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- Ways to Pass Time At Home During Shelter in Place
- Lincoln offers numerous stress-reducing resources amidst SF’s mandatory shelter-in-place order
WAYS TO PASS TIME AT HOME DURING SHELTER IN PLACE
By: Yuqing Qiu
The Great Wall of China located in Beijing is one of numerous places you can tour virtually.
Photo credits to Wikimedia Commons
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly caused disturbance and distraught to far too many lives. With the shelter in place order still in effect, it may seem like there is nothing else to do but to mope around at home. However, that is not the case. There are numerous ways to pass time and stay healthy during this pandemic, some of which are listed below. These ideas will help make sure that there won’t be any more room for boredom.
Travel The World (Virtually)
Although spring break wasn’t canceled this year, your traveling plans during that week off from school probably were. But don’t despair just because you didn’t get to relax on the beach in Hawaii or trek Machu Picchu in Peru. In this age of technology and innovation, you will be able to visit those same places you longed to visit virtually. There are many locations around the world that you can visit all from the comfort of your couch. Some of these virtual destinations and tours include Machu Picchu in Peru, Easter Island, tours of Europe’s historic castles, the Great Wall of China, rollercoaster rides at Disneyland, and Yellowstone National Park. The links are attached below, and you’ll be able to travel the world right from your home.
Windsor Castle: https://www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-windsor-castle
Buckingham Palace: https://www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-buckingham-palace
Easter Island: https://historyview.org/library/easter-island/
The Great Wall of China: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/virtual-hike-great-wall-of-china
Machu Picchu: https://www.youvisit.com/tour/machupicchu
Disneyland Ride Walkthroughs: https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/16/21222150/disneyland-virtual-rides-attractions-videos-ridethrough-walkthrough
Yellowstone National Park: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
Compose A Song
After years of listening to music and idolizing certain DJs, singers, rappers, and musicians, you can write a song, too. While you are stuck at home, take the time and have a go at composing a song. Whether it is EDM, hip hop, ballad, country music, or kpop, each genre of music has its unique features. Learn more about them, and experience the feeling of composing a song yourself. You have a lot of time on your hands, and who knows, maybe the piece of music you compose during shelter in place will be your ticket into the music and entertainment industry.
Learn How To Write A Song From Experts
Try Some Food Recipes
This idea is probably one of the most common ways to pass time during shelter in place, as it is also a way to satisfy food cravings. Many renowned chefs are offering free online cooking classes and revealing their famous recipes online. Some interesting cuisines to try include Doubletree by Hilton’s famous chocolate chip cookies, in-flight meals from Emirates Airlines, and Ikea’s Swedish meatballs, all of which are linked below.
Doubletree’s Chocolate Chip Cookies: https://newsroom.hilton.com/static-doubletree-reveals-cookie-recipe.htm
Emirates’ In-flight meals by renowned chefs: https://www.emirates.com/us/english/experience/dining/emirates-recipes/
Ikea’s Meatballs: https://www.ikea.com/ms/en_SG/pdf/restaurant/Meatballs_w_creamsauce.pdf
Learn A New Language
Sheltering in place is a great time to learn a new language. There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages out there, and spending time to learn one or two of them won’t hurt. Learning a language from a different country can also help you connect to their cultures, values, and traditions. There are numerous online language learning websites, and apps, and below is a list of the world’s seven most widely spoken languages.
Seven Most Widely Spoken Languages
- Mandarin (Chinese)
- English
- Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu dialects)
- Spanish
- Arabic
- Malay
- Russian
Hold A Zoom Hangout With Friends
Sheltering in place means that you won’t get to see your friends face to face as often as before. But there are still ways to interact and bond when you’re holed up in different houses in different parts of the city. Zoom is a platform that gives access to online and video chats, and it is also a platform many schools and companies are using for distanced interaction such as classes or meetings during the pandemic. If teachers and companies use it to keep in touch, why not do the same with friends? You can hold meetings, play games together, and even hold events such as tea parties, movie hangouts, or competitions all through video chat.
The ideas and ways to pass time listed above are just some of the countless plans to have during shelter in place. It’s also important to take care of mental health during this period of uncertainty and being able to stay active while having fun will not only keep you engaged but lift your spirits.
LINCOLN OFFERS NUMEROUS STRESS-REDUCING RESOURCES AMIDST SF’S MANDATORY SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER
By: Ella Fino
By practicing stress-reducing techniques such as the ones displayed above, you can limit your body’s production of unhealthy stress.
Photo courtesy of: 45th Space Wing
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make headlines and bombard news sources, it’s understandable to feel increasingly anxious or stressed out. Whether it’s a lack of sleep or paranoia, many are experiencing lots of stress, which can take a toll on both mental and physical health.
“I’ve been stressed trying to deal with all the work my classes have been giving me along with trying to find time to care for myself,” Senior Alyssa Raygoza says, “everything is kinda just in the air and I’m unsure of what’s going on.”
Students might feel like the situation is out of their hands– many are overwhelmed with stress. Another concern amongst the general population is, ‘what are the symptoms of stress?’
In a video-call interview with Genevieve Evenhouse, Lincoln’s nurse, she states that you can experience emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms of stress. Some of which include “feeling out-of-control...having headaches, rapid heartbeats…[the inability] to focus, [experiencing] forgetfulness…”
Nurse Evenhouse highlights the importance of practicing stress-reducing measures and activities.
“Definitely practice a routine,” she says, “I do physical activity, I try to eat as healthy as I can, I take breaks…[I try to get] eight hours of sleep..”
SFUSD also offers free resources to help students, parents, and faculty cope with stress. Lincoln, specifically, has created a Wellness Center Google Classroom and is sending out regular emails to the entire student body which outline free stress-reducing methods. The code for the Wellness Center Google Classroom was sent out in an email from Nurse Genevieve to all students on April 27.
According to PositivePsychology.com, meditation has shown to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, in regular meditators. The more meditation is practiced–which can be as simple as taking five minutes a day to reflect or just breathe–the less likely it is to experience stress or nerves. Hence its apparent benefits, Lincoln’s Wellness Center on Google Classroom has created an outlet for students who wish to partake in bi-weekly meditation circles from 11:30am to 12pm. Nurse Evenhouse is hosting these meetings over Zoom on Wednesdays and Fridays until May 27.
As a current senior at Lincoln, Raygoza says she has been prioritizing organization and creating lists of things to keep her occupied. She also states she has been practicing meditation and has been “talking to...family and friends about what’s on [her] mind.”
All things considered, it is completely normal to be experiencing some form of stress during this confusing time. Thanks to COVID-19 dominating the consciousness of the general public, stress has become extremely prevalent– among students in particular. However, if the necessary steps are taken to reduce unhealthy stress, overall health can be drastically improved.
This page was last updated on May 27, 2020