With classes now online, events canceled and many businesses closing temporarily, you may be left with nothing to do as you stay at home during this period of time. Don’t fret: There are plenty of things to do while spending time indoors, self-isolating. 

Exercise 

Staying at home can make you stagnant. Get the blood flowing with some exercises that are easy to do at home. Many sites like Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest offer videos or images of workouts you can do. 

However, if you want to follow along with a program or workout, you can check out OFFICIALTHENX on YouTube or download the app, Heria Pro, for an easy-to-follow exercise program. Chris Heria, the creator of Thenx and Heria Pro, is also offering a free home workout program for everyone quarantined at home. 

Self-care 

Aside from washing your hands frequently, you can also use this time to take care of yourself. Incorporating small things into your weekly quarantine habits like trimming your mustache and beard, putting on a face mask or taking a candle-lit bath can fill up your day. 

If you want to try meditation, Headspace is a great app that will allow you to meditate during these tough times.

Cleaning 

Before Garcetti’s “Safer at Home” orders, everyone was living their busy lives and perhaps didn’t have the time to clean. You can use this time to declutter or do some of the chores that you forgot to do. It’s also good to clean during these times, to make sure your living area is clean and sanitized. For tips on how to declutter your closet and tidy up, you can watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix.

Read a book 

Self-isolation will most likely last for a while. Why not fit in a book or two to pass the time? Here are a couple of favorites from the newsroom staff:

Nonfiction: 

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

“Stiff” by Mary Roach

Fantasy Fiction: 

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

Domestic Fiction: 

“Animal Dreams” by Barbara Kingsolver

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini

Science Fiction: 

“Dune” by Frank Herbert 

Comic Book series: 

“Watchmen” by Alan Moore

History: 

“The Labyrinth of Solitude” by Octavio Paz 

Fantasy Comedy: 

“Another Fine Myth” by Robert Asprin 

Novel:
“The Sellout” by Paul Beatty

Relatable to the lockdown: 

“Parasite Eve” by Hideaki Sena 

Listen to music 

Staying home can get a bit dull without good music. Check out “Quarantunes” on Spotify for some tunes while in lockdown. If you’re an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) fanatic, Insomniac is offering the chance to relive sets by streaming them from the comfort of your home.

Learn new recipes

Whether it be baking or cooking, maybe now is a good time to pick up a new habit. Pull inspiration from YouTube cooking shows like Binging with Babish, which makes movie-inspired recipes, or watch The Chef Show on Netflix, starring Jon Favreau for some further inspiration.

While for some being stuck at home can bring about boredom, it is important to keep busy in order to help not just your physical, but mental well being. Remember, that as a society, if we choose to stay home now, we give ourselves, families, neighbors and health care professionals a fighting chance against COVID-19.