“Super curious – anyone having the weirdest non “corona” symptoms – insomnia, vivid dreams, weird buzzing anxiety, headaches, constant ringing in ears, sore throat that comes & goes even though I’m not leaving the house or around people at all! I keep a healthy lifestyle.. So..,” tweeted beauty guru Tati Westbrook on April 22. Her tweet garnered almost two thousand retweets, over thirty thousand likes, and over a thousand replies. 

  People in the replies were largely agreeing with her, while others were pointing out the main reason behind all of Westbrook’s ailments— we are all on our phones too much.

  Being inside with nothing to do only inclines us to use our phones more than usual, not to mention being required to use technology for four hours straight five days a week for school. 

  I recently had to purchase blue light blocking glasses because I was getting constant headaches from being on my phone. A few weeks ago my screen time daily average was 11.5 hours. 

  There are plenty of things to do besides binge Netflix and scroll through TikTok, however tempting it may be. Here are a few activities to keep yourself off your phone during quarantine.

 

Make art.

  Decorating random things with paint is a great stress-reliever and doesn’t require much work. I have painted some pop sockets and phone cases with acrylic paint, but you can paint pretty much anything. Mugs, airpod cases, shoes, and picture frames are all things that you can easily customize with paint. If you don’t have paint, nail polish or markers work well, too. 

  It’s also fun to go on Pinterest or Redbubble and try to recreate drawings. Rather than spend $20 on a piece of wall art for your dorm next year, try to make the art yourself! 

 

Make homemade versions of all the treats you miss.

  Though drive-thrus of most fast food joints are still open, it’s better to not endanger yourself or the workers and dine at home. Lots of people have created dupe recipes for popular treats like Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Starbucks coffee, bubble tea, and pizza.

  If you’re looking for a quick, straight-to-the-point tutorial, TikTok has lots of 15-60-second videos of recipes. 

  Learn how to make a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WDesu7bUDM

    

Deep clean your room.

  Now that you’re home all day with nothing to do, there is no excuse to not clean your room. 

  Start by picking up all your clothes off the floor and separate the clean clothes from the dirty ones. Then, you should vacuum.

  After the floor is clean, go around the perimeter of your room and take everything off of all surfaces (dresser, desk, nightstand, etc.) and wipe them down. Reorganize your surfaces and try to minimize the amount of clutter.

 

Deep clean your closet.

  If you’re going to deep clean your room, you might as well deep clean your closet, as well. 

  You can go full Marie Kondo and throw out anything in your closet that doesn’t “spark joy” or simply refold your clothes. 

  There are clothing drop offs all around town at Cooper’s Plaza or at the Goodwill donation center. 

 

DIY your clothes.

  If, while deep cleaning your closet, you find an old clothing item that you can’t bear to part with, try to alter it to make it wearable again.

  Cropping a shirt with scissors is the easiest way to revamp a top. There are also ways to make your own ripped jeans, sew your own scrunchies, or tie your shirts in new ways if you don’t have access to a sewing machine.

  For more ideas on how to alter your clothing, look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5F1KQPY0WM

 

Cut or dye your hair.

  Since no one is going to see you, it is as good a time as any to dye or cut your hair. If you don’t have anyone around to assist you, there are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube on how to cut and/or color your hair at home! If you mess it up, it’ll surely grow back by the time quarantine is over.

  For a tutorial from a professional hairdresser, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAmE16ej9IU

 

Make face masks.

  The most important thing to do right now is to protect yourself and others. You should be wearing a face mask everytime you go in a public place and, if you don’t have one, they are extremely easy to make. 

  Make one for yourself and your family members! There are also medical centers accepting donations of hand-sewn masks if you are able to make more and donate.

  See a tutorial on how to make face masks here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAPOnM3KhkM