20 Ways to Combat Boredom During Social Isolation

With recent news of a stay at home order issued by Governor Sununu due to escalating pressure of COVID-19, some teenagers are finding themselves at a loss with all this time on their hands. Instead of the chaotic lives of stressful schoolwork, extracurriculars, and sports, teens now have to find a way to preoccupy themselves for at least one month at home. For some, spending weeks on end without their friends might sound like the greatest horror. However, there are many ways to combat this boredom, even while maintaining safety regulations of social distancing. Here’s a compilation of twenty things you can keep yourself busy with over this crazy time of isolation: 

1. Facetime your friends: Although you can’t see each other in person, facetime is a good way to catch up and chat with your friends and hours will pass before you know it.
2. Read: It may have been a while since you last picked up a book outside of a school assignment, but now could be a perfect time! There are so many book lists such as this one on Goodreads.
3. Play Game Pigeon: iMessage games such as 8 ball or Crazy 8 can make the time pass quickly
4. Netflix party: Download this chrome extension and you and your friends can synchronize a show/movie and chat alongside. 
5. Photo Roulette: This social game that is available for download on the app store draws random photos from you and your friends’ camera rolls in which you compete to guess whose photo is shown. It also includes a privacy feature allowing you to preview photos before entering a game. 
6. Clean/organize your room or closet: This may be the only time where you can finally pick up all the clothes scattered on the ground or start that load of laundry. 
7. Redo your room: Going along with the previous suggestion, moving around furniture or hanging a couple of pictures can add some glamour to a mundane bedroom. 
8. Workout: A productive way to spend this time is to get in shape, such as going for a run or doing some push-ups, which doesn’t always require going to the gym. 
9. Cook/bake: Cooking a family dinner or baking a dessert could take up a lot of free time, making it the perfect way to combat boredom. 
10. Draw/paint: Art is a creative outlet that can take up hours of time.
11. Catch up or get ahead on schoolwork: Studying can be an extremely productive way to take advantage of this time during quarantine.
12. Watch a movie or a TV series: It may not be good for your health to watch TV for hours on end but it’s definitely fun. Check out this article by Mckenna that has a full list of what to watch during social isolation. 
13. Go online shopping: Whether it’s for toilet paper or new sneakers it’ll be fun!
14. Listen to podcasts: Spotify has so many interesting podcasts of different genres including lifestyle, sports, education, news, business, etc. 
15. Create a new playlist: Listening to music is a relaxing outlet so it can be beneficial to add some new songs or organize your playlists. 
16. Play cards/board games with family: This may be the only time when you can finally finish that game of Monopoly. 
17. Learn a Tik Tok dance: Become the new Charli D’amelio?
18. Journal: Your could be used as a primary source in twenty years when the history DBQ asks students to analyze the effects of COVID-19. 
19. Take a nap: This is the time where you can finally achieve the health standard of 8-10 hours of sleep per night!
20. Write an Unleashed article: Writing an article can be fun and can be a great use of time during this quarantine! Let your voice be heard.