10 Things to Keep Your Mind Busy While Social Distancing
If you're anything like me, it is quite possible that social distancing is on the verge of driving you nuts. I don't really go out or hang out with people much on a regular basis, but I do feel like my normal routines of going to class and to work were helping keep me sane. My biggest obstacle when it comes to staying home is making sure that I don't just lay in bed and stare at the ceiling all day, because if you know me, you know that's my thing. So, I've been trying to find ways to keep myself busy or entertained and figured I should share some of them with you guys.
I just want to add in this disclaimer about the fact that being productive is not entirely necessary. If you have some free time and you want to fill it with something seemingly aimless to keep yourself distracted or keep your spirits up, then by all means, do it. I don't think we should have to feel like we need to make ourselves get things done all or be productive all of the time- especially not during times of high stress and uncertainty like this. Not everything on this list is going to be productive- honestly most of them won't be and that's ok.
2. I have been spending a lot of time on YouTube lately. I like to watch clothing hauls, vlogs, and natural hair tutorials mostly, but occasionally I find myself watching other stuff like closet organization videos and whatever other random suggestions pop up on my home page. I have a pretty extensive Watch Later list because often times I see a video that looks interesting but I don't have time or don't want to watch it right at that very moment, so I just add it to the list. I had completely forgotten about the list until I got really bored last week and started working my way through it. Now would also be a really good time to start a YouTube channel if you've ever thought about it. You could do some test runs for videos and brainstorm ideas for content. Plus you know literally everyone is on YouTube watching something at some point throughout the day right now, so you could definitely capitalize on everyone's boredom and build your subscriber base.
(I am not a YouTuber, although I did have a channel for cover videos in high school. Yikes)
3. If you or someone you love has access to a streaming service, get to binging! This isn't always my first go-to when I'm bored because I tend to zone out and get kind of uninterested if I'm watching tv for too long, but if I'm like absolutely in the mood to binge, I can binge alright. Netflix and Hulu have a ridiculous amount of shows and pretty decent enough selection of movies that you could keep yourself busy for a day if need be. Last week, I watched the new seasons of On My Block and All American- which were great. I also discovered Paradise PD- an extremely adult cartoon with a bunch of episodes for some mindless humor. I also recommend watching Shameless, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. Not only are those my favorites, but they all have five or more seasons so you get a little more longevity out of your binge.
4. Not everyone is into fitness and working out, but if you are, challenge yourself to come up with some at-home workouts to keep yourself active. I had honestly just started getting into working out and going to the gym in February, so I wouldn't necessarily call myself a fitness guru, especially since I haven't done a single work out since the end of February- but that's not the point. I think that it would be kind of fun to come up with ways to stay active and different little at-home workouts to do. Plus, it's still ok to go outside for fresh air, so going on walks/runs occasionally is definitely an option if that's your thing. Yoga would probably be really good to get into as well, especially if you're feeling stressed.
5. I would be a terrible writer if i didn't suggest writing as a good way to keep yourself busy, so I'm just going to throw it in here. Who knows? You might get bored enough to start a blog. Writing can be really therapeutic in terms of having a way to release thoughts and feelings of stress and anxiety, but it's also cool to just write sometimes. You really don't even have to write anything major honestly. I have a journal where I specifically just write about how I'm feeling and how my day is going. I realize now that it's technically a diary, but I'm 22 so I'm just going to call it journal so that I don't feel like a kid.
6. Two words: Bullet Journal. This one is super specific to what I've been getting into because I literally just ordered some stuff to get into bullet journaling last night. Basically, bullet journals are journals where you make lists, lay out your plans, write out intentions and manifestations, do little doodles- literally whatever you want. You can follow certain layouts or just make it completely your own with a bunch of random stuff. Here is a really great guide to bullet journaling for beginners. I wanted to get into bullet journaling because it is a more creative, individualized way of doing things that I already do like making lists and using my planner. It also reminded me of a Wreck This Journal, which I loved doing in middle and high school. Bullet Journaling can be a fun way of staying organized or just another little outlet for creativity. I ordered my journal and pens/markers to get started from Amazon. If you're a Prime member, they have this option where you can choose delayed delivery for free and you'll get a $3 credit for it, which I think is really cool. I chose delayed delivery because I think it's important for the more vital products people need to get priority delivery right now, and the $3 incentive is just an added bonus.
