Lockdown on, life off?
This article was originally published in German. The English version is an automatic translation and may contain errors. The German original is authoritative.
A new lockdown is coming. It's cold, the days are short. Once again it means avoiding contact and staying at home. That means a lot of time that you have to get through somehow. But what can you do so that you don't go stir-crazy? Because being alone can be quite boring, we wanted to know how you're coping with the current situation. We asked you what you're doing right now. What are your tips against boredom in lockdown? Many wonderful suggestions have reached us, which we naturally don't want to withhold from you.
"After every room in our flat has been cleaned and tidied up, the wardrobe sorted by colour and the books arranged alphabetically, the puzzles completed and all hair cut once, we slowly ran out of ideas." – Mia
The clubs are closed, all festivals cancelled. But there's one thing you don't want to give up. What used to lift your spirits under normal circumstances will definitely cheer you up in lockdown too. Following the motto "chilling beer is basically cooking", you're not letting the party mood get you down even now. So you're having a proper drink first. Whether alone or with your flatmates. Escape the everyday once more today. Gloom will be back tomorrow.
Many everyday things became special for me through Corona, like going out to eat and meeting several friends. So even though the restrictions aren't easy for me personally right now, I find that you appreciate a lot more now because it's just not so everyday." – Nina
Others choose a somewhat healthier route and try to distract themselves with sport. An old saying about summer sports says that world champions are made in winter. If you start jogging now, you might not get a gold medal straight away in summer, but you'll definitely have a good feeling about having done something for your body. Whether it's running, yoga or pilates in front of your laptop. You can work up quite a sweat at home too.
Every era needs its own soundtrack. But unfortunately none of the Top 100 charts are in there? When asked for tips against boredom, we were advised to search for new music. After all, you now have the time to go looking. Enough time to listen through different playlists. Enough time to get your own Spotify playlist in order. So many wonderful treasures are hidden out there somewhere. Go! They're just waiting to be discovered by you. Eventually you'll look back and think: "This song got me through this time."
"I've discovered completely new places in and around Würzburg for myself! Just start running without a destination and with good music in your ears. Headphones in, world out." – Lea
You're diligently educating yourselves, broadening your horizons and discovering new things. But tried-and-tested classics are also very popular. Things are getting busy in the kitchen. How convenient, Christmas is just around the corner. Everyone will certainly be pleased with a few homemade biscuits. The old classic, banana bread, was already optimised in the first lockdown, but now you're reinventing yourselves not just in the kitchen. The old ivy plant is shining in its new glory. In the newly crafted macramé plant hanger it really comes into its own. The old, dusty guitar in the corner is no longer just decoration. Old passions are rekindled just as much as new ones are discovered.
With all the time you're spending at home now, board games are also very popular again. If your flatmates don't fancy you after the 5th game of Risk, the internet still offers comfort against loneliness. Someone always has time for a round of "Among Us" or a little chat via video call.
But you're not just exerting yourselves, being creative and social, you're also using the time to find peace. After all, everyday life is full of stress, one appointment chases the next and ever new impressions and stimuli keep coming at us. Public life has been reduced to a minimum, life is now taking place almost exclusively within your own four walls. Removed from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you've started keeping a diary, meditating, keeping a dream journal and, for the first time in a long while, dealing with yourselves.
"Putting nice things off until tomorrow or the distant future clearly didn't pay off this year, not just because most of it suddenly became impossible because of Corona. I live much more in the here and now and try to really enjoy every day." – Sophia
It's not turning out to be as boring as you feared. Creatively, you're looking for ever new activities and finding joy in small things. If you ever don't know what to do with yourselves, you should now have enough inspiration to fill your everyday life with joy. It doesn't have to be as bleak as it sometimes seems right now.
Frederik Herrmann and Christina Lutzenburger