My Favorite Hobbies to Pass the Time in COVID-19 Quarantine

Tired of Netflix binging? Not into the bread baking craze? Here's some of the hobbies and habits I'm working on in quarantine that help me feel just a little more productive.

Not everyday can be spent social distancing in nature, unfortunately.

I'm lucky to have my graduate studies continuing relatively uninterrupted to keep some structure in my life, but I'm still finding more free time on my hands than I'd like. I don't do all of these things everyday, but I expect once "summer" starts and I have more time available than ever, I'll be diving into some of them even more enthusiastically.

Writing in a Journal

I saw this tweet right as the reality of quarantining and social distancing was becoming clear. Though I hadn't started completely isolating quite yet, I knew it was imminent and that a record of what happened, even if just saved for myself, would be invaluable. So, I found the only empty journal-type notebook I had (conveniently and entertainingly a half-notebook and half-adult coloring book combination!) and got to writing once my quarantine started.

My initial goal was to write one page a day, and to keep a record of the COVID-19 statistics in it as well. By now, a month into quarantine, I haven't completely kept to this goal - but I'm still writing at least 3-4 times a week, and I think that's enough. It helps to keep me grounded and to reflect on what this global pandemic means for my life and for the world. This journal may never go to a historian, and that's fine. I find it just as gratifying to write only for myself... and maybe for some future grandkids when they want to know what this turbulent time was like.

Catching Up on My Favorite Podcasts

Alright, I'll admit I was already a pretty avid podcast consumer. But now that I'm spending more time than ever cleaning my apartment and going on long walks, it's pretty satisfying to be picking up my podcast consumption rate even higher. Not to mention, since I live alone a state away from my family, sometimes having a podcast in my ears is the closest I'll get to human interaction for awhile!

As a journalism student and news junkie, I listen to the New York Times' The Daily and Vox's Today, Explained everyday. Though I haven't listened to it all yet, I find Radiotopia's Everything is Alive to be a refreshing and whimsical distraction from the outside world. Then there's my guilty pleasure My Favorite Murder - I was about three years late to start this cult favorite, so I can't help but be a little thankful for quarantine for helping me to catch up to the present day episodes faster than ever!

Some other favorites I recommend to anyone looking to pick up a new podcast to pass their quarantine:

• Moonrise - The Washington Post's fascinating, engaging, and all-encompassing account of America's race to the moon.

• Mothers of Invention - Former Irish President Mary Robinson and comedian Maeve Higgins explore the many man-made problems of climate change and their feminist solutions.

• In the Dark - The gold standard of investigative podcasts, American Public Media's Madeleine Baran expertly tells the stories of two famous crimes in which failures in the justice system have compromised the cases.

• Dolly Parton's America - Radiolab's Jad Abumrad explores a great mystery of our time: how is it that everyone in America, no matter how different, seems to like Dolly Parton?

• This Podcast Will Kill You - This podcast actually explores the biology and history of the most dangerous diseases humans have had, so it's more timely than ever right now. Don't miss their multi-part series on COVID-19, if you can handle it!

Duolingo

I've used the free language learning app famous for its green owl mascot on and off for many years, for brief attempts at learning several different languages. Last February, inspired by a new interest in Spanish language TV shows, I started on the Duolingo Spanish course again, and for the first time haven't stopped! Seriously, I'm on day 425 of my streak today.

Of course, I'm still nowhere near fluent in

My Duolingo progress!

Spanish - I could maybe have a conversation with a toddler. Honestly, I might never be fluent unless I move to a Spanish speaking country, but one of the reasons I restarted learning with Duolingo was to make sure I was constantly learning and practicing something everyday. I think that's more valuable than ever while in quarantine, so I'm happy to have more time on my hands than before to sharpen my Spanish skills. Who knows, maybe by the time social distancing is over I'll be able to converse with an elementary schooler.

With the world's most used languages as well as fictional ones like Klingon, Duolingo's probably got one that's piqued your interest. Even if just to keep your mind sharp in quarantine, I can't recommend it enough.

Yoga

Okay, so this is the one that's really more of an aspirational goal right now. I did 20 minutes or so of YouTube yoga for about the first three days of quarantine before getting distracted from it. Part of the problem is that I've done a handful of yoga classes before and I have limited space in my studio apartment to fully get into every pose. But I'm really hoping to get more into it once the semester ends - it's the perfect exercise for being trapped inside, and as someone whose primary forms of exercise pre-quarantine were walking and biking to class and work, I really need to get on that!

You probably don't need me to preach to you about the myriad benefits of yoga if you've been on the Internet at all the past few years, and you probably know at least one other person that's picked up yoga in quarantine. Still, if you're going stir crazy and feel like your body is in desperate need of some activity, it's worth a try!