Source: @pexels.com
Life during the coronavirus epidemic is sorely lacking in entertainment. And as we begin to find our feet in the ‘new normal’, boredom looks to put pressure on people’s anxiety.
Lockdown restrictions are affecting our mental wellbeing while offering limited guidance in releasing stress. Without pubs, gyms, cinemas, and social gatherings our leisure time is in a state of flux.
Avoiding boredom is important to sustaining the success of any restrictive measures. To combat coronavirus and sustain our mental wellbeing we are left with one option: entertain ourselves.
With that thought in mind, here are some brilliant ways to stay occupied during the pandemic:
Try your hand at online casinos
For a temporary fix try your hand at some casino games. Take slots for instance, which are fun accessible games with zero experience required.
As brick and mortar casinos close, mobile applications and betting sites have filled the void, offering a pocket-sized experience through your phone, allowing you to fight spouts of boredom from the safety of home.
As per the increase in demand, online casinos are advertising welcome bonuses to stand out from the competition. There is also an array of great free to play games on these sites. Compare what’s on offer to find the best casino bonuses for you.
On a personal note: I want to stress that online casinos are only good for a quick release of boredom. And should not be played for long periods of time. As the games are addictive, with real money at stake. Remember the key is to have fun; place small and infrequent bets. The petty cash you may (or may not) win is nothing more than an added bonus.
Create a DIY entertainment room
Try looking for a project as a long term fix. Nobody is expecting a complete loft conversion or extension. For one, you would need planning permission. So leave all that to the professionals.
Instead, upgrade an existing room to yield an immediate payoff — like converting the living room into a complete entertainment experience. For me and my flatmates, this was a great excuse to come together and share our tech.
Making fun changes to the house with or without others is a great way to freshen up the place. For us we wanted the living room to be like a college common room. A place where we could forget about the lockdown, play games and watch movies.
50 inch TV? Games consoles? Surround sound speakers? Check, check, and check.
Optimizing a room for entertainment is a great way to make confinement more bearable. From its construction to use, I could think of worse ways to spend lockdown.
Streaming and videogame recommendations
Now you have an entertainment room it’s time to decide exactly how you will entertain yourselves.
There are thousands of binge-worthy TV series and numerous great video games to jump into. In fact, there are too many and the hardest part is deciding on one at a time.
Here are a couple of my favorites to make the decision a little easier:
Borderlands 3: This long-running game series is the ideal multiplayer experience. In the latest installment, you take on the tyrannical Calypso twins and explore a fictional galaxy by hopping from one planet to another. What a great excuse to hang out with friends over the internet.
Community: This expertly wacky show has an honestly raw take on friendship; by showing its importance, no matter how dysfunctional it feels sometimes. There is also a fantastically meta bottle episode to look out for, which details how much fun there is to have in a confined space. And as with every episode available on Netflix, the show is more accessible than ever.
Its time to go outside
Had enough of your four walls? Are you experiencing screen fatigue?
Remember the great outdoors are not completely off-limits. Getting out regularly will improve your state of mind and switch things up a little.
So find a way to optimize this time. Exposure to the sun combats lethargy and helps raise our mood. Try these law-abiding outdoor activities to break up the time we spend indoors:
Yoga: Regular exercise is still important and should not be forgotten about during this crisis. Yoga, in particular, is a fun hobby to pick up and helps mindfulness.
Reading: Nothing ever quite beats a good book. Reading is the perfect form of escapism. And it can really relax the mind when feelings of frustration and boredom arise. With the fortunate turn of whether it is also an activity that can be enjoyed in our gardens.
Recommended reading: Love In The Time Of Coronavirus
We cannot let coronavirus affect our ability to have fun. Yes, life has changed dramatically and it probably won’t be back to normal for a while. But that does not mean we have to put ourselves on pause and fall in love with monotony. Use these steps as a beginner’s guide to finding a sense of fun in the ‘new normal’.
Leave a Reply