Just a list of 10 things to do in your Covid isolation

I’ve been in isolation for four days now, I’ve (finally) passed the stage of being too sick to move and am now knee deep in the dreaded boredom stage. You would think that we’d all be over the Covid iso content by now but Omicron keeps us on our toes, so if you’re stuck in isolation like me, here’s a list of things you can do to help get through it.

1. Delete Instagram

I admit, I only did this yesterday, but I wish I had deleted it as soon I tested postive. Scrolling can be fun, seeing what all your friends are  up to while you’re locked in your room? Not so fun. Don’t drive yourself mad with FOMO, its not worth it. Look after your mental health and scroll through another app that just shows you strangers instead, like TikTok.

2. Reach out to other people in lockdown

We’ve all sent a “that sucks” text to a Covid positive friend before whilst mentally counting the days since you last saw them and figuring out if we need to take an LFT. The shoe is on the other foot now, you have joined the club of the exiled. Use this time to reach out to your isolating massive. Send them a text, call them. I’ve found that even just being on a video call with another person while you both do work can help ease the loneliness, its like a little virtual library sesh and it makes life feel a little more normal.

3. Call your grandma

Often at uni, we forget to reach out to the people in our lives. We might neglect our friends from home, or go without contact with relatives, or spend our time trying to avoid that flatmate who walks around barefoot and always eats Marmite butties. No excuse now though, give your family a call or text. FaceTiming my mom every day to hear about her life has made Covid just a little more bearable.

4. Reorganise your room

Shift around your furniture, jazz up your surroundings, tackle the chair™️ (you know the one), organise that drawer of clothes that winds you up everyday. Do something to make the space you are now living in 24/7 just a little bit better.

5. Rediscover your space

Everyone’s room has something interesting about it. If you’re facing a street, have fun making up life stories for everyone passing by. Maybe your window is in the perfect location to talk to friends standing outside below. I discovered that if I climb out my window, there is a wide gutter that I can transform into a makeshift balcony.

Here’s me on said roof.

6. Read a book

This is a basic, but it’s highly underrated. With a good book, the time can go by so much faster in quarantine. Don’t have books in your room? Many libraries are able to loan you e-books if you have a library card (also remember we technically have access to every book published in the UK). Don’t feel like staring at more words after working? So many audiobooks are on Youtube or Spotify. Find something that you genuinely enjoy.

7. Discover (or re-disocover) a hobby

Another underrated basic. Maybe you brought a guitar to uni, or your knitting needles, time to whip them out. I love doing jigsaw puzzles, which is a fun way to pass the time when stuck in your room (just order one and have a friend drop it outside your room). Maybe you could get into a video game, or start playing chess online. The opportunities are endless!

8. Play Wordle everyday

This goes along somewhat with hobbies, but make sure to play the Wordle everyday. For those not in the know, Wordle is an online word game where you try to guess a 5 letter word everyday. FYI, I’ve done the research, and apparently “soare” is the most strategic starting word. The more you know!

9. Watch video essays on youtube

Sick of Netflix? There’s so many YouTubers who make long form videos taking an intellectual look at topics, from pop culture to politics. Need some recommendations? One of the best one’s I’ve watched is this video by Defunctland about the history of Disney’s fastpass (sounds niche I know but it’s fascinating).

Other channels that I highly recommend are Contrapoints, hbomberguy, and Philosophy Tube.

10. Do some work

No one wants to hear this. However, too much of a good thing is never right, procrastination included. You will get the itch to do some work. Take your time working, don’t stress yourself out but it can be a good way to pass the time in isolation. Try to separate where you study from where you relax in your room, and working will come easier.

A rare moment of me working in quarantine.

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