Everyone around the corner is talking about corona virus and lockdown over the internet and famous social media platforms. As the 21-day lockdown is going to meets its end on 15th of April but it is more likely that it can be extend further seeing the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

Stick to their phones and laptops most of the time, people are sharing throwback pictures, their workout sessions and other such activities, that they are doing to put the boredom brought up by the lockdown, on their Facebook and Instagram handles. Celebrities and famous personalities are locked up inside million-rupee flats and bungalows. More or less, the statistics and observations are proving this pandemic to be an urban crisis, for majority of the cases reported so far come from the urban localities. However, India is going through a 21-day long lockdown and everyone is shut inside their houses. People are utilizing this time differently. Some people are doing creative things and others are just getting bored and concerned about isolation of this long period perhaps first time in the history of modern India. So, if you belong to the second category of people and you are having hard time getting over this lockdown, I bring forward a list of some activities and suggestions that you can get involved with during the lockdown and make most of this time about your overall wellbeing.

1. Read books:

Reading comes as a favorite pastime for of most of us during leisure times. But most of us locked up people are not that much “into” books. So, reading for those who do not have a taste for it can find it boring and tiresome. But you can develop a taste for reading if you care for you mental health because a number of psychological studies suggest that reading help us destressing and is good for our mental wellbeing. Starting small is the best way for most of the new activities that you’re getting into. Due to fast growing numbers, online sites are primary sources of information and communication these days. You can find so many useful web portals that share interesting and worth reading pieces. You can also find some good pages and handles on your Facebook and Instagram that sharing amazing articles.

2. Watch movies:

Some people do not have nerves to get on with thick books and lengthy texts but they can easily make their way by watching a movie or a web series on Netflix. If you don’t have access to the subscription based movie portals, Netflix or Amazon prime, you can watch some freely available movies or web serials on YouTube and other free to access sources. Else you can also have a basic mobile subscription of Netflix in just Rs. 199 for a month and watch amazing movies and web series. You can also go for Amazon Prime for it is also a good source of wonderful movies and serials. You can also go for downloading some good movies through torrent if you have a basic torrent client and high-speed internet connection with unlimited data. You can explore Yify for some old and new movies in HD prints.

3. Learn to cook:

It’s the best time you can extend some helping hands in the kitchen for your mother/sister or if you are living with a female partner. Your mother or you wife needs some rest and free time during the lockdown for it has been observed that kitchen-based chores have increased for most of us are staying at home all the time. You certainly give the ladies some rest and make a meal for them as a treat. This will definitely bring some happiness to both of you. If you are living alone then learning to cook can be very helpful for you since most of the food outlets are closed due to lockdown. There are so many YouTube channels and online resources that offer simple and easy to follow cooking tutorials. Go for it and try some basic cooking for you and your health. You don’t need to become a Tarla Dalal or Sanjeev Kapoor for trying your hands in the kitchen.

4. Learn a new language:

Learning new languages always attracts some people for it is so much of fun and helps you improve your confidence level and communication skills. There are so many online sources and android apps such FlunetU, Duolingo, BBC Languages and Memrise etc., for efficiently learning local and foreign languages.

5. Learn to play an instrument:

This point might sound vague at first because you must be thinking that where can you get a new instrument during this lockdown. But I know many of us including myself who have fondness for learning musical instruments and have invested some money in buying the instruments of their choice. But due to certain reasons they lost interest in learning and put these gears into closets and store rooms for months or years. Hence, this is the high time for you to regain that love for learning those instruments and get them out of closets and store rooms. YouTube has some amazing channels that offer free tutorials for various instruments. You just need the search for the tutorials with the name of the instrument in hand and here you get the list of some interesting videos teaching you to play.

6. Paint or Sketch:

Don’t you remember the back pages of your school notebooks and college diaries where you used to make doodles and sketches during the boring class lectures. You can again get your hands on doing that. Just pick some spare notebook or some loose papers and pen or pencil and start drawing random things. If you are seriously into it and have the basic materials for drawing and painting then you can work on honing your skills during this lockdown period. For inspiration you can follow some amazing Instagram handles that share wonderful pieces of sketches and paintings.

7. Take care of your physical health:

Staying home all day and not moving enough can put your bodies into so much strain. In order to keep yourself healthy and in shape, you should seriously look for some basic workouts that you can do at home or at terraces if you have one. Eating healthy is also suggested. Taking care of your diet and doing some exercise will help you maintain your bodies during this lockdown.

8. Take care of mental health:

It is necessary to take care of both your body and your mind during the lockdown. Most of us, who are mostly extroverted are not that much capable of getting into isolation for that long period of time. As suggested by the leading mental health experts, this can seriously affect your mental health making it difficult for you to cope up with constraints of lockdown. So, you must be aware of these things and take a good care of your mental wellbeing by doing happiness inducing things. Some basic Yoga and meditation will definitely help.

9. Physical distancing not social distancing:

As WHO has recently started calling the isolation as physical distancing rather than the previously used term social distancing, you too should consider this shuffle and start thinking towards making your social bonds firmer and more constructive by means of state-of-the-art social communication. This is the right time to rebuild those broken friendships that you have somehow lost willingly or unwillingly due to your busy work life. It is the right time to reconnect with your school or college friends that you have not in touch with since years. It is the right time that you should reclaim your relationships with your family members and most importantly with yourself.

10. Help the needy:

Amid all these selfcare advices, it is also necessary for you to go beyond your social circles and look for those who need you. You must be aware of the facts how badly the poor working class of the nation has been affected by this lockdown. The horrible picture of thousands of people walking towards their hometowns with no food and money, the picture of thousands of people stuck at the Delhi-UP border struggling to get into the jam packed busses to reach their respective places, the picture of people brutally beaten up by the police and sprayed with disinfectant was really heartbreaking. Other than those, there are so many people living in your surroundings looking for help. You can come forward and extend some financial assistance to these needy people. There are so many NGOs and local social bodies working for the welfare of these people by offering them free food and ration. You can also contribute to this by whatever means you can think of. This too will help gain some sense of responsibility and citizenship.