As I wrap up my second month in quarantine, I’ve become a bit of a pro on how to entertain myself while furloughed from my job and sitting around at home unable to see my friends or do much of anything. While yes, I understand how fortunate I am to have a home to stay inside, it’s still been a challenge to completely reorient my life this spring. Here are five things I’ve done that make the whole COVID-19 situation a lot easier.

Start grad school.
No time like the present, right? With all this free time yet stifling feeling of doom and despair it can be hard to stay on track. School forces you to keep to a schedule and learn something! But maybe you’re not like me and not obsessed with school. In which case, there are lots of places online that offer free learning. Khan Academy and Crash Course are some of my favorites.
Read. Read some more. And then read again.
Books are my everything right now. Why sit around and think about all the horrible things happening when I could be transported into 1960s Hollywood and follow the life of a film star? Or move to the coast of Maine and inhabit a small town for a while? I’ve read more books than I can count at this point, but would highly recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. (Check out my book reviews for more recommendations!)
Those who can, cook; those who can’t, watch!
I’m probably the last person in the U.S. to start watching the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen on YouTube, but it has become my absolute favorite thing. My cooking abilities are… minimal... and so it’s nice to watch people who are excellent chefs but also make mistakes. I’ve learned more about cooking watching these goofballs than any amount of time actually in the kitchen. And I’ve laughed a lot, too - something we could all use more of right now.
Cross those animals!
Hi, my name is Leeann, and I got a Nintendo Switch just to play Animal Crossing. I enjoy creating outfits and decorating my house and island virtually far more than I do in real life. If I can’t be stylish at home, at least I can wear a vintage dress, sunhat, and heels in a video game. While also shaking trees and digging holes. It’s fine.
Take a walk.
It’s the perfect time of year to get outside and get some fresh air! Plus, with so much time inside the house, some fresh air will do you good after eight hours of Animal Crossing and Netflix. The Sausser family even took a hike earlier this week. Spending time in the woods with birds tweeting and the sun peeking through the trees almost tricked me into thinking things were normal.

There’s plenty of other things to do at home - video chat with friends, write, work, clean the house, pet the cats, play with the baby roommate (maybe that’s just me), call your family, knit, color, learn a new skill. Once we all go back to work and see our friends in person again it’s likely we’ll miss the free time we had when we could do absolutely nothing but bake bread and watch TV.

So for now - get out there, grab a book, sit on the couch for five hours, or pick up the phone and call your long-distance friend. Just remember to enjoy each day as it comes, and pray we never have to experience this again.