Home-quarantined?
The recent pandemic, the highly contagious COVID-19, has caused some countries to force (or rather, encourage) their citizens to stay at home. Schools were suspended while some businesses closed down. If you are living in a country under community quarantine or lockdown, you might find yourself wondering what you should do to fight boredom during this unplanned “staycation”.
If you are one of the lucky few who are allowed to work from home, be grateful for that opportunity. You should allow enough time in your day to do your job and make sure to finish the tasks that you are supposed to do every day. If you are a student and your school year does not yet officially end, be a responsible learner and do your homeschooling tasks as assigned by your teachers.
Remember that sulking is not a solution. Be proactive and take this opportunity to become creative and productive
However, you may still find yourself bored at home during the day despite your regular responsibilities as employees or students, while others still have more than enough time to spare after all tasks are done. Those who are not really “homebodies” may find this community quarantine sort of like a punishment. If you are in this situation, remember that sulking is not a solution. Be proactive and take this opportunity to become creative and productive.
If you are in need of ideas, here are seven things you can do while you’re on home quarantine due to COVID-19:
Start a Journal
If you don’t have a journal yet, now is the time you should start one. There are many good reasons why you should keep a journal and at times like this, you’ll likely be writing history. Record your experience during this lockdown (or quarantine, whatever you may call it). Include your thoughts and feelings about what’s happening to the world right now.
A journal is a judgment-free zone for your insights. When all of this is over, you’ll thank yourself for keeping a record of your experience during this pandemic.
Do Home Workout
Who says you need to go to the gym to stay physically active and fit? You don’t need to lift weights or attend group exercises to keep up with your fitness goals. In fact, most effective workouts can be done at home, without equipment. All you need is just a little space, your body, and a willing mind.
There are lots of physical fitness routines you can do at home, like HIIT, Zumba dance, body weights workout, yoga, mat Pilates, cardio, and others. There are free videos online which you can access and follow. You don’t have to be a pro to be able to do a home workout — you just need to train your mind that it is possible and it is doable.
Take Online Courses
If you’re bored at home, perhaps it’s time to learn something new. You can use this opportunity to take online courses and add new things to your knowledge and skillsets. The good news is, there are plenty of free courses online. Check websites like Coursera, Scholastics, and Udemy for both free and paid courses.
Let Your Creative Juices Flow
Art is an effective medicine against boredom. There is a wide variety of arts that you can try while just at home. You can do active meditative arts like drawing, coloring, painting, and calligraphy writing, or you may opt for crafts like cross-stitching, knitting, and jewelry-making. If you’re into music, you may learn how to play musical instruments like guitar or ukelele as there are free instruction videos online. Whatever your cravings for arts are, this is the best time to satisfy them.
Start or Revive Your Blog
If you are into writing and want to publish your write-ups, starting (or reviving) your blog is a good way to pass the time while on home quarantine. There are platforms that offer free blogging services. All you need is to spend a few minutes (or hours) a day to translate your thoughts into words and publish them for the world to read.
Read Books & Watch Netflix
If you have more books that you haven’t read yet, then you better get started. If you don’t have enough books in your collection right now, you may turn to Netflix for entertainment. This is a great way to pass a couple of hours (or more!) a day while you’re locked up in your house. If you’re into binge-watching, you can even spend the whole day (and night!) watching your favorite series.
Gardening
Do you have a vacant space at home where you can start growing vegetables? If you do, start a new hobby of gardening. Aside from being entertained, you will learn how to grow your own food too. Plus, you will also get closer to nature, which is a very effective form of therapy.
“A quiet mind is able to hear intuition over fear.”
Beat Boredom Effectively
Whatever you do, make sure you don’t let yourself get succumbed to boredom. This moment, although uninvited, should be savored with a sense of calm and hope, knowing that whatever the future brings, we are in this together. May we see better times again. Together.
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