As the novel coronavirus continues to affect the world, many people are self-quarantining in order to reduce the spread of the virus. While we all practice social distancing, it’s inevitable you’ll eventually start to feel a little stir-crazy being home all the time.
What’s there to do while stuck indoors? Plenty! Here are some suggestions to help make your time in quarantine interesting while we work to flatten the curve.
Keep moving
Staying physically active is the best way to keep your mood up. While you can still go outside for walks or jogs, be sure to maintain the suggested 6-ft distance between other people. There are also plenty of ways to safely workout at home thanks to a variety of apps, YouTube channels, and simply at-home exercise routines. Check with your gym or fitness studio to see if they offer virtual classes you can watch from home.
Keep kids educated and entertained
With schools closed and social distancing encouraged, many parents are suddenly faced with the challenge of keeping their kids entertained while at home for the foreseeable future. Some kids may have assigned schoolwork to work on while others may not. You can start teaching your kids valuable life skills during this time as well!
One of the best things to do is maintain some kind of schedule. Have kids keep their regular sleep schedules and mealtimes. Create some structure during the day for activities. You don’t have to schedule every hour, but create sections of time for specific schoolwork/enrichment activities and entertainment. Work with your kids to create a daily plan so everyone is invested and excited to participate.
Check out the Khan Academy, PBS Learning or Scholastic Learn at Home for some educational options.
Watch the sea otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium
The aquarium is closed to the public but you can still visit the animals through their livestreams. The livestreams are available daily from 7AM to 7PM PST through the aquarium’s website, Facebook page or YouTube channel. Other California institutions featuring webcams include the Oakland Zoo and the California Academy of Sciences.
Enjoy museums and operas digitally
Experience some of the best museums in the world from the comfort of your home. Museums are stepping up to offer virtual access to some of their exhibits online. Here’s a good list to get started on your virtual adventures. Want a little more culture? New York’s Metropolitan Opera is streaming encore performances of some of their most famous shows at 7:30 PM EST on their homepage. Shows will be available for 20 hours. Check out the full schedule here.
Check-in on family and friends
Use technology to stay connected with family and friends. Whether it’s through phone calls, text messages, or even video calls, reaching out to loved ones will help keep your mental state in a good place.
Enjoy the downtime
If you’re normally busy, it’s okay to use this time to relax and not do anything productive! Slowing down to take care of yourself is important. Don’t feel like you have to make productive use of your time in quarantine if what you really need is to chill.
These ideas will help keep cabin fever at bay as we navigate this time of great concern and uncertainty. It’s important to remember we’re all being asked to adjust our normal routines and way of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and to protect the most vulnerable within them. We’ll get through this together.