The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people so much pain, grief, and hardships; everyone has been truly exhausted from this traumatic experience. Since the start of the year, people all around the world have been forced and mandated to stay at home. This is to avoid the rapid contraction and further spread of the virus. While this is a very good initiative from all of the country leaders to prioritize safety, most individuals and families are having a hard time adjusting to the new normal.
The Onset of The COVID-19 Pandemic
The fatal COVID-19 virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, potentially in a wholesale food market. The initial patients were said to be regular visitors of the market, stall owners, and employees. All of whom experienced the same symptoms—fever, cough, colds, difficulty in breathing, etc.
While China was struggling, people continued with their lives, worked, travelled. This caused the virus to spread in many other countries, until it was considered a global pandemic. The number has persistently risen every day since early December 2019, until today, after a year had passed. Countries were placed on lockdown, and now, experts are still trying their best to develop a vaccine that will grant immunity against the virus.
What You Can Do With a Lot of Time On Your Hands
Although it’s been a year already, it’s can still be difficult at times to adjust to the stay-at-home policy. To help you adapt, here are some ideas for self-entertainment and a few tips that might ease your anxiety. You can also fight anxiety naturally by using THC free CBD oil.
1. Find a Job
If you’re a fresh graduate or have been laid off from work, you can go online and apply to websites or platforms that offer job vacancies. Finding a job you can do at home will give you a sense of purpose and distract you from overthinking. Also, aside from the good distraction, you can also earn money and save up for the things you’ve been wanting or needing for a long time. If you have a family to support, this can be a good source of income. This is a chance for you to learn new skills and grow as a professional.
2. Enrol in an Online Class
Instead of just watching television and playing video games, you can use this time to enrol in an online class. The classes can vary, and you can find affordable packages online that will match a certain hobby you like to do or a skill you want to enhance such as gardening, knitting, or photography and filmmaking. You may learn to edit photos, produce videos, and create your own content.
3. Read Books
If you’re a bookworm, the outside world must have distracted you from finishing a good book because of so many factors. These may include being busy at school, having too much work to do, or having to run lots of errands. Now is the time to revisit what you love doing since you’re staying at home most of the time. Pick up that book you’ve long been meaning to finish or purchase a new one online. Reading will take you to a new world and expand your imagination.
4. Pen Down Your Thoughts
Staying at home gets boring when you’re stuck there for too long. It also causes you overthink or anticipate the worst to the point that your mind goes into overdrive. Thus, whenever you’re bothered by your thoughts, take a piece of paper and write them down. If you prefer using a computer or any gadget and type words instead, you may do so. This will help you organize your thoughts and unload unnecessary mental baggage. Through writing, you can easily understand your feelings and take hold of your emotions as it can be a form of release.
Conclusion
It isn’t easy to be stuck at home for months. We crave for the outside world – the slight cool breeze blowing on our faces, the warmth of early morning sunlight directly touching our skin, the beautiful sight of nature. We even long for physical touch, missing our friends and families who are also cooped up in their spaces.
Life is a lot different now, but no matter how difficult it gets, it’s important to be able to ride the waves and survive by doing our best to adapt. During this time of solace and isolation, we must always take care of our physical, emotional, and mental health and find ways to cope. While it’s difficult to meet with friends, you can continue communicating with them virtually if you ever need someone to talk to. Above all, let’s make the most out of this opportunity to discover more about ourselves and seek personal growth.
