With COVID-19 hitting its peak across the nation, it is becoming more imperative to stay at home. Instead of staying at home being bored, there are things to do in solitary to better oneself that does not include being exposed to potentially harmful germs. These activities can range from day-to-day habits or useful skills to learn. From learning how to use chopsticks to trying a new outfit combination, there are plenty of projects and recreation that people can take up while quarantined in the house all day. 

Learn how to customize clothes

     Customizing clothes is both a useful and cool skill to have. It can range from embroidering to sewing to iron-on patches. Clothing customization can save people a lot of money when they can start making their clothes the way they want it without paying big bucks for name brands. Name brand clothing typically inflates their prices exponentially despite the original factory price that it cost a company to make, so being able to make clothes oneself can save people hundred of dollars. Furthermore, customization can go from learning how to upcycle or repair old, worn-out clothing. Upcycling can either be completely breaking down clothes and starting from the ground up or adding one piece of cloth or fabric from one thing and putting it another. Repairing can simply be sewing up a hole in pants or bleaching a stain out of a while shirt. 

Learn how to play new video games

     During this unexpected time, it may be the only time in one’s life that playing video games all day will not make parents go crazy. There are many video games out there with incredible game plots or invigorating multiplayer battle royales. From “Fortnite” to “Call of Duty” to “Overwatch,” playing a new game can be adrenaline pumping and bring a new sense of energy while staying at home. The games listed above can be multiplayer or cross platform so playing with friends is not a hassle. The new “Call of Duty Warzone” and “Fortnite” are both free and can be played cross platform, while “Overwatch” is a multiplayer game that can be bought and played with friends if they are both on the same console. For introverts, some cool games that can be played alone include “Legend of Zelda,” “Red Dead Redemption” or “Fallout.” Getting into new games at first can be long and tedious, having to get a hand of controls and understanding plots and rules, but once controls become second nature, it becomes exhilarating to put oneself in a different virtual world for a couple of hours. 

Redecorate your room

     A new atmosphere and environment can motivate anyone to change all of one’s unhealthy habits. It can also help prepare people to be reintroduced to life before the quarantine. One of these ways is to redecorate one’s room and change it into a space that one enjoys being in. People commonly do not understand the worth of liking one’s living environment. Redecorating can be anything from cleaning one’s room up or moving furniture around until it feels like a completely different space. After this step is done, people can then begin to ship things in to put in their rooms or prepare bags to donate to shelters or Goodwill after the pandemic. Living in the same room for a long time or moving into a smaller area can lead to people outgrowing their spaces. Removing unused or worn out items can expand one’s living capacity.

Binge-watch television shows

     While many people did this before quarantine, there is now more flexible time to binge-watch many different series. Streaming services have been pushing out a lot more content during this pandemic, giving different ‘eras’ of quarantine. There has been a weird but extremely relatable difference in quarantine eras from the Netflix releases of “All-American” to “Tiger King” to “Too Hot to Handle”. Other popular services include Disney +, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Some old series that people can get into that are worthfully time-consuming include “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Harry Potter,” “X-Men,” “Avengers,” “The Office,” and “Empire.”

Get into books

     There is sometimes a negative stigma toward books since students are required to read them at school. Instead of bugging oneself to read a book that may not be of interest one should try reading books that genuinely interest him or her. Instead of Shakespeare, people can read Michelle Obama’s autobiography, “Becoming Michelle Obama,” or get into the Percy Jackson or Diary of a Wimpy Kid books again. Since there are so many different genres of literature and types of stylistic authors, there is bound to be an interesting book to anyone. Similar interests in real life such as Kung Fu or Sci-Fi can also be found in many different versions of books and authors. 

Teach yourself a new language

     Some language programs such as Rosetta Stone or Duolingo can help any student learn a new language quickly and easily. Rosetta Stone has a larger range of languages to choose from but if one wants to learn more of their desired dialect, it costs money to unlock these lessons. However, Duolingo has fewer options but is a free app that can be downloaded to help learn a new language. Learning new languages can make one more preferable as an employee or student during application processes or be beneficial in language barriers. Since many immigrants in America come from these countries, most useful languages to learn in the United States would be Spanish, Chinese, Indian or Filipino. 

Learn and try new recipes

     The only type of “going out” that is allowed during quarantine is to grocery stores or essential trips such as to the hospital or to work. Since quarantine is allowing people to go to the grocery stores during the pandemic, making and eating good food is something people can start participating in. With an American rich tradition of binge-watching cooking shows and honoring Gordon Ramsay as an icon, people can finally put their skills to the test with all of their cooking show experience or watching a parent or guardian cook throughout the years. Everyone needs to eat something to survive, so people can decide to start literally spicing it up in the kitchen. Learning or trying new recipes can be anything from buffalo chicken dip to Leche Flan to Sinigang.  

Reconnect with old friends/friends across the country 

     Friends from either down the street or across the country can reconnect easily if they have internet connection at home. While people are usually consumed in their bubbles, the COVID-19 quarantine is giving people a lot more time on their hands to get around to things they have not been able to before. Of course, there is a bit of restriction by travel, but keeping up with bonds does not always have to be in person. Older generations have ridiculed younger ones for being very electronic with their relationships with people, but modern times call for modern solutions. There are plenty of apps that people can download to video chat face to face with people. Some of these apps include Instagram, Facebook, Zoom, Snapchat or Facetime. Furthermore, people can also keep up with each other with a simple phone call.