The world we are living in right now is very scary. In our lifetime, we have never experienced a pandemic that has shut down our world as we know it. Everyday life have completely changed because of this virus, and although it is only temporary, it can be hard to deal with. You may be bored out of your mind sitting in self-quarantine, but staying at home is very important in order to stay healthy. All the college kids reading this are young and probably aren’t as worried about the virus, but I think of my parents and grandparents and how getting this virus could really hurt them. Staying in self-quarantine is the most important thing to do right now to help slow down the spread of the virus. 

According to The New York Times, “the coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 399,500 people, according to official counts. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least 17,902 people have died, and the virus has been detected in at least 166 countries…” The numbers behind the coronavirus are astonishing and something most of us have never seen before. The anxiety you may be experiencing is normal and very common to many people right now, but there are some ways to cure your boredom as well as help your anxiety go down while stuck at home. 

While you are in self quarantine you can do a lot of things that don’t include only watching Netflix or playing video games. You can redecorate or clean your room. Not only does it keep you occupied while also being productive, it will also give you a nice rejuvenated feeling. Along with that, you can help your family out and do some laundry or vacuum the house. I know those don’t sound as fun as going out with friends, but it’s a productive use of your time and helps your family in this time of need.

You can also focus on current hobbies or pick up a new one. My favorite hobby to focus on when I am stuck inside is painting or drawing. Get an adult coloring book or freestyle it and unleash your inner Bob Ross. You don’t need to be good at it to enjoy it, and it helps to reduce anxiety, which you may be feeling a lot of right now. Of course, we’ve all been FaceTiming our friends 24/7. This keeps us connected to important people in our lives without exposing yourself by going out with them. Speaking of social media, having photoshoots with your pets is a fun way to pass the time, and everyone loves when you post them! 

Self-care is also very important to focus on while trapped inside. Doing a face mask, taking a bath, exercising, going on a walk to enjoy nature, doing your makeup for fun, or painting your nails are all great ways to practice self-care. Practicing self-care will also help reduce your anxiety in this uncertain time. Why not start a succulent garden? Even if you don’t have a green thumb, succulents don’t take much care and not only are they cute and aesthetically pleasing, but they are very trendy right now! Start a puzzle that you’ve had for years but never had the time to start. Do some fun crafts by yourself or with your family. If you want to escape the reality of COVID-19, why not dive into that good book you’ve always wanted to read. Maybe start to write a book or short poem of your own. Express yourself!  

Our world has completely changed with the emergence of COVID-19, and it is astonishing to see. The economy has been hit very hard, with the stock market crashing and all non-essential businesses closing. Many people fear being laid off or having their hours cut. No one can go out to shop or eat out. The only shopping happening right now is online, yet online businesses may not be able to function the way they had before. If you’re looking to shop at Amazon think again, because they are only having essential products shipped to their warehouses. Grocery stores are still open, but most people are too afraid to go into the store and have to either live with what they have or have their groceries delivered. Most restaurants have either closed or are doing delivery and/or takeout only. Our society is on lockdown right now and doing everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Staying home is the most important thing we can do right now to ensure that ourselves and our loved ones stay healthy. We are starting to run out of respirators in hospitals, so staying healthy now more than ever should be everyone’s #1 concern. If you decide to go out, stay outdoors, and while you are outside, distance yourself from any friends you may have gone with or people you pass. Social distancing is classified as staying 6 feet away from people. And make sure if you do go out that inside of your purse or in your pocket is hand sanitizer that you are using frequently. When you wash your hands make sure to wash them for at least 20 seconds. If you want to be very careful you can disinfect any surfaces you may come in contact with. And of course the most important thing to do when you sneeze or cough is to cover your mouth.

Right now our world is dealing with something we have never experienced and even with modern day technology and medicine, we aren’t able to stop it. Everyone should be practicing self-quarantining or social distancing in order to stay healthy and safe in the most uncertain time in our lifetime. What we are experiencing as a country is scary, but if you are practicing what our government is telling us, you don’t have anything to worry about. Stay safe and be healthy.