Ideas to Get Creative During a Pandemic

Now more than ever, the experience of being outside awakens our senses and brings us humans back to a simpler and more grateful place. We’ll always be grounded in nature and use its power to heal, explore, and play. That’s why so many people have been flocking to nature these past few weeks, just to feel alive.

Last week, The National Park Service opened up all national parks for free, suspending entrance fees. But since so many people have been gathering in the outdoors, all national parks have now been closed and many localities and states have begun to close down facilities and prohibit people from entering. All restrooms have been closed and parking lots gated.

Just stay home, be healthy and help us flatten the curve.

There’s SO MUCH MEDIA out there to consume, but this is actually a great time for action and creation.

Just make sure you’re keeping a pulse on what’s going on and getting the right data (and not just opinions). Be careful not to go too deep into the rabbit-hole of the internet. It can get pretty dark in there…

With that, let’s get into some activities that will help you thrive… indoors.

Plan your next adventure

This isn’t going to be like this forever, so keep your dreams going, imagine that trip you wanted to take and make some time to plan the whole thing out. Get your friends and family in on the fun!

Flights are super cheap right now too, so if you want to gamble on when this crisis will subside, put your money down and set the date back as far as you can.

Flights to Barcelona, Oslo, Brazil and the Carribean are all under $500 if you’re feeling risky. Just make sure to check with travel insurance, or get a refundable ticket so your palms don’t sweat about it later.

Get strong

Now's a great time to ACTUALLY exercise every day. There are so many body weight circuits and yoga classes to do online.

We’ve set up a weekly virtual bootcamp with our friends over Google Hangouts. It’s good motivation to see your friends and keep each other in check.

Also remember that recovery is just as important to your wellbeing. Give yourself or your loved one a massage. You can learn techniques online, so there’s no excuse :)

I wrote an article on our website about different massage and recovery equipment, check it out here.

Feel the music

Take this time to crank the tunes, build some playlists to share with friends.

You can turn the volume up to eleven and have your own dance party.

No shame in working on your moves or singing as loud as you want.

Virtual Activities with Friends

Along with Google Hangouts, Facetime, Snapchat and Marco Polo, there’s an app called HouseParty, which is a chat app that lets you play games with your group.

Heck, you can get your group to put together a virtual talent show!

Let us know your talent by leaving a comment below.

Learn something new

This is a perfect time to learn something new.

Youtube, Skillshare, LinkedIn learning… There are SO many resources to gain a valuable skill right now.

A new instrument, or new songs on your instrument,
A new language
A new art or craft like painting, drawing or
A new wood-working project. Just visit Pinterest and you’ll get a handful of ideas on how to transform a pallet into a coffee table.
Learn new software.
A new game and play it with your housemates.
A new way of thinking, like how to meditate. We’ve been using Sam Harris’ app called Waking Up and it’s wonderful.

Journal

Our thoughts can consume us during these times, so it’s always a good idea to get out the paper and pen or type on the computer.

I’d suggest doing a free-writing exercise where you put a timer set to (say) 2 minutes and start writing WITHOUT STOPPING for the whole time. If you don’t know what to say, just write down that you don’t know what to say. You’re essentially connecting your conscious with your physical, which is SUCH a natural therapy.

Love your plants

Now’s a great time to check in with your green thumb. Maybe your plants are dusty, or need pruning. I like to put all my plants in the shower and give them a good rinse to clean off their leaves.

Apartment Therapy article about becoming a plant parent
Bloomscape: Plants straight to your door! lots of info about care
Follow @junglecasita on instagram for lots of indoor plant tips

Fire up the kitchen

Have you ever wanted to try and make your own loaf of bread? Or make some cookies? Get in the kitchen and get creative. There are an endless amount of recipes online to get you going. We’ve provided a few of our favorites below.

Food and nutrition are the main ways that we can keep our body and mind in top shape, so why not embrace the inner cook within us.

Check off the To Do list

These are the items we’ve had on the to-do list FOREVER. Like:

The leaking faucet
Sharpen your knife set, a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife. But just make sure you tell everyone in your house that you just sharpened the knives so there’s no surprises.
Deep clean the house
Backup your computer on hard drives
Organize your photos into albums, and share them with your friends

Create a plan

It’s a tough time for everyone and this crisis isn’t over yet. The previous activities are more light-hearted but the reality of this situation means we need to be nimble and adapt.

If you haven’t already been freaking out over the stock market, make sure you look into your finances. Hopefully you already had financial goals in place, but now is the time to shift those goals given our current situation.

Think about how your industry will be impacted by this virus for the short and long term, and how you will pivot to provide for yourself and your family. The video link below is a great way to frame this situation from a financial perspective.