With COVID-19 running rampant throughout the world, people all across the United States have been confined to their homes with little to do. These unprecedented circumstances can, understandably, slowly drive you crazy. While being cooped up in the house may not be ideal, here are five things that you can do to take advantage of your new-found time.

1. Clean Your Space

Feeling a little down about being stuck at home is to be expected, but a dirty living space will only make you feel worse. Simply taking the time to clean your room, clean out your closet, or organize that area of the house that’s been bothering you for months can be such a relief. Cleaning and organizing will not only give you something to do, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment. 

2. Do Some Self-Care

Because of busy school schedules, extracurriculars, and jobs, we sometimes don’t make self-care a priority. With this time at home, we can change that. It can involve doing something small like establishing a healthy sleep schedule and making up for months of not-enough sleep. It can also include doing DIY facemasks or giving your hair some much-needed attention. You can also do the stuff that you like to do but haven’t had much time for. Read that book on your shelf that you haven’t had a chance to get to or watch the new season of a show you love. Whatever it may be, find something to do that will make you feel refreshed by the time the quarantine is over. 

3. Try Something Different

While your options may be limited, there are still plenty of things that you can do from home. Trying a recipe you found online, learning new styles to do on your hair (which takes a lot a time and even more patience), or picking up a new skill could be a fun way to pass the time. You could also do some work on yourself. You could make a genuine effort to break a bad habit you have or reflect on some ways that you can change for the better. Since we aren’t at our actual jobs (or school), we might as well put in some work on ourselves.

4. Make Plans

In a time where it feels like the world is shutting down, it’s easy to lose hope about the future. What’s the point of making plans, right? Wrong. This quarantine hopefully won’t last for too long, so you should act accordingly, until reliable sources tell us to do otherwise. This means that you should still apply for that summer program you wanted or look at colleges you might be interested in going to. You could even plan a day out with your friends to celebrate the end of the quarantine when that day comes. Give yourself something to look forward to.

 5. Talk to People! (And I’m not talking about the people in your house)

Even though we’re practicing social distancing, that doesn’t mean you can only talk to people you live with. You can still spend time with your friends, although virtually. Rather than just texting them or making the occasional phone call, you can video call and hang out. You could even get creative and play games or plan a themed movie night over the phone complete with Netflix, snacks, and conversation. 

You can also use this time to catch up with friends or relatives you haven’t spoken to in a while. Whether it be because of busy schedules or an unresolved argument, you can start to reconnect. 

While the quarantine isn’t the easiest situation to navigate, there is potential for this experience to be productive and maybe even fun. It might take some out-of-the-box thinking, but this could be the break from ordinary life that we all needed.