The world we are living in today is different than anything we’ve ever seen before. People are strongly advised to stay inside and keep to ourselves out of fear of catching or spreading COVID-19. I don’t know about you, but at times I find it difficult to fill the many hours at home, and the time I spend mindlessly scrolling through my phone is increasing at an unhealthy rate. Quarantine doesn’t have to be something that scares you, bores you, or keeps you from doing things that you love. I’m trying to see it as an opportunity to find new things to enjoy and develop different skills and hobbies. There are so many things that we can be doing to better ourselves or just fill the day, and here I have compiled a list of some of my favorites! 

PSA: Before I begin this list, I need to again reinforce the importance of quarantine. I know that most young people are at a low risk of becoming seriously or dangerously ill, but there are so many people that you affect without even knowing it. You can become a carrier and bring the virus to people with autoimmune diseases or those of old age who could very well die from COVID-19. I have seen teens all over social media, my friends even, completely disregarding the warnings and the urgings to stay in. I know many people that have not taken any more precautions than using hand sanitizer more often, so I am here using the only platform I have to ask you all to please wash your hands and stay home. This is more serious than you realize, please don’t brush it off.

1. Clean! This might sound like the most boring and obvious idea to busy yourself during quarantine, but during this time at home I finally got serious about cleaning parts of my room (my closet) that had far too long been ignored. I feel much happier and more put together. There is comfort in controlling what you can when things feel out of control. If a cleaning project seems insurmountable, take it one step at a time – clean your bathroom one day, under the bed the next, closet the third, etc.
2. Exercise! Another idea that seems terrible and obvious, but so worth it! I’m sure you’ve seen personal fitness trainers or gym rats giving tips on home workouts on just about every form of social media. Treating your body well through exercise is a great way to stay healthy and to bring you peace of mind. You don’t have to have an at-home gym to do this either! My favorite way to exercise, get fresh air, and get out of the house has been to walk my dogs around the neighborhood for at least thirty minutes; when I get home, I feel much fresher and more relaxed every time! 
3. Cooking/Meal Prep! For the longest time I have been adding delicious looking recipes to my “Eats” Pinterest board, but I’ve never had the time to try making them. Now is a great time to Learn baking online! This being said, try not to run out to the store everyday to get items you need for each new recipe. Plan ahead and buy just enough for you and your family (don’t buy in bulk)! Meal prep is a great way to ensure you don’t gain unwanted weight with all of this extra time on your hands. If you’re like me and seem to find yourself in the pantry every time you get bored, then you’ve been living in your kitchen this past week just as I have. Meal prep helps organize your eating habits by letting you exercise portion control and deciding on designating meal times. If quarantine has taught me one thing, it is that I am, at all times, simply waiting for my next meal. 
4. Books! Gross? No. The majority of the people I know hate to read, or at least they think they do. The people who say this are the ones who never try books outside of school or haven’t opened one since middle school. Reading a good book can be one of the most rewarding experiences out there, so I’ve compiled a list within a list of books for all ages: 

