Bored During Coronavirus Social-Isolation?

This is a scary time. We are living through something not seen in our parents or grandparents time. More and more cities and countries go into lockdown each day to try and stop the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that started to spread at the end of 2019. 2020 is really showing us it’ll be a year that’s not forgotten.

With many people already being told to work from home Edinburgh was starting to look more and more like a ghost town. Then the announcement came on Friday night that all restaurants and pubs in the UK were to shut unless they could operate on a takeaway only basis. Despite my wishes to be able to self-isolate I happen to work in a place that has moved to takeaway only service. There have still been a surprising number of people coming into the shop itself. Many of them people meant to be in social isolation who keep telling me the same thing: “I’m just so bored.”

We live such busy lives these days, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in work and maintaining life outside of work that we forget to look after ourselves. We forget about our hobbies and don’t set aside enough time for the activities that we enjoy and that ultimately improve us. So many people in their daily life are wishing for more time to devote to trying a new hobby or learning something new. Well here we are. Now is the time but we’re forgetting to take advantage of it.

I’ve put together a list of things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to help you break up the workday (or Netflix binge) and stop being so bored at home!

Read

Got a book you’ve been meaning to read? Now is a good time to start. Reading every day is super healthy for your brain and provides it with so many benefits. Even just 20 minutes of reading each day helps expand your vocabulary, improves your memory, reduces stress and provides mental stimulation. Studies have shown that keeping your brain active and engaged keeps it from losing power; therefore, can help slow the progress of Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Don’t have any books at home? No problem! Many libraries are starting to offer online e-book libraries. Just like the regular library you use your library card to borrow books from their online database. Check your local libraries webpage for more info. If your library doesn’t offer anything there are plenty of websites that have created online databases of e-books to borrow. You could try Open Library or Internet Archive. I haven’t tried either of these sites yet but in reading about the best online libraries these two were the only ones that had the Outlander series on them so they passed my first test.

At Home Workouts

Don’t let the Coronavirus get in the way of your summer body. Going to the gym or to your favourite yoga studio isn’t really an option anymore and companies are recognizing that. Many gyms and studios are beginning to offer online classes. Lululemon for example has put together a page just for their favourite at home workouts and are posting videos daily on IGTV to encourage people to stay active during social-isolation. Even a short workout will help reduce fatigue and prevent the feeling of sluggishness while you work from home. If a full HIIT workout isn’t your thing why not try some yoga. Good for the mind and for the body, yoga helps boost your mood, helps you sleep better and improve your energy levels. One of my favourite websites for online yoga classes is Do Yoga With Me. They offer a full range of yoga classes for everything you could possibly imagine. They even do beginner yoga challenges to help you get started.

Pick Up A New Hobby

Social-isolation is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby or even to get back into one you haven’t had time for. I’ve been getting back into knitting since all this started. Although knitting may not be your thing there are plenty of great hobbies you can pick up from home. Whether it’s something artistic or crafty like scrapbooking, calligraphy, embroidery, drawing or painting. Or getting back into baking and cooking. Now is a good time to get into genealogy and start finding out your family history. Don’t want to be inside all spring? Maybe you can take up gardening. There’s a world of possibilities really and a new hobby for everyone.

Learn Something New

Wether it’s a new language or you decide to learn about something that has always interested you, there are endless resources online. Websites like Coursera and edX have partnered with some of the biggest universities and companies to provide many free classes in everything from arts to computer science to finance. Even some of the biggest names in education like Yale, Harvard and MIT have started offering class material and courses online. Alternatively, the University of Oxford offers podcasts of many of their lectures. If you’re wanting to learn a new language of course there’s the big names like Rosetta Stone and Babbel which have been around for as long as I can remember. They work incredibly well which is why they are so well known. But if you’re looking for something a little more easy going you could try DuoLingo, it’s easy and simple to use. Another great thing is that all their courses offered are created by native speakers so you know you’re getting accuracy. If you’re looking for something fun and engaging with over 200 language options try MemRise. Instead of using flashcards to help with vocabulary recognition they use memes. And who doesn’t love a good meme?

Visit A Museum

Have you ever wanted to visit the Louvre or the British Museum? Well now you can from the comfort of your own couch and you can beat the crowds. Many museums are beginning to offer free virtual tours of many of their exhibits. The Louvre lets you virtually explore three of their famous exhibits while the British Museum lets you explore their exhibits through time periods and show you just how history is connected. Other’s include The Vatican Museum and the Smithsonian. Through Google Arts and Culture you can explore The Van Gogh Museum, MoMA, The Met and many more. If you download the app you can even bring paintings right onto your wall via augmented reality.

See? Social-isolation doesn’t have to be boring!