With online tutorials out there on basically everything, you might be surprised how fast you can get started.
Exercising: If you’ve been thinking about getting in shape for a while, now’s the time. If you don’t have a workout room in your house, you can use the backyard. Start weight training, jogging, or take a swim in the pool if you have one.
Help out with your community.
This one might seem counterintuitive, considering that we’re all supposed to be practicing social distancing. There are some great, small ways that you can help out, though. Whenever you have to go to the store, consider making some charitable donations. If it’s safe for you to go to church, check out the church bulletins to see if there’s anything you can help with. Even if it’s something as small as bringing some puzzles in for the kids or setting up a crafts arena, anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated.
Stay connected to family and friends.
You may not be able to visit people in person like you used to, but that’s no reason to become distant. With so many effective ways to get in touch these days through social media, video chat, instant messaging, and other tools provided by the power of the internet, you need to stay in contact with others for your own sake as well as theirs. We’re all struggling with cabin fever, and it’s important to keep in mind that we’re all in this together. You may even be able to get some more good advice from your connections.
