What to do while social distancing
Jennifer Xia, Editor-in-Chief
Graphic by Melissa Liu, Copy Editor
So what is social distancing? According to the CDC, social distancing is “keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home.” Right now, it is essential that we stay at home if not for someone you love but for everyone who is struggling to fight the virus. Here are a few ideas to fight boredom at home:
Watch a new movie or start a new TV show.
The Messenger staff has put together a small list of movie recommendations here. It is a good time to catch up on the latest season of your favorite TV show as well. A lot of subscription services are offering deals to watch on-demand. Shudder, a horror movie streaming service is offering a 30-day free trial during this time. Other classic services like Netflix and Hulu are good for bingeing as well. Netflix also has a Chrome extension for you to watch live with your friends in the safety of your own house. (Rewatching childhood favorites is always a plus!)
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Design by Meghana Ramineni, Features Editor
Connect with friends and family.
Staying home does not mean a complete lack of contact from others. With the advanced technology we have today, video calling friends and family members is easily accessible. Say “hello” to some friends from elementary school or to that cousin that you only get to see at family reunions. Having some family time like family game night or going out on walks with pets is also an option.
Design by Noelle Reid, Opinions Editor
Listen to some good music.
This is a great time to discover so many types of music. The Messenger staff has put together a huge playlist for Northview students here. You can also create your own playlists to jam out to.
Play online games.
Video games are getting increasingly popular these days. Here are a few recommendations.
Animal Crossing: a social simulation game most popular on the Nintendo Switch
League of Legends: a multiplayer online battle game on the PC
Photo Roulette: an app where you compete to figure out which of your friends the photo belongs to
Get organized.
An example of Marie Kondo’s clothing organization method is show above.
Photo by Jennifer Xia, Editor-in-Chief
Springtime calls for some spring cleaning! You can give your room that long-awaited makeover, or you could clean out your closet of clothes from middle school. Companies like Amazon create great options for affordable decorations that do not require you to leave the house. For organization, Marie Kondo’s KonMari method can help tidy up your space. Times like this can also call for a digital cleansing. Clean up that desktop screen or that downloads folder. Do not forget to clean your phone! (There are a LOT of germs on it.)
Get in shape.
If you miss the gym or if you are looking to work out, online work out classes are the way to go.
Chloe Ting: A YouTube personality that provides free workout programs on her website with extensive meal plans and daily guided workouts.
Nike Training Club: Nike Training Club is offering free workout programs during the pandemic on its app available for both iOS and Android. These range from yoga lessons to high-intensity workouts.
Listen to podcasts.
Podcasts are a great way to start the morning or at any time, to be honest. You could learn something new or find a new interest. Here are a few podcast recommendations available on Spotify:
“The Daily”: The New York Times’ “The Daily” is a great source for today’s biggest stories from some of the best journalists in the world. Short and informative, the podcast can become part of your morning routine.
Graphic by Kelly Kim, Special
“The Aha Podcast”: Sisters Jenny and Kelly Kim share stories of their lives as a millennial and a gen-z. From Kelly’s YouTube channel to tips on getting jobs straight out of college, the two girls chat weekly about almost anything. Lighthearted and relatable, this podcast is great for those interested in some meaningful conversation.
“Crime Junkie”: If you are into true crime stories, this podcast is it. Everything gruesome and weird is covered.
“Kpop Daebak w/ Eric Nam”: Every week, veteran K-pop artist and celebrity personality Eric Nam reviews some of the week’s best K-pop releases while occasionally interviewing the artists themselves. This podcast is great for K-pop enthusiasts as is also covers some inside secrets about the industry.
Take on some self-care.
Spend a day (or multiple days) taking on some self-care at home. Facemask to bubble baths, everything can be done at home. Meditation and calming exercises are also important in stressful times like these.
Bake or cook something.
For those amateur chefs, this is a great time to develop your cooking skills. And for the professionals, try something new!
Here are a few recipe recommendations from Northview student Janice Nam, an avid baker and owner to the foodstagram @foodstanam. Click on each item to find the recipe!
Photo by Janice Nam, Special
Read a new book.
It is always a good time to dive into a good book or series. Here are some recommendations from the Messenger staff.
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Design by Grace Peng, News Editor
Go on a virtual tour or ride.
Although museums, zoos, and theme parks may be closed right now, a lot of places are offering online versions of the experience. Many popular museums have virtual exhibitions on their websites and theme parks like Walt Disney World have virtual tours and rides. Click on some of these to try it out:
The Lourve: The famous museum in Paris is offering three free exhibits online.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: A 360-degree room-by-room tour of every exhibit in the museum is available online.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): New York's extensive collection is available for view online through Google’s Arts & Cultures feature.
Walt Disney World: A lot of rides are recorded where viewers have the point of view of actually being on the ride. A variety of these are available on YouTube.
Learn a TikTok dance.
TikTok is already an extremely popular platform. With this time on your hands, it could be the greatest opportunity to gain an audience on the app. Northview students are already pretty popular on TikTok, sharing dances, hacks, and more. Here are a few:
Volunteer or help out.
In times like this, need is great. A few Northview students have already taken upon themselves to help out as much as they can. Read their story here.
As for you, there are so many other ways to help out. Local hospitals are looking for donations. GoFundMe page creation is increasing. Support small businesses. You could even start at home by making homemade masks. Here are a few links to donate to:
City Hope Community GoFundMe created by Northview junior Janice Nam.
Sew to Save GoFundMe by Northview student Pamela Esquivel.
There are so many things that go even beyond this list. It is an unfortunate time right now, but we all need to do our part in helping out. The one thing everyone can do is social distancing, so pick up something and stay at home!
