Bored in the House?

It's been almost 2 full months since I've left school for Spring Break, meaning almost 60 days of quarantining with my family. To summarize my experience so far: I'm bored.

I was so excited to be done classes a few months ago. I couldn't wait to finally be done my Freshman Year!! But now, I'm genuinely concerned as to what else I could do with my time here. Getting homework done and studying has been a nice distraction during this pandemic. Without the daily deadlines or looming exams in the near future, whatever will I do during my days? I did something I never thought I'd do this summer: I signed up for a MayMester course with Syracuse. I'm taking advantage of the fact that all summer courses will be online now, and I will be getting one of my core requirements out of the way in only 11 days of learning. This will hopefully keep me busy.

I've been motivated enough to consistently workout while being home, but that's not for everyone (it wasn't always my thing either). I've also been binging tv shows like no one's business, to the point where I have trouble finding new ones. I've also been trying to cook a lot of meals on my own when possible. One thing I learned at college in my Freshman dorm was to never take a fully equipped kitchen with a stocked refrigerator for granted again. This all brings me to the purpose of this post: what are you doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I've made up a list of some of the most cliché AND less popular activities to give you some inspiration for this downtime. Hopefully, you won't run out of ideas before life starts to resume as normal.

1. Try to copy your favorite meal from a restaurant in your own kitchen.

2. Sign up for a course, either within your university or some other area of interest!

3. Find a YouTuber that specializes in at-home workouts. (Ex: Cali Fuller's Fit Programs or videos, Chloe Ting's 2-week shred program)

4. Find some plain clothing that's wasting away in your house, then, bleach it.

5. Same as step 4, except Tie Dye it!

6. Learn to do your makeup or your hair in a new way.

7. Clean out your closet. Make a pile of things to keep, throw away, or give back to the community in some way.

8. Read a book. Find your next favorite author.

9. Online shop with a budget. Find the BEST possible sales. Give yourself a list of items you need/really want, along with a price range. SO many sites are having sales, but it's definitely dangerous to go in without a plan.

10. Call your loved ones (especially the ones you worry about most during this time)

11. Cook for your quarantine-crew. Maybe make it a themed meal!

12. Make a playlist for the parties you're looking forward to post-lockdown.

13. Start a blog. Take it from me- it's kinda therapeutic to write thoughts down.

14. Give your pets some extra love. We may think of this situation as sucky, but think about how excited they are to have us home for this long.

15. Take advantage of Pelaton's free trial. They offer yoga, spin classes, circuits, and more.

16. Order out. Just because this virus has everyone fearing the sickness, does not mean the community should suffer. Call ahead, pay over the phone, use gloves and masks, and wipe down the containers before opening.

17. Have a movie night! Make some popcorn and force whoever is in your house to watch your films.

18. Treat yo-self. Use a facemask, take a bath, have some ice cream, and relax.

19. Facetime your friends. I think it's easy to get caught up in the boring routine at home, letting days or weeks go by without genuine conversations with friends. Change that!

20. Last, but certainly not least, plan ahead. Whether you're in the midst of high school, college, or in the weird phase of technically being graduated but without closure, it's a nice time to reflect and think about the future. Do you have a list of things to get done before the fall comes? Figure it out now! There's no time like the present.

As I said, things are getting old now. It's been a while since we were able to go about our lives as normal. I hope some of these ideas give you something to do when you start to feel down. Everyone has different ways of dealing with this time. But, things seem to be calming down! There's a light at the end of the tunnel.