when we’re focused on such an activity, “we’re not thinking about any negative thoughts or fears or worries.”The COVID-19 lockdown has significantly increased loneliness for everyone, especially for those who live alone and lost their jobs. While it is very easy to look at the negative side of things during the last year, it is important that we also focus on the bright side of the situation. 

I know increased boredom definitely could have gotten me into a mild state of depression, but looking at the things I accomplished during the last year has definitely helped lift my spirits. 

The free time lockdown provided was perfect for revisiting or trying out new hobbies. Personally, I was able to improve on my photography skills and spend more time developing my presence on social media. I had been exploring it for about a year, but the extra time gave me a chance to get even better. Since I do a lot of food photography, the lockdown gave me a chance to adopt some new photography skills now that dining in at restaurants was not an option. 

I was able to focus more on my writing for Hilltop Views during lockdown, and I was grateful to still be able to do that during quarantine. Writing has always been an escape for me, and I was able to work on my journalism as well as other writing side projects. I rarely had time to work on side projects before the lockdown, so that was a nice thing to have extra time for. 

I was also able to revisit an old hobby that I used to be interested in. Quarantine has been a perfect time to revisit old skills, and playing guitar has definitely been therapeutic for me during times of loneliness. I played guitar years ago and decided to pick it back up shortly after quarantine began. Music has been shown to help with depression and anxiety, so using it as a pastime while bored has been a very helpful tool for me. 

I made sure to keep busy during quarantine while I wasn’t working, as I go stir crazy if I’m bored for too long. This lockdown taught me how to occupy my time and be productive when I didn’t have school or work to go to. 

While I could have slipped into a depression during a time of such great uncertainty, it was most helpful to me to focus on trying new and revisiting old hobbies, and finding ways to occupy my day as constructively as I could. Hopefully, if a situation like this ever arises again, we can all be more productive and hopeful that we will get through it.