With fears of coronavirus rising and no end in sight, things are starting to look scary. Grocery stores are running out of toilet paper and we're being asked to start social distancing, a term you've probably never heard of before. Essentially, social distancing means keeping your distance from others, where it's likely the disease can be spread. This can include spending more time at home than usual to ensure you don't catch (or spread) the pandemic. During this time, you may find it difficult to stay occupied, but here's some activities that can keep you busy.
Work on developing some new skills
With the extra free time you will get while you are in quarantine, you can work on developing some extra skills you've been wanting to learn. Take time to work on a project or take free online classes to learn something new. There's plenty of online resources, such as Coursera, that will teach you new skills for free.
You can also take the time to work on a personal project that you've been wanting to get started. Projects are a great way to learn while also building something of your own. So, if you've had an idea recently, you could focus on building it with your down time.
Read a book while social distancing
Another great way to pass the time is to start reading. Whether you're a fan of fiction or non-fiction, reading a book is an ideal activity for a day at home. It works especially well as an alternative to binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows. In fact, Scripps warns against excessive screen-time, which can cause headaches, eye strain, and insomnia. The answer to this is just spending some entertainment time the old-fashioned way: with a good book.
With social distancing you may not want to run to the store for a book, but you could add it to your shopping list for the next time you're going on a supply run anyway. If this isn't the option for you, it might be time to order a Kindle or similar digital book device so you could order some books online. Many companies are also stepping up to aid in social distancing, such as the Quarantine Book Club, which allows you to join book discussions through Zoom with the authors of several different books.
Play some board games with a small group of friends
While social distancing means that you should stay away from others whenever possible, spending a bit of quality time with a small group should be fine as long as they or someone they contact do not have underlying conditions which could put them at higher risk. To avoid those pesky screens, you can take along a board game or two for entertainment.
Toilet paper might be out, but your local Walmart, Target, or Barnes and Noble should still have a healthy stock of board games. To adhere to social distancing you should stay at home as much as possible, but if you need to leave for supplies anyway you could always add Scrabble (and some books) to your shopping list. Just don't add Monopoly, nothing good could come of the combination of quarantine and an over-zealous banker.
Have an online hangout with your friends while social distancing
Even though you may not be able to see your friends in person, you can do the next best thing and hangout with them online. With the technology available, it's easier than ever to get a large group of people on a video chat.
This could even be as simple as playing a game online with your friends. Some people have even gone as far as hosting online trivia nights. There's a host of ways that you can interact online and keep your distance.
Moving forward, we don't know how this virus will progress, so it is highly recommended that you stay inside as much as possible.
However, this time inside doesn't need to be time spent staring at your ceiling. You can make it through social distancing with just a little creativity and open-mindedness. We have to trust that the social distancing we are doing will pay dividends later, and if we keep on top of it (and keep washing our hands), we can hopefully slow the rate of infection.
