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Hardly any of us were prepared for the coronavirus pandemic. At the start of the year, we were living our lives as usual. By March, countries around the world were implementing lockdown measures that meant citizens could only leave their homes if they were considered essential workers, or if they needed to head out to get essentials, such as food or medication. This has gone a long way in slowing and controlling the spread of the virus. We’ve been protecting our own health as well as others’ health and wellbeing too! But many of us have experienced extreme boredom during this time. We have been trying to find ways to keep ourselves occupied and safe without having to leave our homes and come into contact with others. Many of our usual hobbies and pastimes have been removed from our day to day lives and many of us haven’t even had work to distract us. Now, it looks like the infection rate of coronavirus is slowly reducing and governments are slowly loosening lockdown measures, opening up different places and permitting more freedom when it comes to what you can and can’t do. But many of us are still reluctant to return to life as usual and would rather keep ourselves to ourselves until there’s more certainty surrounding a resolve to the virus or an end to the virus. If this is the case, here are a few different things you can do to occupy your time and keep yourself entertained without necessarily having to come into contact with others.

New Forms of Exercise

Hopefully, you’ve been getting your recommended one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise throughout the pandemic. Sure, the gyms are closed, but it’s important for your health and wellbeing that you do give yourself the work out that your body needs to stay fit and healthy. Many people have been taking socially distanced walks, jogs, runs or cycles. But if you’re growing bored of this, it’s important to remember that there are many alternative forms of exercise that you can carry out at home too! You just need to think outside of the box a little. Many people have been following workout tutorials and online workouts that incorporate simple moves such as squats, press ups, sit ups and more. But if you want to try something different, you might want to consider following some simple ballet barre tutorials, yoga or pilates tutorials, martial arts tutorials or other kinds of exercise that can be carried out in relatively limited spaces. Just be safe at all times and don’t push yourself too far or try anything too challenging.

Learn a New Language

Everyone can benefit from learning to speak a language other than the one they grew up speaking and use on a daily basis. Learning a second language doesn’t only challenge your mind. It also provides you with a skill that will allow you to communicate effectively with someone you might not otherwise be able to communicate with. You never know when this might come in useful! Now, many of us think that learning a new language requires face to face classes or tutoring, or that you will need to visit a country where the language is the national language, in order to be able to immerse yourself in it. But this isn’t necessarily the case. There are a number of ways you can learn a language remotely too. Software and apps are constantly improving and offering effective ways to learn and practice reading, speaking and writing your chosen language. Rosetta Stone is perhaps the best known option. But new apps such as Duolingo and Babbel have free options that can get you started out without having to financially invest!

Games

There are so many games out there to play. From games consoles to online games. These might not always be productive ways to use your time, but you don’t have to spend your whole life being productive. You can have some time to do things you want to do for the sake of enjoyment! Just make sure to always be aware of what you are playing. Some games, such as online betting can cost money to engage with. Other games may have add ons that you can invest in, but again will cost. Set yourself budgets and limits to ensure you don’t overspend.

Reading

Some of us have really got into reading during the past three months. Previously, many of us simply felt that we didn’t get sufficient time to read. It just didn’t fit into our schedule. But now, with a bit more free time on our hands, increasing numbers of us have been picking up books and getting back into page turning. It’s a good idea to continue this activity. Reading is good for you. It can expand your vocabulary. It can get your imagination running. Use sites like Goodreads to guide you in the right direction. There are plenty of lists that will help to give you recommendations based on other books you’ve found that you enjoyed. It also contains reviews for most published books, meaning you can decide what books are likely to be worth investing your money, time and effort into.

Arts and Crafts

There are plenty of arts and crafts activities out there that can help to relax you. They can either be challenging options that take up your concentration and can distract you for a few hours, or they can be simple ones that can keep your hands occupied while you watch TV or listen to the radio. Look at different options and determine which appeal to you. Macrame, embroidery, knitting, colouring books, paint by numbers… the list goes on and on. Arts and crafts aren’t just for kids. There are plenty of options that can appeal to adults too!

These are just a few suggestions that can keep you occupied while waiting for this pandemic to completely pass. Hopefully, they’ll come in useful and you can work some into your routine!