Five Plus One Activities You Should Try While Social Distancing
The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed our daily life.
Instead of going to work, hanging out with friends, or hitting the mall for some shopping, most of us are stuck at home due to social distancing.
So how are you going to combat boredom and keep yourself entertained while being cooped up for the next few weeks?
Fortunately, there’s plenty of activities that you can do to have fun and learn without breaking any self quarantining guidelines.
Check out some of our suggested activities and remember: You should do whatever makes you feel happy and healthy!
1. Connection Activities
The first and most important thing you can do is to connect with your family and friends.
Do you remember the last time you talked to your parents? Or how about that friend from high school?
If there’s one good thing about the novel coronavirus it’s that, due to the disruption to daily life, most people are now less busy and overwhelmed. So this is the best time for you to catch up with long-lost friends or strengthen family bonds.
For those who are living with family:
- Do some in house activities like building a pillow fort with the little ones or painting the kids room
- Spend some outdoor activities together such as gardening, bird watching, or backyard camping
For those who aren’t living with family:
- Make use of video call software such as FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Slack, Skype, Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.
- Practise some online activities such as virtual movie watching or playing online games.
2. Fitness & Healthy Activities
Your health is precious, especially during periods of social isolation. When you keep yourself healthy, you are in a way contributing your part to prevent the spread of the virus.
Whether you get moving around your house or get out in nature while maintaining a distance from others, fresh air and exercise is good, not only for your physical health but also your mental health as well.
So get ready and check out some of our suggestions below:
Exercise:
Get some physical activity – even if it’s just light body stretching. If you want a more intense workout, you can easily find online videos and apps that offer free workouts. Choose your favourite and start sweating!
Yoga at home:
Yoga is an excellent way to relax and gently move your body. When you do yoga, it can help you decrease stress, relieve anxiety, improve heart health, promote sleep quality, and many other health benefits.
Spring Cleaning:
Yes, spring cleaning is definitely something that you can do as a form of exercise by moving, lifting, or bending around your house. Check out the benefits of deep cleaning your house in our blog.
Go for a walk, hike or run:
Put on your sport shoes and get a little fresh air. Walking, hiking or running is completely fine during social distancing as long as you keep 6 feet distance from yourself to others.
3. Educational Activities
Staying at home shouldn’t stop you from learning and enriching yourself.
Maybe it’s the right time for you to improve yourself in terms of knowledge and personal or professional skills.
Read books:
You always say you’ll find the time to read more. Now is that time. Depending on your preference, you can either read those books that you’ve kept on the shelf for a long time now or download a bunch of ebooks or audiobooks, which many libraries around the world have recently given free access to.
Take online university courses:
Universities in Canada and the United States sometimes offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These either have a dedicated start date or you can take them at your own pace. Courses often take a few weeks to complete, but only require a couple hours a week. This is ideal if you want to explore a subject that interests you.
Learn new skills or language:
If you want to enhance your leadership skills, check out these free online resources for leadership training. Interested in coding and want to learn? Here are some free online coding courses. Or if you just simply want to learn a new language like Spanish or French; Duolingo can help.
4. Food & Beverage Making Activities
Your favorite restaurant is closed until further notice. Your local coffee shop is shutting down. And now you don’t know where you can buy that yummy cheesecake that you used to eat every week.
Instead of being upset about all the closures, why not try and become a masterchef yourself?
Now that you have the time you can try:
Cooking:
Check out some cooking tutorials videos on Youtube or calling your mom for a recipe on how to make her delicious spaghetti.
Baking:
The feel of the flour, the sound of the blender, and of course the smell of the delectable final product – all these experiences stimulate the senses and make you feel good and creative.
Beverage Making:
You can treat yourself with a yummy cup of Dalgona coffee frappuccino or a glass of Caesar by checking some online recipes.
5. Entertainment Activities
If you want to take a break from exercising, studying, or cooking, here are some suggestions of fun activities that you don’t want to miss.
Streaming services:
There are tons of streaming services out there that can give you access to hundreds of movies, television shows and documentaries. All you need is an internet connection and an account. Prices for streaming services range, and many have free trial periods such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, CBC Gem, and more.
Movie Nights:
You can watch movies with other people online from Chrome extensions like Netflix Party, Metastream, and Scener. This is a great way to bond with your family, friends, or significant other over a movie or series together.
Board and Online Games:
Board and online games are a great way to pass the time, and can be incredibly helpful with memory as well. Board and online game nights don’t have to end just because you’re stuck in separate places. You can play popular games like Settler of Catan online, or join them on their Animal Crossing Island. If you have shared friends — or want to start sharing them — you could try playing games like Heads Up over Zoom.
Bonus: Virtual Tour Activities
Virtual Tour recently became popular due to the COVID-19 crisis. Whether it’s an online tour of your favorite museum or a national park you’ve always wanted to visit, it’s your call!
Virtual Museum Tour:
Miss the echoing halls and self-guided audio tours? Many museums offer a similar experience on your smartphone. The British Museum in London or the Guggenheim Museum in New York are two of a diverse bunch that host online tours.
Virtual Park Tour:
Google Earth rolled out 31 national parks in the USA, providing a stunning glimpse of the trails and vistas you can take advantage of if you visit them in real life.
A Wrap Up
It’s normal to feel anxious about what’s going on – but you’re doing your part by respecting social distancing. It’s challenging, but these activities – and other things that make you happy – will keep you and your loved ones entertained and engaged.
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay informed and stay joyful. We’re all in this together!
