As Americans watch and wait for the latest updates from the CDC on the novel coronavirus outbreak and more employers and schools institute telecommuting and virtual classrooms, many people are making the socially responsible choice to stay home until the worst is over. While that may sound like a terrifying prospect for some, you can make the most of this situation. Avoid cabin fever with these at-home entertainment options!
Don’t stay glued to your phone
Don’t just grab your phone or binge-watch YouTube. Those activities are unfulfilling distractions, which is why we first can’t get enough of them, then get bored by them. Don’t distract; instead, connect. How? It requires less of the mind and more of the heart, so activities that encourage creativity and deep-rooted reflection will do the trick!
Keep a journal
Journal your experience. Write about your frustration. Why do you want to go out, and why don’t you want to stay in? Write about your observations. What new things do you see in your home? What new behaviors do you see in others? Look out the window and write about how you see the world from your current perspective—the good and the bad. Break out of the confines of the routine you had before and expand into a bigger world by using your cloister. (Ironic, huh?)
Related: List: Colleges for the Creative Writer
Listen to music
Not for the sake of filling the air with distracting sound, but to let your spirit out. Here’s your chance. Don’t limit yourself with a foot tap; set yourself free! Move about your home, dance into all four corners of the room, let your spirit express itself through your body, and let your body express itself throughout your entire space!
If you’re with family, hold a dance contest or an old-fashioned sock-hop. Consider the joy Tom Cruise’s character in Risky Business made for himself and millions more through expressive dance. That’s the power of freedom of expression through music and play! Dance until your hair is mussed and your cheeks are flushed, and don’t forget to use household items as musical props.
Play and create
Play is the purest form of love because it fosters appreciation for people as they really are. The more playful things get, the more real you are! Use a coloring book to relax into your creative flow, or play a board game and use your outdoor voice indoors. Create imaginative characters and use each other’s wardrobe to piece together costumes. Take turns reading to each other with dramatic flair, or pick written questions from a bowl. Imagine how you would solve big problems if you had superpowers. Play hard to think big and be bigger.
Related: 13 Ideas for a Fun Night Right From Your Dorm Room
Use your imagination
Take any image or a photograph and use your imagination to travel into it. Create a world, hear its sounds, and interact with amazing characters. Imaginovate yourself into a wondrous, caring, and playful dimension. A new reality is just a thought away, so experiment with fantastically better experiences. This process will improve your perspective, provide entertainment, and blow out the walls of your cloister.
How are you beating cabin fever while you’re social distancing? Let us know on Twitter @CollegeXpress!
