Social Distancing: 30 ways to occupy your time

I will be the first to admit that it is my nature to minimize, so when I first heard about COVID-19, I wasn’t taking it seriously. Fast-forward literally like three days later, and I am on board with total lockdown. Although, I am usually a busy body with little to no downtime, being asked to stay home has almost made me resent the much needed time to relax, recharge and do my best not to share any germs. I thought I would share my suggestions for beating cabin fever.

Spring cleaning – organize your closet, post old clothes on Poshmark or empty out your junk drawers. I always feel good after a deep clean.
Attempt an at-home manicure or pedicure – there is nothing better than sloughing off dead skin and having a fresh coat of paint on your nails.
At home workouts – I have been trying to do one every morning just to jump-start my day, the only downfall is that I am burning through those quarantine snacks!
Call your parents – my poor parents, I rarely pick up the phone, so I have been taking the time to actively check up on them.
Go for a run – try to avoid peak times but taking a break during the day and getting fresh air is good for you.
Virtual happy hour – plan to skype or facetime with friends over a glass of wine or a fun cocktail.
Try Dermaplanning – Don’t be like those memes, its easy to take time for yourself and for your skin.
Whiten your teeth – I am obsessed with teeth, I religiously whiten mine and there is nothing that feels better than some fresh pearly whites.
Deep condition your hair – after a few days working from home, it is time to use a clarifying shampoo followed by a deep conditioner.
Do a face mask – yup I am clumping all the beauty treatments in together, your skin is going to look great after this.
Do an online cooking class – quite a few chefs have stepped up and decided to offer online cooking classes via Instagram, including Chef Massimo Bottura.
Start a self-care routine – start your morning with a morning mediation, journal for a few minutes, or sit in front of a window and drink your coffee.
Do a puzzle – stock up on puzzles from Amazon
Start drawing – I recently got a book on prompted sketches, but google also has a million suggestions.
Cut all your split ends – I am gross and sometimes just do this while I am watching TV, it gets a little messy, but it is so satisfying.
Start an online course – why not learn…
Learn how to dance – there is nothing better than dancing alone in your living room.
Get a tan – I literally hate applying sunless tanner because of all the steps, first, you have to exfoliate, then moisturize, then the tanning lotion, but now you have all the time in the world to perfect it.
Iron your wrinkled clothes – I will sometimes not wear my clothes cause it needs to be ironed, now is the time. How satisfying will it be to look in your closet and have all ironed clothes?
Take advantage of free shipping – a lot of companies are offering free shipping to encourage people to not leave their home, it may be the time to start doing some shopping.
Start a home project – paint your bathroom, upgrade your fixtures, put up a gallery wall.
Make something labour intensive – try to bake fresh bread or a pie or make perogies from scratch.
Clean all your make up brushes – or even better throw out your old makeup.
Make a photobook – my parents make a photobook after every trip they go on, it is a nice memento, but I have never felt like I have had the time to make one.
Start a squat or push up challenge – get your friends involved and hold each other accountable to make sure you do your daily workout.
Learn how to put on makeup- its no surprise that I terrible at makeup, but I love a good makeup tutorial.
Start reading – a book, a blog, an audible, whatever will keep you occupied.
Get into podcasts – I literally just go into podcasts this year. I know, I’m super late to the party. I am loving Adam Grant and Armchair Expert.
Unsubscribe – now that every business I have ever come in contact with has sent me their COVID-19 newsletter it may be time to clean out that inbox and hit unsubscribe.
Try a park bench workout – just avoid going to parks at peak times.

Hopefully one of these ideas is fairly unique and/or useful for helping with cabin fever. I know that I have to get up and walk about a few times a day while I am working from home when I get restless. The good news is I am not spending all my money on to-go coffees and guilty cheats every day.

Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you have some other suggestions on how to keep busy. I have really enjoyed all the people who have been using the internet to supply content to the masses. It is amazing all the people offering concerts, fitness classes, and tutorials online to help keep people sane and motivated.