Nobody expected or planned for the COVID-19 pandemic to still be part of our daily lives, yet here we are. Reflecting on how the past year has gone and what I’ve done to help better pass the quarantine time, I thought it’d be nice to share some ideas for anyone feeling less than inspired.
These are dates I’ve had with friends and with my boyfriend; finding ways to connect in your relationship while being boxed in an apartment together is crucial, as is bonding and checking in with your friends. With days seeming to blend, having at least a weekly date with friends or your partner can increase levels of positivity and decrease feelings of loneliness. Here are three of my favorite dates I’ve had to help my COVID funk!
Art Night
Getting some cheap paintbrushes, 0.79¢ paints and a couple canvases or any art surface to paint on and you have all the needs! You can either throw an image on your computer or TV then have everyone try and paint the same image, similar to an art class, or just throw on some music or some TV and let everyone do their own thing to reveal at the end. This is one of my favorite dates I do on the regular, hence why I have so many paintings in my apartment!
Cooking Date
At the beginning of COVID with restaurants closed and businesses shut down, cooking in my apartment increased. I have always loved to cook and came from a family of people who also love to cook. But being in college made it easier for me to find excuses to just grab something easier instead of taking the time to cook something on my own. With more time at home, it has become a much more common practice to cook all my meals.
Finding a new recipe or something easy to make for a date night can be a great way to make memories in the kitchen. I had a friend’s date and we decided to make pizza; we got the dough for under $5 at Publix, grabbed tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni. It all cost near a frozen pizza, but we split into two groups and made competing pizzas based on shapes and taste; it really was a great time, nine/10 recommend (cooking always takes that point away).
Picnic
While not everyone enjoys being in a kitchen, thankfully most places have been opened to curbside pick-up and take-out. Taking it home and throwing on TV or a movie is always enjoyable but if you want to find a way to add some sparkle, you can make it a picnic outing! Grab a blanket, speaker, pillow optional and some take out and you can head to Cascades Park to have a full picnic! Make sure to check for a sunny day though as I failed to do that once and was rained out.
You can even tie all three of these dates together. Bring the art supplies to the park with a fresh-made meal, leftovers or take out and have a combined date!
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