7. Keep in touch with friends and family that you aren't able to see right now. It's important to stay connected during times like this being feeling isolated and alone can have some really harmful effects on your mental health, plus someone has to laugh at your jokes right? So take some time out of your day to reach out to family and friends to check on them, catch up (though most people probably don't have much going on these days), or just have a good conversation. Talking to people you care about can make a world of difference on those days where you're just really bummed out about being stuck in the house.
8. Soak up the sun. Is the weather getting nicer now that spring is here? Yes. Should you be taking trips or going to day parties with your friends right now? Absolutely not, and I will judge you so hard if you do. However, you can still take advantage of the nice weather and take in some very necessary vitamin D. Even if you're just going outside to sit on the porch for a few minutes a day or checking the mail, sometimes you just need to feel the sun on your face to bring you out of funk. I like to sit outside and read or listen to podcasts, just simple stuff to make sure I'm taking in enough sunshine to keep me sane.
9. If you have an old hobby that kind of just got swept under the rug, pick that thing back up! A couple years ago, I was determined to teach myself to play the ukulele, so I'm thinking about getting into that again since I have an unbearable amount of free time on my hands being out of work and school. I've seen a lot of people doing puzzles to pass the time, and I've honestly considered trying that or getting back into drawing or coloring. I've also thought about getting into video games, but I'm a little apprehensive because that's never been my thing. If you're into video games, go ahead and power that system up if you get bored because you and I both know you could kill a good four hours doing just that. I think that a lot of hobbies we had when we were younger are perfect times like this, so it'd be beneficial to get back into some of that stuff.
10. It's ok to just chill. You don't really have to "do" anything. If you want to lay in bed and scroll through social media because that's what makes you feel calm and comfortable, do that. If you want to relax and listen to music when you have some free time, have at it. Like I mentioned before, there is no dier need to be productive when we're all sitting at home. Don't feel like you aren't doing enough or like you haven't accomplished anything just because you're taking time to relax.
I hope that you guys find some of these useful, or even that you get inspired to come up with other ideas. Make sure that you are taking care of yourselves, drinking lots of water, and staying home as much as possible. I'll write again soon.
I just want to add in this disclaimer about the fact that being productive is not entirely necessary. If you have some free time and you want to fill it with something seemingly aimless to keep yourself distracted or keep your spirits up, then by all means, do it. I don't think we should have to feel like we need to make ourselves get things done all or be productive all of the time- especially not during times of high stress and uncertainty like this. Not everything on this list is going to be productive- honestly most of them won't be and that's ok.
So, with that being said, here are 10 things to keep your mind busy while social distancing
Let me get my one serious thing out of the way, ok.1. If you are the type of person who feels better when you are accomplishing things or crossing stuff off of your to-do list, do that. I am super big on lists and productivity a lot of the time, even though I often wish I wasn't because a girl gets overwhelmed. However, I have been using my newly transitioned online courses to fuel that need I have for productivity. I just list out all of the schoolwork I want to get done that day and check things off as I go. It gets me out of bed, has me focused on something other than dying of boredom in the house, and obviously keeps me from falling behind in my classes. If you want to see some of my tips for developing a solid routine for managing online courses, check out 6 Simple Tips to Get Your Study Habits Back on Track
2. I have been spending a lot of time on YouTube lately. I like to watch clothing hauls, vlogs, and natural hair tutorials mostly, but occasionally I find myself watching other stuff like closet organization videos and whatever other random suggestions pop up on my home page. I have a pretty extensive Watch Later list because often times I see a video that looks interesting but I don't have time or don't want to watch it right at that very moment, so I just add it to the list. I had completely forgotten about the list until I got really bored last week and started working my way through it. Now would also be a really good time to start a YouTube channel if you've ever thought about it. You could do some test runs for videos and brainstorm ideas for content. Plus you know literally everyone is on YouTube watching something at some point throughout the day right now, so you could definitely capitalize on everyone's boredom and build your subscriber base.
(I am not a YouTuber, although I did have a channel for cover videos in high school. Yikes)
3. If you or someone you love has access to a streaming service, get to binging! This isn't always my first go-to when I'm bored because I tend to zone out and get kind of uninterested if I'm watching tv for too long, but if I'm like absolutely in the mood to binge, I can binge alright. Netflix and Hulu have a ridiculous amount of shows and pretty decent enough selection of movies that you could keep yourself busy for a day if need be. Last week, I watched the new seasons of On My Block and All American- which were great. I also discovered Paradise PD- an extremely adult cartoon with a bunch of episodes for some mindless humor. I also recommend watching Shameless, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. Not only are those my favorites, but they all have five or more seasons so you get a little more longevity out of your binge.
