Whether you’re self-isolating or having to stay at home due to a lockdown, it’s important that you keep your mind active. On top of affecting our mood, being bored and alone can cause other mental damage, negatively affecting our memory and cognitive skills. Below are some of the activities that can help keep your mind healthy while in quarantine.
Play puzzle games
Puzzles are a great way to keep the brain occupied. On top of boosting our memory and lifting out mood, they help us to improve our problem solving skills. There are lots of different puzzle games that you can try. Word puzzles are very popular - you could try completing crosswords or solving anagrams using this word descrambler. There are also puzzles that use numbers such as sudokus and various pattern based puzzle games.
Read a book
Books are a great way to exercise the brain. Interpreting words on a page and visualizing them in our head helps to strengthen the connectors in our brain, boosting both our creative and sensory skills. On top of this, reading can help to expand our vocabulary. Many people also find that reading fiction helps them to feel less lonely - this is due to the connections that we are able to build with the characters.
Try cooking new meals
While a routine can be good for our mental health, too much routine can have the opposite effect. One simple way to vary your routine is to try cooking new meals. Trying out new recipes and experimenting with new flavour combinations can be a great way of exercising the brain. Cooking can also be very therapeutic (providing you plan out what you’re going to cook carefully). This guide offers more advice on how to enjoy cooking for those that might find it stressful.
Interact with music
Listening to music can make many of us feel less lonely and is an effective stress-buster. On top of this, it can have many other benefits such as improving memory and alertness. Interacting with music is one of the best ways to truly get the brain working - this could include dancing along, singing along or even performing an instrument yourself. Learning dances and learning a musical instrument are both believed to be great ways of warding off deteriorative mental diseases like dementia. Youtube videos are a great free source for finding lessons.
Talk to people remotely
While in quarantine, you may not be able to talk to many of your friends and family in person, however there may still be the option to talk over the phone, via Facebook Messenger or via Zoom. Make sure that you’re still getting this social interaction. Talking to other people every day is important for our mental health - many of us can become anxious and depressed if we don’t get enough social interaction. Don’t be too afraid to reach out to people if you’re desperate for conversation.
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