Well, this whole pandemic thing is certainly uncharted territory… Like you, I’ve been stuck at home because of coronavirus so I thought I would come up with things to do at home during social distancing. My thoughts go out to everyone who is having a hard time during this outbreak. My emotions come in waves: fear, boredom, anxiety, etc. I know many of you are feeling the same. Anyways, I hope these activities provide ample distractions during this strange time.

Read

During a time like this, there’s nothing more I crave than escaping through fiction. As a college student, I don’t get a lot of time to read for fun so I’m really taking advantage of this time to really bury my nose in stories.

–Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I just finished re-reading this book yesterday and I loved being swept away in a romance set in a circus after the stock market crash in 1929. If you’ve already read Water for Elephants, I also enjoyed another one of Gruen’s books called At the Water’s Edge. It’s about an upper class couple who goes in search of the loch ness monster which is set during WWII.

–The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

I read this one during my Christmas break. This book is about a young girl living in a Chinese village and her family picks tea leaves. She has a daughter out of wedlock and has to give her up because of her village’s traditional values. This book was really captivating! You might remember Lisa See from Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

–Wild by Cheryl Strayed

This memoir is an incredible TRUE story about a woman who hikes the pacific crest trail solo with little experience after her mother dies of cancer. I found this book incredibly inspiring when I read it and it made me want to get outside to explore the world.

–The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

In a dark time like this, I’m itching to get back to Hogwarts. There’s nothing better than revisiting a favorite story, especially when it’s Harry Potter. I’m going to start re-reading the Harry Potter series from the beginning as soon as my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone comes in the mail.

 

Spring Cleaning

Cleaning and organizing has always been very therapeutic for me. Since I’ve been at home for the past few days, I’ve deep cleaned the entire house. Cleaning is something that feels extra satisfying with a nasty virus going around. Get around to cleaning those things around the house you never think to clean.

 

Clean Your Makeup Brushes

I think we can all acknowledge that we don’t clean our makeup brushes enough haha. Ever since I got the Beauty Blender solid brush cleaner, I’ve been pretty good about cleaning my brushes because it’s very easy to use. I even washed my makeup bag! Take that, germs!

Do a puzzle

My family and I used to do a 1000 piece puzzle every Christmas season. Now that we’re stuck inside, we decided to pull out another 1000 piece puzzle. We completed it in just a week which is the fastest we’ve ever done a puzzle haha. There’s lots of fun designs to chose and it’s a very satisfying experience to find pieces that fit!

 

At Home Workouts

I’m really missing pilates lately, but I love all the people who have been streaming live workouts on Instagram! On Tuesday, I did @rrayyme and her bf’s at home work out which required nothing more than a mat. Taking the time to workout released a lot of stress for me especially since it’s easy during this time to just curl up into a ball of depression. If you have a local studio or gym you enjoy going to, check their Instagram to see if they’re live streaming workouts.

Catch Up on Your Favorite Blogs

I’ve always enjoyed reading blogs, but ever since I started blogging myself, I’ve grown more appreciative for all the love and effort other creator’s put into their work. Here’s some of my favorite blogs to read:

–Naya Tilly– in depth makeup product reviews

–Fifty Shades of Snail– in depth Asian beauty skincare reviews and breakdown of each skincare step

–Not Jess Fashion– incredible fashion inspiration

–This Time Tomorrow– also has incredible style, photography, and writing

–Tess Carcaldi– I love her reflections on life and she is an amazing writer!

–The Heil Style– fashion, life after college, etc.

–The Style Bungalow– fashion, designer pieces, travel

 

Take a Drive (and maybe blast some music)

I know not everyone lives close to nature, but if you do, take a drive to get out of the house for a couple hours. Yesterday, I took a drive and listened to Beyoncé and it had me feeling a whole lot less trapped!

Watch TV

Like I said, I love getting lost in stories. Here’s my favorite shows I’ve been watching recently:

–Narcos Mexico (Netflix)

Narcos and Narcos Mexico have to be the BEST shows on Netflix. The second season of Narcos Mexico came out a few weeks ago and boy, did my boyfriend and I zip through the season quickly haha! Both shows tell incredible true stories of the clashes between the Narcos, the Mexican government, (or Colombian in the case of the original show), and the American government. The cinematography of these shows is so unique and artistic. I really love how the Narcos showcase the beauty of Colombia and Mexico!

–Insecure (HBO)

This show explores the life of a millennial African American woman in Los Angeles. This show explores topics like race, gender, and relationships. It also has really great music!

–Russian Doll (Netflix)

I know I wrote about this oneRead, Watch, Listen: January 2020 a couple months ago, but this is such a fun show to binge. This show is about a woman who keeps dying and coming back to life on her birthday. This is a great science fiction show!

–Ramy (Hulu)

This show tells the story of a Muslim millennial man living in America. This explores the clashes between his family, traditional Muslim culture, and American culture. The show was really interesting to me because we rarely ever hear about about the lives of Muslim Americans from the perspective of Muslim Americans, especially on tv.

What have you been doing while social distancing? Also, if you have more books and show recommendations, I would love to know them!