COVID-19 has revolutionized our everyday lives and resulted in a new norm. This new way of life involves staying home and social-distancing. While staying at home, many have taken on new activities in order to stay busy.

“Lately I have been really bored,” 16-year-old Riley Jorgenson said. “It has been really hard to adjust so I found that taking up new hobbies helps.”

From being in the kitchen to learning new languages, people have been taking on more recreational activities than ever before.

“I used to never have the time to do anything except go to school,” 15-year-old Lauren Noh said. “Now I have started getting into playing more sports and riding my bike to get some exercise.”

Some have also been working on themselves during this time to come out an even better person than before.

“I’ve been trying to workout a lot more,” Jorgenson said. “I really want to get in shape before summer so I have changed my diet and my workout schedule.”

While some have taken up more activities to get moving and stay active, others have spent some more time in the kitchen learning new recipes.

“I have been exploring new ideas for recipes,” 15-year-old Tabitha Baggett said. “I became vegan before the pandemic, so I decided it is time to look through the cook books to get more ideas.”

Some have been exploring the cooking world while others have decided to take up baking.

“I have been taking up baking,” 15-year-old Alyssa McCann said. “I used to hate being in the kitchen, but I thought baking would be fun to do while I’m bored so I googled some recipes and now I bake for my whole family.”

The kitchen isn’t the only place people have been exploring.

“I like to travel a lot,” Nicole McCauley, mother of two, said. “I thought it would be beneficial to work on my French to help me during these travels. I took French in high school so it’s really all about refreshing my brain.”

Some have decided to learn entirely new languages.

“I thought that while I’m sitting at home, it would be nice to try to be productive,” Jimmy McCauley, father of two, said. “I have been learning Italian on Duolingo and it has honestly helped me a lot, I feel like I’m really learning.”

In a time of isolation, quarantine has been an opportunity for some to spiritually and mentally improve.

“I have really struggled during this time,” Noh said. “Lately I’ve been doing meditation in order to not feel overwhelmed, I’ve found it really helps. I also have been working more on myself to come out of this quarantine a better person than when I entered it.”

While maintaining the social distancing guidelines, it is important to stay positive, occupied, and entertained while keeping others safe.

“Overall, I want to stay positive and safely distanced from others,” Baggett said. “Cooking has really helped cure my boredom and I think if we all do our part, this will be over before we know it.”

(photo credits: Much Mania/Getty Images)