It is a stressful time to be alive. There is a global crisis that has made a huge wave of fear and anxiety pass through almost the entire world. This does not have to be a time entirely filled with doom and gloom however. With most of us shut inside our houses with our families, we finally have the time to do all of the things that we have worried for so long we would never have time to do.
Photo, Erin Waynick.
From building forts in the living room, to teaching your daughter how to cook, or even tackling the home improvement projects you have been promising yourself you would work on. No longer are there limits on what you could accomplish. Still, finding yourself satisfied during a lockdown can be challenging, and there is only so much of the usual cleaning and organising that someone can take before they begin to lose their mind.
There are other challenges that have come along with the lockdown as well. Zipping to the store to grab supplies for a project can be complicated. Some stores are shut down or limited to curb-side pickup. However, for some projects we need to be able to take a look at the options in front of us before we make a decision; to make the most out of your lockdown and accomplish some real bonding time with your family.
There is no need to waste this time worrying and complaining about boredom. Instead, find something unique and different to accomplish with your loved ones during this trying time.
Get Creative (And Silly): Using the items you already have at your home, write a play or a musical with your family and practice for your performance. You could even film your little performance to share with friends and family during this difficult time. This makes for a great creative opportunity for your family to do something unique and different together. While it might be hard to get all of your family members to participate, especially if you have a shy member of the family, they can still get in on the fun and be the family camera man if they are willing to do that.
Photo, Soundtrap.
Photo, Nikita Kachanovsky.
Explore Online Entertainment: There are hours of various types of entertainment available on the internet. From hilarious websites that are dedicated to embarrassing photos or videos to online communities and even online games. The possibilities on the internet are quite literally endless when it comes to different ways to entertain yourself. Even in the category of games that you can play online, there seem to be endless possibilities of what you might be able to find. From Vegas style online casinos to role playing games that are live and played with thousands of other people, everyone can find a game on the internet that allows them to entertain themselves for hours on end.
Take the Family Camping: Research shows that getting outdoors and enjoying nature is one of the most beneficial activities that you can participate in for your mental health. Taking the family camping is an excellent way to consider getting your outdoor time in while simultaneously getting out of the house and still maintaining your social distancing.
If you have the equipment already, then you might decide to take your family camping in a traditional tent with sleeping bags. Do a grocery pickup or delivery service for smore’s supplies and hot dogs to roast by the camp fire. There are plenty of state funded areas that have camping sites to rent, but if you wanted to, you could always have a camp out in the confines of your own backyard.
Photo, Tegan Mierle.
If you do not love the idea of roughing it while camping in a tent, then you might consider taking your family camping in a camper. There are plenty of places where you can rent a camper if you do not own one. Camping in a camper is a great way to ensure that you have most of the amenities of home while you are out and about at a campsite.
Photo, Brett Jordan.
Do a Home Improvement Project: Plenty of people are taking this time to finally tackle all of the home improvement projects that they have been putting off for years. Whether your home needs a new coat of paint, or your gardens simply need to be weeded a bit, or you want to completely remodel a bathroom. Now is actually a great time to tackle those projects.
Most of the home improvement stores remain open and/or are offering delivery and curb-side pickup for customers who are looking for home improvement projects. Completing these projects can help you to realise that you are doing a great job during the quarantine. The satisfaction that you get from completing a project produces feel-good hormones in the brain to help you know that you have accomplished something good.
Further, these projects are a great way to build the family bond. While home improvement projects can be stressful and overwhelming, they are also a team building activity in and of themselves. When you work together as a family to accomplish a common goal, then you can all appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses once the project is over. Further, that shared sense of accomplishment will always bring you warm memories of the times that you accomplished goals together during the quarantine.
Final Thoughts: Overcoming the isolation that is happening during the quarantine is a difficult task. However, there are plenty of things that you could do to help yourself overcome the boredom that comes from complete isolation for weeks on end. Hopefully this list will at the very least help you to come up with some of your own ideas that might help you to overcome the isolation that is occurring during this global pandemic. If nothing else, do something to make you laugh as the stress and anxiety are not good for your mental health.