• Lower school 
  • Harry Potter (PLEASE read before watching the movies)
  • Nancy Drew 
  • Hardy Boys 
  • Esperanza Rising
  • Chasing Vermeer 
  • Any Beverly Cleary book 
  • Any Judy Blume book
  • Because of Winn-Dixie
  • The Tale of Despereaux (read first then watch the movie) 
  • The Clementine series 
  • The Geronimo Stilton series
  • The Penderwicks series
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  • The Wanderer 
  • A Wrinkle in Time (read first then watch the movie) 
  • Kite Fighters 
• Middle School
  • Harry Potter (PLEASE read before watching the movies)
  • Any Laura Ingles Wilder book
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events (read first then watch the Netflix series)
  • The Land of Stories series
  • Percy Jackson series and anything by Rick Riordan (mythology) 
  • Book of A Thousand Days 
  • Pictures of Hollis Woods
  • The Chronicles of Narnia
  • The Oz Series  
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society series
  • Life of Pi
  • You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
• High School
  • The Hunger Games series (read first then watch the movie)  
  • Crazy Rich Asians series (read first then watch the movie) 
  • I’ll Give You the Sun 
  • The Sky Is Everywhere 
  • The Thousandth Floor 
  • Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl (read first than watch the movie) 
  • All The Bright Places 
  • A Study In Charlotte
  • An Abundance of Katherines 
  • The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
  • Indigo Girl 
  • Lords of Discipline 
  • Eleanor and Park 
  • Miss Peregrines’ Home for Peculiar Children 
• Adults – Women (courtesy of Britt Myers) 
  • Beartown – Fredrick Bachman 
  • The Old Man and the Boy – Robert Ruark
  • The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah 
  • Educated – Tara Westover
  • Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate 
  • The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas 
  • Grown + Flown – Lisa Heffenan
  • Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell 
  • The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides 
  • A Woman Is No Man – Etaf Rum 
  • Gradle Bird – JC Sasser 
  • Pillars of Earth and it’s sequel, World Without End – Ken Follet 
  • The Father Tim series – Jan Karon 
• Adults – Men (courtesy of Tem Myers) 
  • The Reckoning – John Grisham 
  • Alone (about Churchill) – Alex Corda  
  • My Twenty-Five Years In Provence – Peter Mayle 
  • The Company of Strangers – Robert Wilson 
  • Valley Forge – Bob Drury and Tom Calvin 
  • A Hero of France – Alan Furst
  • Munich – Robert Harris 
  • Crown Jewel – Christopher Reich 
  • Numbered Account – Christopher Reich 
  • Cemetery Road – Greg Iles 
  • The New Girl – Daniel Silva
  • Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 
  • Education of Little Tree – Asa Earl Carter 

1. Movies and TV Shows! This is a last resort, so I urge you not to over do it and watch all day long! Try to designate certain time slots for a movie or a show throughout the day or in the evening.
   • Movies (Netflix)
     • Tootsie 
     • Shawshank Redemption 
     • Inception 
     • Dinner For Schmucks 
     • Hitch
     • The King 
     • The Indiana Jones Movies 
     • Hairspray (warning: movie musical) 
     • Jerry Maguier 
     • As Good As It Gets 
     • Silver Linings Playbook 
     • Charlie’s Angels 
     • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 
     • Burlesque 
     • First Wives Club 
     • The Edge of Seventeen 
     • Dumplin’
     • Marriage Story 
     • The Irishman
     • Dolemite Is My Name
     • The Pursuit of Happiness 
     • Freedom Writers
     • The King’s Speech 
   • Other Movies 
     • The Harry Potter series 
     • The Hunger Games series
     • Philadelphia 
     • The Way We Were 
     • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 
     • Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (teens) 
     • Bridget Jones Diaries 
     • Mamma Mia (warning: movie musical)
     • The Breakfast Club 
     • Fast Times at Ridgemont High 
     • St. Elmo’s Fire
     • 13 Going On 30 
     • Anything with Audrey Hepburn 
       • Breakfast At Tiffany’s
       • Sabrina 
       • How to Steal A Million 
     • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
     • The Birdcage 
     • The Big Sick 
     • The Long Hot Summer
     • All the President’s Men 
     • Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl 
     • A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood 
   • TV shows (Netflix)
     • The Office
     • The Good Place 
     • Gilmore Girls
     • Gossip Girl 
     • Travels With My Father 
     • Queer Eye
     • Shameless 
     • Dynasty 
     • Riverdale 
     • Glee
     • Derry Girls 
     • Disenchantment (animated)
     • Stranger Things 
     • Atypical
     • On My Block 
     • Reign 
     • You 
     • Arrested Development 
     • American Vandal 
     • Sherlock 
     • Glow 
     • Russian Doll
     • New Girl 
     • Cheers
     • The Great British Baking Show
     • Mad Men 
     • Breaking Bad 
     • NCIS
     • Cooked
     • That 70s Show 
     • Schitt’s Creek
     • Grace and Frankie 
     • The Crown 
     • Chef’s Table 
     • Orange is the New Black 
     • American Horror Stories
     • Parks and Recreation 
     • The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 
   • TV (Amazon Prime) 
     • Fleabag 
     • Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 
     • Greys Anatomy 
     • Outlander
     • Game of Thrones 
     • This Is Us 
     • Euphoria 
     • The Americans 
     • Friday Night Lights
     • The Good Wife
2. Stay informed! Whether it be by watching or reading the news, please try to stay up to date on Connecticut Post Breaking News. I also advise getting your news from more than one source in order to get all the facts.