If you’re already fed up of the situation we have all ended up in as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus, there are a few things you can do to make self-isolation a little less unbearable.
Get work done
As much as you may not want to hear it, now is a better time than any to get some of your work done. Whether this is school work, uni work, working from home, work on your own business or anything else productive, do it now. You will never get a better opportunity to get it done. Even if you don’t have any work because your school or workplace has shut for good, do some anyway. Try to get interested in the things you do while you have the time to.
Learn something new
This could be anything. A sport, a musical instrument, a foreign language… Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to do something but you’ve put it off so many times because of work or school. Get on YouTube, and look up ‘how to’ videos. Learn a skill to show off when all of this is over. Learn how to cook with the basic food you have, especially if you’re heading off to uni next year. If you wouldn’t normally read, find something to read. There are endless ways you can occupy your time.
Play board games
You and your family may not’ve touched Monopoly in years, there could be an inch thick layer of dust coating the Cluedo box, but this is no reason not to get it out and brush it off. If you’ve been living away from your family and your back with them now this is a great way to re-connect and make the most of the minimal social interaction time you have. Above all else, being stuck in the house, technology will get rinsed over this period, so it might be good to allow some time to do an activity which doesn’t involve a screen.
Binge a series
Having said that, we all want to look at a screen here and there (and possibly non-stop). Find a series to binge. Whether that’s a new series, an old series which people raved about but you never got around to watching, you could find a hidden gem of a series which went somewhat unnoticed, or maybe you never finished a series that you started. Whatever the case, now’s the time to get invested. Remember you may not have time to do these things once isolation comes to an end (if it ever does).
Get out and keep exercising
Gyms may be closed, sports centres may be closed and we might be encouraged to practice social distancing, however that doesn’t mean we have to stop exercising. We can still, at the moment, leave our houses for a run, a bike ride, or even a walk. Footy down the rec with your mates can still be done, provided you keep a safe distance. Sports such as tennis keep an obvious social distance between you and your partner. If the weathers good, make the most of it, there’s nothing stopping you. Even if you do want to stay in, home workouts are also a great way to keep fit during this restricting time.
Tidy and sort
This one’s pretty self-explanatory, if your room’s a mess, now’s the time to tidy it. If you’ve got a load of old stuff that you don’t want anymore, sort it out and bag it up to donate or sell. If your stuck inside surrounded by mess you will slowly go insane, so get it done. Also, this is a better time than any to clean and maintain good hygiene within your home.
Video call
If you’re getting sick of seeing the same people every day, or if you are alone during this time, give people a call or a video call. A video call can temporarily distract you from the reality of isolation and keep you connected with the people you can’t see during this time. Maybe you and your friends can video call and watch a film together, or have a silent disco. Thanks to technology we are all pretty much in the same room as each other anyway.
Think of others
More than anything else, we have to remember that a lot of people won’t even have time to do so much as have a phone call during this time. For the people still working in the NHS, the people who are ill, the people isolated in abusive households, the people with claustrophobia or mental health issues and the people who can’t afford to do most of these activities at home, we should remember that for some, this time is far worse than just a small inconvenience.
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