Have you recently found yourself on a 3-week long vacation from the social world, where you can stay home and miss out on absolutely NOTHING? Where you can save lives by sitting at home? Where ALL activities and programs that usually steal your time have been cancelled, yet life is continuing its normal path? Where you suddenly have an unimaginable amount of time on your hands, and are confused about how to use it?
Then, you are one of hundreds of millions of people worldwide that are in the exact same position RIGHT NOW.
Here is a list of activities that can help you use this unexpected gift of free time productively or keep you from losing your mind.
1. Spend Time with Your Family
- · Play board games (Chess, Monopoly, Pictionary, Sudoku/Crossword tournaments)
- · Play card games (UNO, Go Fish)
- · Turn your phone off and talk to them (harder than it sounds)
- · Look over old picture albums together
- · Watch a film together
- · Help them with chores around the house
2. Learn Valuable Life Skills
- · Cooking a few meals (parents/grandparents/guardians/YouTube)
- · First Aid Training (YouTube)
- · Self-Defence techniques (YouTube)
- · Escape strategies from tough situations (YouTube)
- · Safety measures in disasters (YouTube)
- · Morse code (YouTube)
- · Different ties and knots (YouTube)
- · Sewing buttons (YouTube)
- · Sign language (YouTube) · Fast typing (Ratatype — Online typing tutor and typing lessons) · Proper Hygiene practices (Family/YouTube/Personal, domestic and community hygiene) · Etiquette (YouTube/Etiquette Rules: 50 Tips for Good Manners)
3. Read a Book (your bookshelf/online)
- · In your native tongue, or in a new language by reading beginner books
- · Read newspapers/articles/short stories/novels
- · A dictionary to build vocabulary
4. Watch films/documentaries or TV shows (TV/Netflix/YouTube)
5. Explore Your Artistic Abilities
- · Draw (landscapes, objects/YouTube)
- · Paint (crayons, markers, watercolour, acrylic, oil)
- · Make origami structures
- · Make short videos of family photos (video editing apps on app stores)
- · Create a short film about life in isolation
- · Sing/dance and discover new songs (YouTube/Spotify/ITunes)
- · Learn poems
- · Write short stories/articles
6. Catch up with the sleep you’ve missed during school/work months
7. Start a new exercise routine or a healthy habit
- · Stretching
- · 10-30 minute home workouts
- · Drinking water regularly
- · Cutting junk food from your diet
- · Limiting screen time
8. Study [for students]
- · Prepare for upcoming tests/exams
- · Finish assigned homework/projects
- · Research possible future career paths
- · Read assigned books
9. Go Outside
- · Take a walk around the neighbourhood
- · Get a bit of fresh air
- · Appreciate the beauty of the environment surrounding you
10. Pray For Everyone Who Is/Has
- · Currently ill of the Coronavirus
- · A Weak immune system or existing health issues
- · Homeless
- · In total isolation from the world
- · Stuck in a foreign country
- · Struggling to pay bills without work
- · Missing out on their education
- · Scared, worried, in panic
- · In need
Although there might be shortages of toilet paper, face masks and hand sanitizers, there is definitely an abundance of things you can do to keep you from uselessly worrying about the virus. Go on, live your life.
Trust in God with all your heart and He will walk you through these hard times. But, do your part, wash your hands 🙂