Yep, that’s right! Another blog post about quarantine. As much as I would like to write about something else, it’s a difficult topic to avoid when it defines every day of my life right now. But since there’s no escaping it, I’m ultimately doing my best to keep things (somewhat) interesting by picking up some new and long-forgotten hobbies.
- Baking
-
There’s something inexplicably soothing about mixing flour and kneading dough that I don’t understand but nevertheless enjoy. On a whim while grocery shopping I ended up buying $25 worth of groceries to try out this awesome rye bread recipe that I’ve been making every week since coming home. While this is most certainly a new procrastination tactic (since I’m not feeling particularly motivated to write papers at home), it’s a delicious form of procrastination that makes everybody in my house happy.
Here’s that recipe, in case anybody is interested: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/230396/real-ny-jewish-rye-bread/
- Reading
-
I’ve always loved reading (I’m an English major, after all), but living at home has really given me the chance to rekindle my relationship with books. Now that I have the peace and quiet of my cozy room, where I can curl up with my dog without getting sidetracked by club meetings or my roommates’ loud phone conversations, I have a lot more time to really focus and get into books. I’ve been loving books that I wouldn’t typically have the time or energy to read (I just finished We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, a super clever story about a family raising a chimpanzee. Very cool, would recommend). Even my best friend from home, a self-identified I-don’t-ever-read-for-fun type person, is currently neck deep in The Lord of the Rings. It’s pretty amazing what happens when we’re all stuck at home.
- Meditation
-
Since my options for exercise are now relatively limited, I’ve picked up meditation again (after a brief hiatus) as an easy way to relax and destress during my time at home. What I love about meditation is that it requires very little time; all it takes is you, ten minutes of free time, and a quiet space to sit in. Headspace is a lovely app that offers college students memberships for $10/year, so I would definitely recommend giving it a shot if you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed or anxious right now.