Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing protocols have been set in place. That meant, for those of us who aren’t essential workers, that we had to stay at home. This was to ensure that we’d be safe from the virus. But people’s mental health has been affected gravely. Many people believed that they would be able to live normally again by December last year. It turns out many of us were wrong and it can be difficult to continue staying at home for another year. But, for our safety and the safety of other people, we must stay at home. If you miss going on adventures and vacations. Here's how you can turn your stay at home into a vacation adventure.
1. Make your home feel like a spa
What better way to relax and wind down than going to a spa? Turn your home into a spa by trying out aromatherapy or essential oil therapy. There are several ways you can practice aromatherapy at home. The first and most common way of doing it is by using a diffuser. You can find all kinds of essential oil diffusers. The electric ones save you the most money and make your home smell amazing too. You can also mix essential oils into your bath or massage them onto your skin. Make sure you aren’t allergic to the essential oils. And if you’ve got the budget for it, why not get yourself a massage chair or an inflatable jacuzzi as well? Surround yourself with scented candles, do some aromatherapy, and relax.
2. Camp in your backyard
If your kind of vacation is spending time outdoors. Have a little fun and camp in your backyard. You might find it silly but at a time like this, we need a bit of silliness and fun. Watch movies in the tent, snuggle under a blanket, and have some snacks. You could even sleep there overnight. Better yet why not cook outside? Turn your plain patio into an outdoor kitchen patio. It might not be the mountains or the beach, but it’s still technically the outdoors. Make the most of what you’ve got.
3. Learn something new
Adventures are all about discovering something new. You can always learn something new at home. It could be a new hobby or skill. Discover something new by watching documentaries on different cultures. There are plenty of those on Netflix. ;
4. Try a different cuisine
Remember what we said about learning something new? Being able to try new food is an adventure as well. Learning a new language may be difficult. But if there’s one way to understand another culture, it’s through their food. Food is the one thing that everyone enjoys and is easier than learning a new language. Recipes are easy to find on the internet as well. So why not test your cooking skills and try to cook different cuisines from all over the world.
5. Get better sleep
The best thing about vacations is getting better sleep. If your sleeping habits changed because of the pandemic, you’re not alone. Thirty-six percent of Americans have reported having difficulty sleeping due to the pandemic. But we’re here to give you advice on how you can get better sleep. Start with decreasing blue light exposure at night. This is the light emitted from your gadgets such as your phone, laptop, or computer.
Next, practice turning all your lights off one to two hours before bed. Try to make your bed as comfortable as possible. And try not to do anything that requires a lot of thinking before bed. If you can’t stop thinking about work or other concerns when going to bed, listen to a podcast. Here’s a list of boring podcasts intentionally made to help you sleep.
6. Disconnect from social media
Some days social media is great, it can be full of wholesome content and memes. Other days it can be very toxic and overwhelming. Studies mention how bad social media can be for our mental health and yet people continue to use it. It has become a part of the way we live. But research shows that detox from social media can be helpful. Make it a habit to disconnect every once in a while. You can do it once a week or once a month. As often as you see fit. It’ll help you relax more if you get off social media.
The pandemic doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon. Yes, vaccinations are taking place. But with a new more-contagious variant of the virus spreading. It’s still unsure how long it’ll take for the virus to be completely gone and for everything to go back to normal. Till then we have to stay at home, only go out when it’s essential, wear face masks, and wash our hands often. But just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we still can’t have adventures.