4. Not everyone is into fitness and working out, but if you are, challenge yourself to come up with some at-home workouts to keep yourself active. I had honestly just started getting into working out and going to the gym in February, so I wouldn't necessarily call myself a fitness guru, especially since I haven't done a single work out since the end of February- but that's not the point. I think that it would be kind of fun to come up with ways to stay active and different little at-home workouts to do. Plus, it's still ok to go outside for fresh air, so going on walks/runs occasionally is definitely an option if that's your thing. Yoga would probably be really good to get into as well, especially if you're feeling stressed.
5. I would be a terrible writer if i didn't suggest writing as a good way to keep yourself busy, so I'm just going to throw it in here. Who knows? You might get bored enough to start a blog. Writing can be really therapeutic in terms of having a way to release thoughts and feelings of stress and anxiety, but it's also cool to just write sometimes. You really don't even have to write anything major honestly. I have a journal where I specifically just write about how I'm feeling and how my day is going. I realize now that it's technically a diary, but I'm 22 so I'm just going to call it journal so that I don't feel like a kid.
6. Two words: Bullet Journal. This one is super specific to what I've been getting into because I literally just ordered some stuff to get into bullet journaling last night. Basically, bullet journals are journals where you make lists, lay out your plans, write out intentions and manifestations, do little doodles- literally whatever you want. You can follow certain layouts or just make it completely your own with a bunch of random stuff. Here is a really great guide to bullet journaling for beginners. I wanted to get into bullet journaling because it is a more creative, individualized way of doing things that I already do like making lists and using my planner. It also reminded me of a Wreck This Journal, which I loved doing in middle and high school. Bullet Journaling can be a fun way of staying organized or just another little outlet for creativity. I ordered my journal and pens/markers to get started from Amazon. If you're a Prime member, they have this option where you can choose delayed delivery for free and you'll get a $3 credit for it, which I think is really cool. I chose delayed delivery because I think it's important for the more vital products people need to get priority delivery right now, and the $3 incentive is just an added bonus.
7. Keep in touch with friends and family that you aren't able to see right now. It's important to stay connected during times like this being feeling isolated and alone can have some really harmful effects on your mental health, plus someone has to laugh at your jokes right? So take some time out of your day to reach out to family and friends to check on them, catch up (though most people probably don't have much going on these days), or just have a good conversation. Talking to people you care about can make a world of difference on those days where you're just really bummed out about being stuck in the house.
8. Soak up the sun. Is the weather getting nicer now that spring is here? Yes. Should you be taking trips or going to day parties with your friends right now? Absolutely not, and I will judge you so hard if you do. However, you can still take advantage of the nice weather and take in some very necessary vitamin D. Even if you're just going outside to sit on the porch for a few minutes a day or checking the mail, sometimes you just need to feel the sun on your face to bring you out of funk. I like to sit outside and read or listen to podcasts, just simple stuff to make sure I'm taking in enough sunshine to keep me sane.
9. If you have an old hobby that kind of just got swept under the rug, pick that thing back up! A couple years ago, I was determined to teach myself to play the ukulele, so I'm thinking about getting into that again since I have an unbearable amount of free time on my hands being out of work and school. I've seen a lot of people doing puzzles to pass the time, and I've honestly considered trying that or getting back into drawing or coloring. I've also thought about getting into video games, but I'm a little apprehensive because that's never been my thing. If you're into video games, go ahead and power that system up if you get bored because you and I both know you could kill a good four hours doing just that. I think that a lot of hobbies we had when we were younger are perfect times like this, so it'd be beneficial to get back into some of that stuff.
10. It's ok to just chill. You don't really have to "do" anything. If you want to lay in bed and scroll through social media because that's what makes you feel calm and comfortable, do that. If you want to relax and listen to music when you have some free time, have at it. Like I mentioned before, there is no dier need to be productive when we're all sitting at home. Don't feel like you aren't doing enough or like you haven't accomplished anything just because you're taking time to relax.
I hope that you guys find some of these useful, or even that you get inspired to come up with other ideas. Make sure that you are taking care of yourselves, drinking lots of water, and staying home as much as possible. I'll write again soon.
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