When school was canceled on Friday, March 13th, students across FCPS rejoiced at the fact that they could escape their stressful everyday life even if it would only be one day. Several people made plans with their friends for that Friday, treating it like the break everyone needed and deserved from the work-intensive third quarter. However, that one day of school cancelation was soon recognized as the start of a nationwide quarantine to prevent the exponential spread of COVID-19. When COVID-19 was first emerging, several disregarded it as a copy of the flu which although not technically wrong, has become a bigger pandemic than the flu ever has been. The beginning symptoms of COVID-19 resemble the flu but get progressively worse, especially among the elderly. Now over a month into quarantine, most people agree to social distancing to reduce the spread of the disease and help decrease the overflow of hospitals. With all this time spent at home though, it can sometimes be hard to find engaging and worthwhile things to do and without activity, moods tend to dip and people begin to loath staying home. This can lead to people ignoring the order of social distancing, inevitably adding to the problems that continue the pandemic.

My family, specifically, has been social distancing and staying home since the first week of school cancellation, which is less than desirable but also necessary. Over this time, I have developed a list of things to do whenever I feel myself getting unbearably bored to keep me sane. To start, one of the things to do to pass time is to draw. Even if you’re not the most artistic person on the planet sometimes it feels good to put pen or pencil to paper and let your mind draw whatever it wants or whatever you’re feeling. Another pastime that can help is baking (or cooking). I am not the most skilled when it comes to culinary arts but making something that rewards you with a delicious treat at the end is always worthwhile. Now that online school has started, making a list of all the things teachers have assigned and then checking them off as you complete each one is a great form of self-motivation during this dull time and the satisfaction of checking something off a list can help incentivize completing assignments, even if they’re not due for a while. Additionally, although this activity is dreaded by most when mom tells you to do it, cleaning or going through your room is another great way to pass time. This activity takes up a good portion of time, depending on how much you’re willing to clean, and having an organized room can help with mental organization and provide a better environment for productivity. For all the athletes, working out also helps pass time while keeping you in shape and releasing endorphins to put you in a better mood. Depending on the person, one could come up with many different ways to pass time by themselves but regardless of the activity, as long as it keeps you healthy and happy while also staying inside, it is helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the time that we have to keep away from each other. Overall, the best thing that anyone can do at the moment is finding a few fun and productive ways to pass time inside while the world figures out how to contain and stop the virus. The more people that social distance, the faster quarantine will come to an end.