So, here we are. The past week has been nothing short of a horror movie, and what most people assumed was an exaggerated story on the news became an unimaginable reality across the globe. Hate to start this piece off so heavy, but I’m terrified over here!!! To say my anxiety has been through the roof is an understatement, and I will never take a group hug, long day in the office, or subway ride for granted again.
With that very dramatic introduction being said, I’ve found myself scouring the internet for ways to calm down during this time, and stay connected with my friends while simultaneously socially distancing.
It turns out there are a million and one things to do, but here are the ones that stuck out most:
DIY Paint + Sip Night
I saw a friend share on her story that she did this activity while quarantined with her boyfriend, and I honestly thought it was genius. There are tons of YouTube videos that walk you through the painting, the same way an instructor would at a live class. You’ll have to provide the wine, of course, but I trust you can handle that. I myself recently signed up for the Lede Family Wines “Debut” Club. One, because they come from the Cliff Lede Vineyards in Napa (yum), and two, because being quarantined means a bottle of wine lasts a day instead of a week. Desperate times call for wine club measures, am I right?
P.S. You can buy your canvas here, paint here, brushes here, and easel here!
P.P.S. If paint + sip feels like too much, and you’re not quite ready to channel your inner Bob Ross, adult coloring books are also a great, significantly easier outlet. The Mindfulness Coloring Book from Emma Farrarons is a personal favorite, along with the Floral Adult Coloring Journal from Harper Collins. They’re best paired with a set of iBayam Colored Pens that make everything feel more precise and flawless.
Virtual Wine Night
While on the topic of wine (and I do promise, not all of these activities NEED wine, but I can also promise, they all allow for it), staying connected to friends while the madness unfolds is extremely important. Whether your friends are sick, healthy, happy, stressed, near, or far, a FaceTime a day keeps the scaries away!
Set one (or more) night(s) a week to eat dinner (and drink wine) “together”. Sip, catch up, chat about all the insane things that happened that week while being trapped in a shoebox Manhattan apartment. These are the nights that we’ll value most in the current state of being, and the nights we’ll cherish the most when we look back at this time.
Learn To Cook
There is no time like the present, so if you’ve been living on your own for a few years now, but the fanciest thing you can cook is pasta with butter (guilty as charged), it’s time to pick up a cookbook and get crafty. I turned to our queen, Chrissy Teigen, because I knew her recipes would actually be enjoyable, unlike my mom’s cabinet of 1920s cookbooks (no offense, mom). The good news is everything is delicious, the bad news? Nothing is healthy. But, are we really worried about being skinny at a time like this? If the answer to that question is yes, CAN’T RELATE. But, with that being said I would recommend Healthy Gut, Flat Stomach by Danielle Capalino, because I’m at least trying to come out of this quarantine with the same size stomach I came into it with. (Whether or not I will succeed is another story entirely.)
Game Night
If you are so lucky (or unlucky) to be trapped inside with a roommate or roommates, a game night is the way to go. Fun sober? Yes. Fun while drinking? Absolutely, yes. My boyfriend and I have taken up Rummy 500 (I swear we’re 26, not 96) but beating him 100 times in a row is only thrilling for so many rounds, so I decided we needed to add some new games into the routine. Personally, I’m a Yahtzee gal, but he prefers Sequence. If you’re feeling wild, break out some old classics like Mancala and Guess Who. If you’re trapped with more than two people, Scattegories is a no-brainer. If you have days, months, years to kill, Monopoly or Life are also good old timers.
Don’t have the space in your shoebox apartment for a full-on board game? No problem. Pick up a fun card game like Please Don’t Ask (where you ask participants raunchy icebreaker-type questions), Red Flag or Dealbreaker (where you decide which hypothetical habits would be dating no-nos), or What Do You Meme? (basically Cards Against Humanity, but with memes).
If you’re all by yourself, you can still play games with your friends, just virtually. You can buy the Clue app (the same murder mystery board game you grew up with, now for your phone) for $4 in the App Store. If one of your friends has Jackbox, you can have them share their screen in a Google Hangout or Zoom call, and you can all join in remotely to play. Basically, just get creative with the games you already have and your video conferencing platform of choice.
Get A (New) Hobby
With too much time on our hands, it’s only fate that we’ll all stumble upon our hidden talents. I am bullet journaling like a MF, which has resulted in my desk looking like a child’s arts and crafts studio, but hey, I’m happy. Brit + Co. has made all of their online classes free, which is a MAJOR win and really freakin nice of them.
My doodling efforts have turned into a longing to perfect my nail art skills (which currently do not exist). I’ll be attempting to create some spring ombre nails this weekend with the Zoya Spring Treatment Color Box (the colors are pretty and it’s WAY more affordable than Essie). Stay tuned for the results.
Embracing The Alone
If you’re one of those people who embraces their alone time and feels like “SoCiAl DiStAnCiNg Is My DrEaM” then hey, you’re in luck. Check back with me in a month, though.
But, if you’re alone and feeling… lonely, now is the perfect time to order some new books. I myself having the reading level of a third grader, so I turned to my bff Alex for some good recs. Currently sitting on my shelf we have the stacked lineup of The Woman in the Window (which is being made into a movie, so that right there is some motivation to read it), Verity, and The Silent Patient. If all else fails, have a Harry Potter reading marathon and find the magic in the situation.
If reading isn’t your thing, but you want to stimulate the mind, order some puzzles!!! Amazon has a ton of cute ones, and it’s a healthy way to distract yourself, rather than scrolling through social media for hours on end (guilty).
All in all, it’s important to practice healthy habits and find the good in each day. It sounds corny, but, it’s survival 101. Feel free to drop comments below and share how you’ve been passing the time!
Images: Charles Deluvio / Unsplash
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