How To Keep Yourself Busy For Free During COVID-19

You might be getting to the point in social distancing where you want to introduce something new or different to your stay at home routine. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite low or no cost ways to pass the social distancing time. 

We definitely don’t think everyone needs to come out of this pandemic with a new hobby or side hustle! That said-you might be ready to incorporate something new into your routine, so here’s some inspiration beyond free Instagram workouts and creative pantry cooking. 

Books from the Library. Reading is a great way to escape into another world free from COVID-19. If you have a library card, many libraries have options to rent books on your phone, reader or tablet, or even computer just as you would rent a physical library book! Many libraries use Overdrive for their ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines-visit your local library’s website to learn more. Don’t have a library card? See if your library has an online library card application. Anyone in New York State can apply for a library card, you can get access to their amazing online library of ebooks, audiobooks, databases, and more!

If you’re maxing out on screen time as it is, audiobooks are a great option! Your local library will likely give you access to these as well. If you have kids or teens at home, they can access Audible for free while their schools are closed! Another audiobook option is LibriVox which offers a free catalogue of books read by volunteers.

Utilize resources from cultural institutions. Lots of cultural institutions are opening their “doors” through the internet! Pass the time by touring a garden, check in on animals at the zoo, or watching a symphony orchestra! 

If you’re feeling the itch to explore uncharted territory, try finding your “virtual” park from the National Parks Service or take a virtual tour of an NYC park.You can also check out beautiful spring blooms from different gardens like the NY Botanical Gardens and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. And for those of you who already finished watching Tiger King and need additional animal kingdom content, Smithsonian National Zoo and Cincinnati Zoo are just two of the many places you can “visit” your favorite animals.

For anyone looking to explore art you don’t have the chance to visit this spring, you can check out Google’s Arts & Culture  page featuring tours of different museums and curated virtual travel experiences. We know Financial Gym fans love to have a cocktail or drink while they are learning, The Frick Collection has launched a Friday happy hour series “Cocktails with a Curator” that will hit the spot! 

If you’re looking to hear live music, many artists and performers are offering free or low cost access to their performances. IGTV, Facebook Live, and Youtube Live are all great places to check your favorite musician’s page for an upcoming concert! Sites like Billboard and Classic FM are also updating roundups of performances to check out from digital Warped Tour to the Berlin Philharmonic. 

Practice meditation and mindfulness. During this unprecedented time, stress and anxiety are definitely heightened for many of us. It can be challenging to steer clear from the panic and hysteria of the world we live in right now, but there are plenty of ways to cope. At The Financial Gym, we believe taking time for yourself does not necessarily mean spending money! We love refreshing our goals or setting healthy boundaries with a loved one as acts of self care. 

Getting into a routine of practicing meditation and mindfulness can also be beneficial to clear the mind and feel grateful for the things that you do have in this difficult time. We have a money meditation practice on our IGTV with Journey Meditation. This is a great place to start. Journey Mediation is a great resource to get started with. Bullet journaling is another practice that can be both productive and soothing. 

Self care could also manifest itself in treating our self isolation space with thoughtful attention. Taking time to declutter, reorganize a pantry or closet, or catalogue (or even digitize!) old family photos might also bring relief and inspiration for some people! Bonus, maybe your organizing can bring in some extra cash.

Play games (virtually) with friends and family. We all are now very familiar with the Zoom happy hour/birthday party/family reunion life by now, so a fun way to spice up these virtual gatherings is to play virtual games! Some virtual games you can play are Settlers of Catan, Psych! Out Wit Your Friends, and Jackbox Games (not free, Jackbox is $12 for five games), and if you want to commit to a repetitive game D&D also works well over video chat!

Take a free class online. There are plenty of free college-level courses available online. Platforms like EdX are great for exploring the options that you have available from universities like Harvard, MIT, University of Texas, and many more. The Science of Well-Being is a popular course that many are enjoying from Yale University on Coursera. 

We hope some of these resources inspire you to enjoy something new if you’re still at home. In addition to some of these ideas, calling friends and loved ones, taking walks, and finding ways to volunteer or give back to your community are also free ways to stay connected during this challenging experience. 

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