Welcome home! It has been a longtime since you have been here for this long. Home has always been a lodge. A place where you spend some hours of your days during the week. During the week, it is the place you get to have meal, have occasional conversations, and sleep. The office has always been home. A place where you spend most of your adult life.

With the Corona virus, now we must spend more time at home. On one hand, we have people who are excited that they will finally stay at home. On the other hand, we have people who are scared to be home for various reasons. Regardless of whether you feel excited or scared, you will be home. So, what do you do now that you are home. In this article I provide a suggestion of 10 things that you could do whilst you are at home.

1. Read Books

Books are a perfect way to pass time during these COVID-19 times. I will just take a wild guess that you or someone in your house has a bookshelf that is stocked with books of different genres. You are free to pick a book of any genre. You can read biographies, personal development books or fiction. Depending on the size of the book, this book can keep you company for 3-30 days. At the end of this quarantine you should have gained some knowledge.

2. Learn a new skill

Some of you have a particular skill that you have always wanted to acquire. It might be Excel, playing a guitar, knitting, cooking, cleaning etc. This is the time that you can gain and sharpen your skill. The good thing is that working on gaining this skill might just also be distraction that you need to stop reading the fake news, and listening to the misinformation.

3. Spend time with your children

For those who have children, this is the time that you can spend time with them. The time that you get to know what is going on in their life. If the children are used to you not being around, it might not be easy for you. The first step might be building some trust, so that they can finally open to you. This will take time. It will require patience on your part. Secondly, now that you have bonded, when the lockdown is lifted, find ways to maintain this bond you have just re-established.

4. Spend time with your spouse

Married people I have good news and bad news. You will spend 24 hours daily together for the entire period that you are under the lockdown. This thought is terrifying for some and exciting for others.  This means that you will have to find ways of spending quality time with your spouse. This will require that you both creatively find ways of how you are going to make your 17 hours filled with activity and fun. This must be done for the entire period that you will be at home. Without being intentional about creating quality time, this period might give room to more fights, frustration, boredom, domestic violence or even divorce.

For some of you, it has been a while you talked with your spouse. This is the period for you to settle whatever issues have been stopping the two of you from communicating.  You are stuck in that house together, what else can you do?

5. Clean your house

I don’t have to mention names here but you know the status the cleanliness of your house. You know that status of cleanliness of your room. This is the time to clean all those corners you have been hiding that dirt. What’s the point of you being in a dirty house during this lockdown?

6. Physical fitness

On 1^st January, 2020, you told the world that physical fitness is one of your goals this year. When the year started this year work was your excuse. Now that you are home, you have the time. It is time to unbox, and unpack all the gym gear and put it to work. For all those who didn’t buy the gym gear, you can do whatever exercise that doesn’t require extra gym gear except your body. Go on Google store, and you will get several applications that you can use.

7. Watching TV shows and Movies

It’s time to find that 1 TB hard drive that has 800 GB of TV shows and movies. These should keep you company. Those with access to the internet, you can stream various movies and TV shows online. This should keep you company. Just be sure that the selection of the materials you are watching doesn’t infuse fear into your life.

8. Cooking

You have always wanted to gain some cooking skills or upgrade your cooking game. This is the time. You can watch YouTube and try those tricks. Like the other things I have suggested, cooking is a good distraction and it is also therapeutic. By the way, I am assuming that your house is stocked with raw materials.

9. Praying and Reading God’s word

As one of the people who believes in God, I gain clarity, focus, and calm when I am in the presence of God. During these COVID-19 times it is easy to lose clarity, focus and calm because of being bombarded with various kinds of information that infuse fear in you. Through prayer and reading God’s word you gain perspective and your spirits are lifted.

10. Sharing

Finally, have someone who you can share with. You can form a community of support online that can keep you going during these COVID-19 times. The psychological cost of COVID-19 is real. The suspension of social aspects of life and the death of your loved ones can have an impact of your psychology. It is therefore important that you get a community of support to be with you during these times.