A Dozen Ways to Make the Most of Solitude During COVID-19
Right now, it’s 55 degrees. The sun is shining, my windows are open, my favorite music is blaring, and I can almost forget that the world has stopped around me.
It’s been three weeks since I was told I’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future. Three weeks since I stopped wearing jeans or makeup, stopped meeting up with my girlfriends for brunch, stopped running out for weekly Target runs.
The state of Minnesota is practicing social distancing with an order to stay at home. Only businesses deemed essential are operating, and countless creatives around the world are finding themselves with less work… and even less motivation.
I won’t be the only one to write about living and working during COVID-19. This post may very well get lost in the shuffle of “How to Survive COVID-19” articles filling your social feeds. Authors, bloggers, journalists, and PhD candidates around the world will write about the impact this strain of coronavirus had on our world. But despite the fact that we’re all in this together, our experiences couldn’t be more different.
Whether you’re a single twenty-something trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in a 300-square-foot apartment, a fiancee testing the waters of what living with your significant other is really like, or a mother of three suddenly balancing full-time work with full-time daycare, you’re feeling the effects of this. We all are.
It’s been three weeks and there are many left to go. If you’ve run out of shows to watch, games to play, or places to find workouts online, keep scrolling for a few fresh ideas:
12 Ways to Pass the Time (without interacting with others):
1. Go for a walk
One of the best things about being in Minneapolis is that you’re only ever 10 minutes away from a lake—and they’re all surrounded by walking paths. Since you can’t really go anywhere else, walking around the lake with a roommate, partner or friend can be a great way to pass the time. Just remember to wear a mask and stay six feet away from others.
During peak hours, especially sunny days, this can be difficult to do around the lakes, so during these times consider exploring your neighborhood from the sidewalks, instead.
2. Get creative
Paint. Draw. Color. Build. Play the instrument you learned in fifth grade and haven’t picked up since. Staying home can be boring at times and maddening at others, but it can also be an invitation to reconnect with your creativity.
My home is filled with coloring books, puzzles, paint, yarn, and other aspirational hobbies I never got around to. Let’s face it, before COVID-19, most of us were too busy to think about pulling a coloring book or puzzle off the shelf just for fun. Now we have more time on our hands, so why not reconnect with our inner child and have a little out-of-the-box fun?
3. Have a (solo) dance party
Some days, you gotta dance (cue Dixie Chicks, circa 1999). It’s amazing to me how quickly dancing around in my room to my favorite music can lift my spirits. Even moving around to one or two songs instantly puts me in a better mood. So, if you haven’t had a dance party yet this quarantine, I highly recommend you put together a new playlist and dance it out.
4. Have a movie or TV marathon
I know, you’re already doing this. And I’m here to tell you there is no shame in sitting on your butt and watching your favorite show. There is no rhyme or reason to the environment we all find ourselves in now, and there’s no reason not to take a few hours (or days) off and only interact with your favorite TV characters. If you’re looking for new, woman-led shows and specials to binge over the next few days, here are my recommendations:
Netflix: Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty (Editor’s Note: Also Grace and Frankie!)
HBO: Insecure
Amazon: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Hulu: Good Girls
5. Puzzle
Prior to COVID-19, I hadn’t completed a puzzle in nearly a year. Every once in a while, I’d buy one at a cute gift shop or join my roommate in trying to complete one on the kitchen table, but I never had much interest in puzzling on a regular basis. Enter COVID-19, and I’m ready to add “puzzler” to my Instagram bio. I found a few puzzle companies online that I quickly fell in love with and wanted to support—including Wander Puzzle Co., a brand-new venture that creates puzzles from women’s artwork and gives a portion of the proceeds back to the artists. Their two existing puzzles each feature work by women artists of color. Supporting women-owned businesses, women artists, and staying occupied in quarantine? No brainer.
6. Write
Journal. Write a poem. Start your autobiography, a blog, a short story, or a novel. Now is the time to let free the ideas you’ve kept in your head all these years. It doesn’t have to be the next Great American Novel—just jotting down your thoughts on paper can be cathartic for many. Grab a bottle of wine and follow Hemingway’s direction to “write drunk; edit sober.”
