By- Catherine Gomes

After a long day of school or work, social media is often the best and easiest way to go. But overtime, all the scrolling and screens can really exhaust a person. I for one have much experience. Instead, why not try an enjoyable & Covid-friendly pastime for days that your eyes and brain need a little break. 

Arts & Crafts🎨 In the mood to unleash your creativity? No? Well, even if you’re not one to be creative, art is a potentially therapeutic hobby which can be used to healthily maintain stress. Here are some artistic activities, if you want to give it a try.

1- Painting

One idea is to try painting on a canvas from a reference photo. You can even ask friends to paint group cartoon characters, like those of the Avengers, Rugrats, Strawberry Shortcake or Among Us (even though no one really plays anymore). If you are in the mood for an individual activity, you can try to paint a clothing item, like a denim jacket, a tee-shirt, or a jean pocket. 

2- Google Slide/Group Collage

Another idea is to create a Google Slide with your friends to document, review and exchange your favorite movies, recipes, or any of your favorite activities.

3- Photos

Try taking photos of different elements in your surroundings. You can try photographing things from your neighborhood, and you can edit your photos after. You can also take pictures of yourself, if that’s your kind of thing. Many people have “photo shoots” in their home, by creating a photo wall composed of newspaper scraps or color-coordinated photos. A further suggestion is to compile photos to create a portfolio or fake magazine.

 4- Journaling

Bullet journaling has become very admired in the artistic world today. To start, all you really need is a pen and paper, but if you want to go the extra mile you can use brush pens, markers, stickers and photos.

Online Shopping🛒 Because stores are sometimes inconvenient and unsafe to shop at during these times, online shopping is a prominent alternative. If you’re not in the mood to splurge, you can always make a wish list of things you are looking forward to purchasing.

5- Clothes

Now’s your chance to look for clothing pieces that you never really tried before. Instead of shopping at highly overpriced stores, you can also give online thrift stores like Depop and thredUp a try. “About 85% of textiles are thrown away in the US”, and thrifting is an easy solution to break this cycle. However, if you do not prefer thrifting, many retail stores have outlets and clearances with a great collection of clothes, for reasonable prices. 

6- Room

A great way to brighten your room is by adding decorations such as lights, tapestries, throw blankets, plants or posters. These decorations can reflect off of your own personal interests. For instance, if you play basketball, you can add a mini hoop in your room. If you listen to a certain music artist, you can buy posters of their album cover on your wall. Because some of these

items can be a little pricey, you can try to make “DIY” décor from household items. You can glue cotton balls to create small clouds on your ceiling, and you can print pictures to create a personalized photo wall.

Family/Close Friend😜 These activities can be used to safely socialize with family members, or with a friend.

7- Picnic

Picnics are a great way to get some fresh air. You can pack a picnic for any meal or snack that you desire. If you do not want to go through the hassle of making and packing food, you can always buy your favorite food and eat in a park, or any other outdoorsy location.  

8- Movie Night

One night you can watch a movie or a tv show with your family. You can look for older movies, like The Karate Kid, The Outsiders, Adventures in Babysitting, Sixteen Candles or Home Alone. Your favorite movies as a child are also a great idea, whether it may be Disney movies or an old show you used to watch. When a holiday is coming up, you can watch holiday-esque movies to get in the spirit.

9- Road Trip

Another idea is to go on a road trip with your family or a friend. You do not have to go someplace far, and destinations are unlimited. If you are not the driver, pack pillows, blankets, snacks and don’t forget your favorite music (that’s a necessity).

10- Game Night

Card games are always fun to play with family members, whether they may be with a deck of cards, or another game like Uno or Apples to Apples. Other games you can try are: Monopoly, The Game of Life, Scrabble, and Sorry!

11- Garden

Ellen Van Dusen

Gardens and nurseries are great places to visit. Nature can be underrated, but oftentimes are the best places to clear your mind and rebuild inner happiness.

Try plant nurseries, parks, mountainous regions, and flower gardens. An alternative is to plant a miniature garden in your own backyard, or buy plants for your home.

Miscellaneous✨

12- Plan a Trip

If you want to try an effortless activity, you can plan a trip that you always dreamed of. You can search dream locations with your friends (I recommend Pinterest). An alternative is to go on a real trip for a few days. Most hotels are open, and if you find one that is safe, you can escape from the struggles of school or work. If you take remote classes, you don’t even need to worry about missing classes. 

13- Learn to cook/bake something

Baking and cooking is a great way to relax for a while, plus you get food at the end. Perhaps try recipes of your favorite comfort foods, or foods you always wanted to try. You can find recipes all over the internet which correspond with the season. Currently, any desserts with pumpkin and peppermint flavors are becoming popular. It’s that time again. 

14- Go on an Adventure

This is a basic one, but you can always take a walk or jog in your neighborhood. You can ride your bike, skateboard, or roller skate. And if you don’t know how to do any of these things, you can always learn. Go out into your town and explore. Even though you might end up not finding anything fun to do, most adventures start off boring anyway. Dora started all her days the same and look how she ended up.

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Works Cited

Beall, Abigail. “Why Clothes Are so Hard to Recycle.” BBC Future, BBC, 12 July 2020, www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle.