Note: Pretend I put up pictures in here to make it more engaging ;) Ok? Imagine the pictures as you read. ;)
We might be in this for a longer haul, based on news reports and just looking at China and how long they had to sit in place there. Nobody despair!
Some people are working from home, which will keep them busy a bit. Being busy is important in terms of feeling like there's a sense of accomplishment... even your most determined NEET feels accomplishment in video games ;) So I have a few ideas that are swimming around my head and they might be helpful to people feeling at a sort of loss. I hope. I have lived in my house and around my house for years now because going out is a lot of physical pain, but I'm generally a super happy person. I just re-routed my life to not going out much and it's worked out just fine :) So hopefully I can offer some insights...
First, structure is healthy for a lot of people's minds. If you're used to getting up at 7 and having coffee and watching traffic, do that. There might not BE a lot of traffic, but the news will have something on. If the news is stressing you out too much right now skip it of course.. watch something else, but stick to what you normally do. Shower, make breakfast, whatever.
Start adding new things to your schedule. If you normally didn't make breakfast but instead grabbed a Pop-Tart or something, look up recipes or videos on YouTube of breakfast recipes, try some out. Make pancakes, waffles, whatever, but maybe include a full breakfast into your schedule now instead of eating and dashing.
Exercise. If you have a yard, go out and walk around the yard daily. It'll feel ridiculous at first (I know, trust me), but do it regardless. Getting outside will be important, even if it's just in your yard. If you're in an apartment complex that doesn't offer an area where you can walk without people around you, look up exercise routines on YouTube that don't require equipment and do those, then try to hang out by a sunny window a bit. You need to keep active as much as you can, and moving around and sunlight will help to dispel any feeling of being trapped.
New hobbies - this may be a time to pick them up. Knitting and crochet are hobbies for men AND women - the first people to crochet were fishermen, in fact, to make nets. If you order some knitting needles or crochet hooks (or both) from Amazon, and some basic worsted weight (number 4) yarn, you'll pick it up fairly quickly with the MANY tutorials on YouTube that are offered. Drawing - lots of tutorials for that, and paper and pens and paint are also available to buy online. Whatever you might want to try that includes moving your hands and being creative, now is a good time for that. If you have a sunny window you can order a small amount of dirt, some small pots (or make some out of tin cans) and plant various things with seeds you can order online. This is also a good time to learn cooking.. people bought loads of flour and sugar I noticed. If they have yeast* and salt also they're pretty good to go for becoming expert bread bakers. :) Whatever it is that keeps hands happy, busy, and creative and/or useful, this is a good time to try that out.
Entertainment is going to be SUPER important and everyone already has Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, or TV. There's also a TON of entertainment being offered online by various bands, symphonies, etc. that are free right now.
But what I WILL also suggest to any non-gamers reading this is.. WoW. World of Warcraft. Yep. I also recommend D&D, but the "work" needed to get into D&D is much harder than WoW if you don't have a handy DM around. If you do, now is DEFINITELY the time to set up Discord on your systems and get remote games going. In fact if you have that going for you, this all may feel too short ;)
But World of Warcraft is VERY easy to get into, and has the added bonus of running on some older computers, so if you haven't updated your home system in a few years, you'll likely still be able to play. I recommend either Classic or Retail and starting at level 1 (don't use the level boost in Retail). Try to start with a friend or family member for extra fun, but Retail does allow solo play (Classic less so - there it's good to have a friend and then join a guild). There are people of ALL age groups playing WoW, so you're not going to be weird if you're 40 or 50 and starting (especially now). The good thing about WoW, especially if you're starting new, is the AMAZING amount of content in the game for you to play with., along with an incredibly simple interface. You'll pick it up fast and be immersed. Time will fly by as you play.
If not WoW because it doesn't appeal to you for whatever reason, this is the time to go to Steam.com and look over the MASSIVE amount of games on there. You'll find something to enjoy without question. If you've never been into video games before, this is the time to become a gamer. No matter what genre you're interested in (fantasy, history, general killing of folks, romance, building a kingdom, exploration, farming, strategy, etc.), you'll find it on there. Again, if you're running an older system, you may have some trouble. If that's the case, head over to GOG.com. There are a TON of older games there that you can buy and download that will run on older systems - things like Diablo, XCom, The Witcher, all sorts of good stuff. No matter what, this is a great time for becoming a gamer if you're not one already.
The obvious books are also out there for reading and passing the time happily, and if you develop a serious reading habit I recommend looking into Kindle Unlimited. It's like a lending library for your Kindle with no overdue fines. you can check out 10 at a time and read them at your own pleasure and pace. Again, no overdue fines. :)
No matter what you fill your time with, and hopefully it's with enjoyable things, remember that your home is a cozy, warm, safe place for you and your family. It can be an apartment, an RV, a house, a farm, a van, whatever. It's your home. If you're alone, it's still a wonderful place that you can fill with smiles and wonder your own way. Let the world rage.. you're going to be ok. Turn off your computers and TVs sometimes - shut down that incessant chatter and worry and anxiety, and just breathe. Being busy is important - NOT being busy is also. This is also a good time to learn not being busy and enjoying that also. Breathe, let time pass.. it's ok, honestly. Just spend a moment actually tasting that tea or coffee.. life doesn't always have to be hurry hurry busy. You don't always have to be exhausted and going. Life has wonderful small moments that you'll maybe find now that you never expected. It's not all dark and scary - there's light out there too. :)
* - yeast not absolutely necessary, don't worry. You can make your own "yeast" with just flour and water.. look up sourdough starters on YouTube!