7. Clean
Most of us fall into one of two camps right now: singletons excited about all the extra time you have on your hands—or stressed-out parents trying to find a moment of silence between taking care of kids, work, and maybe yourself.
For those of us without kiddos, pets, and added responsibilities pulling us away from household chores, now is a great time to get a jump on spring cleaning. Reorganize your closet, clean out your drawers, toss out old items, and scrub your floors. If you feel stuck in the mud, cleaning your space might be just what you need to feel refreshed.
8. Purge your inbox, photos, and social networks
Ever scroll through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and wonder why you follow so many random people? Over the years, most of us amass long lists of “friends” in our phone books, inboxes and social channels. And we accumulate hundreds of photos, clogging up our phone memory and making it difficult to find that hilarious meme our friend hasn’t seen yet. If you’ve been meaning to purge friends lists or photos, there’s no time like the present.
9. Read
A few weeks ago, my mom sent me an article about Tsundoku, the practice of buying more books than you can read. I think I have it. I love books. My shelves are brimming with them. But it’s rare that I actually pull one off the shelf and dive in. If the same is true for you, I invite you to dust off an old favorite or download a best-seller on your Kindle and escape to a world different from our own for a while. Or, start a virtual book club with your friends!
10. Workout (if you’re into that sort of thing)
I get it. Right now, working out falls pretty low on the list of Things I Want To Do. But the reality is, I’m not moving nearly as much as I used to when I walked through the skyways five days a week and taught yoga two of them. I want to stay healthy during this time off, so I’ve turned to a few online offerings that scratch my itch for fitness I can do at home.
1. Minnesota Power Yoga
With a six-year footprint in the community, Minnesota Power Yoga continues to serve its community via online yoga classes throughout the week. They’ve lowered their regular drop-in rate to make classes more accessible to students everywhere.
2. TwinTown Fitness
Another local favorite, TwinTown Fitness posts daily workouts on their blog to keep heart rates elevated and members happy amidst uncertain times. The community at TwinTown is kind and inviting. If you’re looking to connect, try these workouts!
3. Obe Fitness
I’m new to Obe Fitness, thanks to COVID-19. Obe is based in Brooklyn, NY, and offers a wide variety of classes from cardio dance to HIIT, yoga, and even meditation, all completely online. Teachers workout on a set that can only be described as the Hotline Bling box from Drake’s music video. Check it out for yourself.
5. Barre 3
My original favorite online workout program, Barre 3 is a women-owned brand teaching simple movements online that get you sweating from the comfort of your home. Their online subscription is just $29 a month, and if you fall in love, you can visit their brick-and-mortar studios when non-essential businesses open back up.
11. Cook (and bake)
Cooking and baking can be therapeutic for many—as evidenced by the sudden surge in at-home bread baking COVID-19 has brought on. Times are weird. Money is scarce. You might be counting one food group on a plate as a win, and that’s OK. If you’re feeling more adventurous and groceries are accessible, consider experimenting with a new recipe.
Head to Pinterest and finally give one of your saved pins a go, pull out the family cookbook, or try to complete a challenge with the bakers on The Great British Bake-off. It’s amazing what you can pull off when you have a little more time to experiment in the kitchen.
12. Prioritize your mental health
If you don’t feel like doing anything on this list, that’s OK. This is uncharted territory, and there’s no “right” way to explore it. Above all other activities and pastimes, be sure to prioritize your mental health. Right now is a great time to get a therapist, if you don’t already have one.
Many therapists are accepting new clients for telehealth sessions, which take place online via webcam, much like a Zoom meeting—but through secure, HIPAA-approved providers. You can also try virtual therapy programs like Talkspace and BetterHelp, which let you text a therapist in real-time.
Surviving COVID-19 Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
As I sit in my bedroom, wrapping up this blog and half-listening to another Zoom call, I’m struck by how fortunate I am to have a secure job. A salary. A roof over my head. All these things I’d always taken for granted have suddenly become my lifeline; the things I’m holding onto for dear life as the rest of the world seems to crumble in place.
I know things will get better. I know that surviving COVID-19 is a marathon, not a sprint. I know we’re cut out for it because we can do hard things. Whether we’re here for three more weeks or three more months, we have more than enough to do to get us through.