When I thought about studying in London for a Master's, I never accounted for a pandemic and recession, and yet here we are. Admittedly, I'd rather be on any one of my three (soon to be four) cancelled holidays than social distancing, but I have actually quite enjoyed these few weeks and found many ways to curb boredom throughout!
Firstly, I've been keeping a weekly schedule to have a rough idea of what needs to get done each week. This was especially useful during exam season as I could plan which modules to revise for and when. Since then, I've kept it up to fit in which meals to make, when to exercise, and when I have online lectures or meetings. I like a bit of structure to my days and found that this was the perfect balance between keeping busy but not being too rigid and stressful.
Unlike many people, social distancing didn't impact my daily routine much as I still had exams to revise for and lectures to attend, except that rather than doing the daily 1 hour commute to South Kensington and back each day, I used that free time to learn new skills and entertain myself.
Exercise-wise, I had been going to Imperial's gym roughly 3 times a week, however since gyms closed and I was home, I started running in the park 4 times a week instead (which I actually prefer as it's less monotonous and I can listen to podcasts at the same time), followed by exercises (such as sit ups and planks) when I arrive home. I also set myself the goal of being able to do a hand stand and 10 push ups by the end of quarantine (this is still yet to be achieved).
The main skills I've worked hard on throughout this period have been cooking and baking. I aimed to make new recipes that I'd never attempted before as I now had the time (and since I'm in my family home I also had the utilities). Some of my favourite new recipes include berry cheesecake, banana bread (the classic), focaccia, a chicken, leek & mushroom pie, and spinach & ricotta ravioli. As the weather's been improving, we've also been having a lot of barbecues and wine, which is always nice and relaxing. To find the recipes and see what else I made during quarantine, read my post on it here.
Throughout quarantine, contrary to most, I haven't actually watched many films at all, but I did watch Parasite, which I enjoyed with its many plot twists. I have however watched quite a few series, including Grey's Anatomy, Money Heist, Schitt's Creek and Tiger King. I have always read regularly, and this year I set myself the challenge to read 40 books. Quarantine meant that I had a lot more time than usual to read, so I upped the challenge to 52 books and some of my quarantine favourites have been: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Gone With the Wind, Outliers, Small Great Things, and Do Not Say We Have Nothing. To see what else I have been reading, check out my GoodReads page here.
There were many things on my To Do List that I had needed to do for a while but hadn't gotten round to, from washing my make-up brushes to sewing some clothing, and this was the perfect opportunity to do these non-essential tasks. I relearnt how to complete a Rubik's cube, tried fake tan for the first time, tried to dyed my hair (I gave up after 5 unsuccessful attempts), ordered a 23andMe test, did some elephant origami, sorted my acne out, and finally started this blog (which I'd wanted to do for years now). I also had bought an 'Adventure Book' earlier this year to fill with pictures or drawings from each country I'd been to thus far, and quarantine provided the perfect opportunity to actually sit down and do this menial task.
My main source of entertainment throughout this time was TikTok. I was one of the first in my friendships groups to download it and managed to convince most of my mates to do the same within weeks. Although I could spend hours aimlessly scrolling through, I actually got inspired by TikTok to learn how to do the Charleston (one of my favourite dances), work through a 1000 piece puzzle, and complete a Paint-By-Colour, which took 2 days to do but was definitely worth it. I also entertained myself by learning new piano pieces and playing dominoes, cards, or board games with my family in the evenings.
If you're struggling with boredom, I'd recommend trying some of these pastimes out or getting involved with community activities, such as volunteering or fruit picking!
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