Lockdown round two activity list
Here’s the deal, the mental health situation of our city/country/world right now isn’t looking hot. For some reason, the second lockdown hit harder than the first. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re forced to sit with our feelings again instead of having endless options of distractions. Or maybe it’s the fact they took The Office off of Canadian Netflix. Who knows.
Either way, I know I’ve been feeling extremely isolated; I’ve been way more anxious, gone through depressive episodes, my OCD has picked up again - all that fun stuff. And seeing as my baseline emotional stability isn’t the strongest in normal circumstances? Yikes.
I know I’m not the only one feeling that way.
Every single person I’ve talked to has expressed the same frustration, the same anxiety, the same loneliness. Even people who aren’t usually anxious/depressed/obsessive under “normal” circumstances are feeling it.
I’m not going to lie, at the beginning of the pandemic I was a petty little b*tch. Everyone was saying how anxious they were and how hard it was to constantly live with this mental exhaustion etc. All I could think was. “FINALLY, you guys can understand what it’s like to be anxious! And lockdown? Please! I had to do that twice in inpatient already - not so fun to stay indoors all day and have someone tell you you should just try to take up knitting IS IT KAREN?”
I quickly remembered I actually DO have a moral conscience, and that I didn’t want people to be sad; so we were back to square one. Which was, of course, well this sucks.
Even if you’re not in a place that has severe lockdowns due to this cute little pandemic, winter is always a rough time for mental health. I mean, it gets dark at 4:30 - that’s just sad.
So, I put together a list of some of the most random activities you can try out during quarantine. I feel like a lot of activities that are getting thrown out there are just broad suggestions with the overarching theme of ‘crafting’.
Switch up your quarantine day and try some of them out! Some are more out there than others (re: the online choir group) but maybe that’s your niche and who am I to judge? If COVID-19 has taught us anything it’s that you may as well do what you want before a global pandemic takes it away from you - maybe that’s the lesson? Who knows. Here’s the list.
Try out an Airbnb experience.
TLDR; people around the world offering creative/culinary/educational/strange experiences to distract you from the fact that you haven’t left your house in a week.
Some of my personal favourites include;
Italian Spiced Wines of the Past with an Archaeologist - honestly, don’t know how an archaeologist makes wine better, maybe it’s marketing, maybe there’s a weird niche I’ve never heard about - but a night “drinking like an “ancient” Roman with host, Raffaele, sounds funky and better than my lime Whiteclaw.
Learn how to Saber a Bottle of Champagne - for those who have always wanted to learn how to open a Champagne bottle with a knife/sword; first, go to therapy. I feel like there’s a deeper meaning. Second, if this is a goal of yours, I feel like it’s better to do it with instruction. Katie says, “Just do it!”
‘True vs False’ Funny Historical Game - I really included this because I just love the fact a man is willing to dress up as Socrates, alone, in his home, and host a trivia night for strangers around the world. You’ll also learn about some random/weird facts to bring up at parties when no one asks you. It’s a win-win. The reviews are also promising;
Meet and Draw a llama - follow your dreams folks. Side note; I found this under the ‘Make plans this weekend’ collection, which says something about the state of our world.
Sunset Hike with a geologist - ideal for people who want to go hiking but hate cardio
A Night of Magic and Mind-Reading - beyond the fact that this just seems cool, this man also has some of the slickest copywriting I’ve ever seen. This is part of the description, “My performances are filled with mind-blowing sleight of hand, visual eye-candy and thought-experiments experiences, that will lead you in awe.” I’m sold.
A different kind of concert
Kind of. In “normal times” so far sounds hosts secret pop-up concerts in cities all around the world. You never know who is performing until you actually get to the venue - so you could be seeing a cool local artist or someone like Billie Eilish (that really happened).
Until that magical moment can happen again, they shifted to intimate online concerts that are completely free of charge.
Learn Jiu-Jitsu
Why you ask?
Let me paint you a picture. You’re out, mask-covered and fabulously distanced from surrounding heathens moistly breathing. Suddenly, an anti-masker with a MAGA hat comes rushing over and starts attacking you. The audacity!!
Obviously - you need to know how to defend yourself.
And it could also just be a cool thing to learn.
Don’t ask me how I ended up on Jiu-Jitsumag.com, I don’t really know either. But if you’re looking for a good way to blow off steam and for a way to defend yourself against any possible aggressive anti-masker, click here for a list of free online classes.
Sing your heart out ft. strangers
Scared of joining a group of random strangers via zoom and singing with them? The best part about lockdown - the chances you’ll run into them on the street are slim to none. You’re just a little zoom window singing your heart out to a David Bowie classic, so what do you have to lose? It’s not like you’re going by yourself to one of their in-person events and harmonizing to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy (yes, I did do that; and yes, I was in the alto section and it slapped. I made no friends but I think people were just intimidated by the talent)
Join a group like Choir Choir Choir to really annoy your significant other and/or neighbour.
If you miss judging people, do it online
Basically, this site lets you up and down vote on various categories. Most suited for those with petty tendencies and/or want to know what it feels like to be a bike cop on a power trip.
This may just be the most random list i’ve ever written but we’re all needing some form of entertainment right now - and it may even help you get through any kind of winter slump, or any general “funk”, you could be going through.
