Plans, plans, and more plans. As humans, we are organization-orientated creatures. Yet amidst this global pandemic, these plans are constantly being disputed.
Whether it is your holidays or your summer classes or internship being canceled, this summer is unequivocally turning out to be much different than how any of us has initially imagined. Change isn't, however, a bad thing.
Here are some great alternatives for a summer indoors
1. Workout
Although you may not be able to show of your summer body this year, working out is a great way to keep yourself occupied as well as boost your self-esteem during a summer inside. During the tumult of a global pandemic, keeping yourself active is key. Thousands of gyms around the world are making sure of that. The options are countless.
YouTube offers a variety of workouts that one can easily follow. MadFit, ChloeTing, Natacha Océane, and Alexis Ren are just a few of the YouTubers who offer 10-20 minute easy-to-follow workouts that require no equipment and can be easily done at home. From personal experience, I can genuinely guarantee that these workouts and challenges will help you reach your fitness goals in no time!
For those looking for a more personalized workout plan, applications such as FitBit, Nike Training Club, FitOn and 8fit are a great solution. Applications like these offer hundreds of online workouts that target every muscle group, personalized training programs, and even meal planning, either for a small subscription fee or completely free.
2. Volunteer
Whether you are a high-school student looking to increase your community service hours for college or you just want to aid people in need, online volunteering is a great alternative to pursue if your summer plans have been canceled.
Due to the outbreak of the virus, most summer internships are being canceled. For high-school students who were planning to volunteer or intern over the summer in order to boost their college applications, this may seem catastrophic. However, online volunteering can also enrich your application and make you stand out to your dream college. There are many platforms that offer online volunteering some of which are:
UNV Online Volunteering:
UNV Online Volunteering is a sub-section of the United Nations aiming to ameliorate global conditions by addressing issues such as sustainable development, peace, and developments. These platforms give people from around the world the opportunity to take action about global issues, in any way they can.
Writing and editing, art and design, outreach, and advocacy and translation are just a few of the subject areas UNV seeks volunteers in. Upon accessing their opportunities page, you can select the opening fittin to you based on hours required per week, the necessary skills, and the nature of the project.
Teensgive
For students interested in virtual-tutoring, Teensgive is a great option. Teensgive is an online platform, where high-school students can apply to become tutors and help their peers with school work. By engaging in online tutoring, you can utilize your skills in alleviating struggling students.
Create the Good
Create the Good is a platform offering a great variety of volunteering opportunities. Depending on your skill-set and available time frame, you can find volunteer-positions customized to your interests. With thousands of options available, it is a given that you will find the opportunity best-fit to you!
3. Take an online course
Traditionally, lots of high-school students attend the various pre-college programs that universities offer during the summer. This year most of these programs are being canceled. Yet that does not mean you still can't pursue academic courses during the summer. Online courses can be conducive to broadening your horizons from the comfort of your own home. A few online course providers you may want to check out are:
Coursera
Coursera offers a wide selection of courses including more than 3900 courses and specializations. In collaboration with top-tier companies or institutions such as Google, Stanford, and UPenn, Coursera allows you to earn industry-recognized credentials completely without even having to leave your home. Ranging from Arts to Information Technology, Coursera provides excellent courses in each field.
Udemy
With over 40 million users worldwide, Udemy is a platform where recognized individuals from each field share their expertise online, just for a small fee.
A few similar pages are edX, Open Culture, Future Learn, and Class Central.
4. Self-care
Face masks, face masks, and more face masks. Being submerged by our stressful lives, all of us often complain about not having sufficient time for ourselves. With all plans being canceled, this summer is your opportunity to prioritize yourself.
Self-care comes in many different forms. Here is a list of a few ideas you can try out at home:
Meditate:
Meditation is conducive to emotional reform and health and can be regarded as one of the best forms of self-care. Take this summer as an opportunity to deal with your anxiety, to enhance your self-awareness, to lengthen your attention span, all through meditating just for 15-20 minutes a day. Applications such as HeadSpace, Calm, and Sattva offer guided meditations whose thematology ranges from Meditation 101 to focused mediations on sleep, anxiety, guided imagery, mantras, etc.
Bullet Journal:
Bullet journals are both an aesthetic and an effective way to track your daily habits. Start tracking your daily mood, the books you've read, your favorite songs, your goals. All you need is a few colorful pens, some washi-tape, your journal, and some creativity.
Some fun ideas for bullet journal pages are:
- Trip tracker
- Favorite Recipes
- 30 before 30
- Song lyrics
- Fashion Faves
- Year in Pixels
- Date night ideas
- Bedtime stories
- Facts about me
- Waiting on...
- Playlist of my life
- Family calendar
- Movie and TV ratings
- Water Tracking
- 100 Calorie Snacks
- Holidays
Simpler ideas
A few simpler ideas you could try to embody into your daily routine this summer are: giving yourself a mani-pedi, spending an hour a day reading, taking a 10-15 minute walk, stargazing, and maybe even keeping a daily journal.
