The COVID-19 pandemic hit us all very unexpectedly and hard, and it remains a global health emergency. The World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee held its 14th meeting on the pandemic issue. It was acknowledged that the pandemic is “is probably at a transition point”. During the meeting, it was stated that while the world is in a better position than it was during the peak of the Omicron transmission one year ago, more than 170 000 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported globally within the last eight weeks. The Committee also acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic may be approaching an inflexion point. Achieving higher levels of population immunity globally, either through infection and/or vaccination, may limit the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on morbidity and mortality. And while the committee was recommended to maintain the vaccination, report the surveillance data, continue working with communities and their leaders etc., we are also responsible for our health and have to comply with safety measures, like washing our hands regularly, eating healthy, workout and keeping social distancing.
Ideas on how to spend your free time while social distancing
While the pandemic has been terrorizing us for three years, it is still hard for a lot of people to comply with social distancing. We are so used to being active, going wherever we want, holding gatherings, and festivals, to lead a social life that for a lot of us sitting at home feels like torture. Although quarantine measures and restrictions have already been relaxed in the recent period, it doesn’t mean they won’t come back and will do you good to have a backup plan. Let us look at some ways how to spend your free time productively and enjoy yourself while you have to stay at home.
- Learn a new language. Have you been dreaming to speak Italian all your life but never had the time to learn it? Well, here’s your chance. Being unable to spend our time outside our homes gives us so much more time we can spend on something else. So why not learn a new language? There are so many options for learning a new language: YouTube videos, online schools, online challenges etc. Some of them are absolutely free.
- Redecorate your home and organize your surroundings. When you are home you have to be sure you feel comfortable there but when you have to stay there 24/7 that’s a different story, you must feel comfortable there. So, take a good look at your place, and maybe you will notice that something isn’t right. Moving just one piece of furniture into a different place can make all the difference.
- Learn how to cook. Maybe you know how to make a sandwich but how about making something fancy or gourmet? There are so many famous chefs on YouTube with their video blogs showing us how to cook a delicious meal.
- Watch all the movies you ever wanted to. There are tons of great movies all around the world worth watching, starting from well-known classics and way up to documentaries that will give you new, or deepen your existing knowledge.
- Workout. It is important to stay in good shape. There are many ways to workout at home: Pilates, yoga, fitness etc. You don’t need to buy special equipment, just find some online tutorials, and you are good to go.
- Read books. Reading is a workout for our brain. It improves your focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills. It can reduce stress, improve your mental health, and allows you to learn new things.
- Meditate. Meditation helps us to reduce anxiety and stress, it can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Meditation helps us to relax and cope with stress by refocusing our attention on something calming.
- Play online games. The modern gaming world can take you into a different reality. The developers create interactive games, with complicated plots and interesting characters. While playing online we can also meet new people, chat and have fun. You can also play at online casinos and earn some profits. But remember that gambling can be addictive.
- Daily video calls with your friends and family. If you feel lonely or sad, don’t forget about your friends and family. These are hard times for everyone, and it is important to stay in touch and talk about our feelings. Help each other and support.
Conclusions
As you can see, there are a lot of options for how to spend your free time productively at home. Besides, you can challenge your friends or family to do some things together, like workout and read, or learn a new language. It will improve your relationships and if creating a little competition it will drive you to get better results.