How to re-learn the art of dealing with boredom in this lockdown
It is definitely an interesting time to be alive. As New Zealand enters its second week of lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus, I hear a few people complaining about how they are bored, while others have come up with fantastic innovative ideas to embrace this time at home.
Remember how when we were kids, it was up to us to let our imagination run wild and learn how to deal with boredom? How creative and imaginative we used to be? It is now more important than ever to keep our minds stimulated, self-reflect and rediscover what our indoor hobbies and interests are — things that we may have forgotten that we used to enjoy before our busy daily lives took over.
Here are just some of the ideas of things you could do and learn during this time.
- Remember to get your physical workout into your daily schedule
Whether you used to workout 5–7 days a week before this lockdown or you were just starting out, there is something for everybody on the glorious internet. Try searching for workouts on YouTube and you can follow along — from yoga to High intensity intervals. Or you could just go out for a few state-approved walks or bike rides around the block.
As someone who never used to work from home, I find it easier to sit at my desk and concentrate on whatever I am working on, if I regularly get up and either stretch or do some push-ups, pulls ups, squats and lunges, or if I start or end the day with either yoga or high intensity intervals (following along with YouTube).
- Learn something new from various online resources
edX.org, coursera.org, skillshare, Khan academy are just some of the many many resources available online to learn any subject. Many Universities of the world have joined up to the platforms like edX and coursera to offer university level courses. You can either pay to get the certificates or audit the course and get access to the materials for free.
Being in lockdown is a great opportunity to learn that subject that you were always interested in or wanted to up-skill in, but never got the time.
- Download the app Duolingo and learn a new language
Seriously Duolingo is such a great app for learning new languages! If you are a person who has always been into other languages or wanted to refresh their knowledge of a language (like me!), this is your chance!
- Try gaming
I don’t think there is much need to talk about this one. All the gamers out there are already well set up to take advantage of this lockdown to advance in their games of choice (Fortnite, World of Warcraft anybody?). Even if you are a beginner in this area, I am sure you have heard of games like Minecraft and The Sims?
On this note- apps like Houseparty allow you to play games like HeadsUp and Trivia quizzes with people while on a video call. There are also many apps that allow you to play online games with friends and family while you are on a Skype or Zoom call with them. I find it is a great way to keep in touch in these times.
- Read a book
All you fellow former bookworms out there — this is the perfect time to get back into it. I have had two books which have been unfinished for the last year. If nothing else, I am determined to finish those during this lockdown.
- Write a blog
Write about anything. Write about your experience with lockdown. Write about your plant obsession, a review of that latest headphone you bought, a new TV series you watched, your journey of healing — write about anything your heart desires.
I find writing incredibly therapeutic and that is why I started in the first place.
- Try your hand at crafts
As all the craft nerds in my friends’ group like to point out — this is the ideal time to learn to paint, sketch, knit (thank heavens for YouTube and the internet in general!).
- Practice your indoor photography skills
There are so many tutorials online about understanding ISO, Aperture and f-stop. This is the ideal time, as I am finding out, to improve those skills.
- Improve your cooking skills
Try your hand at making different dishes that you do not have time to make usually. If you are a beginner, there are lots of websites that have video tutorials to help you with this.
Last but not the least, do not forget to look after yourself and your mental health. Try not to compare how other people are coping with how you are coping with this lock down. This is not an easy time for anybody. Some of us find it easier to deal with if we keep our minds stimulated and occupied. You might find practicing yoga and mindfulness helps you deal with this better. Remember to use the glorious internet to keep in touch with friends and family. Just imagine how much harder it would have been if this lock down happened in the pre-internet era!
