Hopefully things are turning back to normal for you, but still in Canada I have to isolate for two weeks after re-entering the country from Europe, so over the past few days I’ve thought of some interesting ways to entertain myself. If you’re like me and had to search the wide web for something to do in quarantine, then you might find this article useful. Let’s start with the basics.

Here are 5 quick things you can order online right now to make your two weeks at home much more bearable because if you wait they won’t show up for two or more days.

1. A video game console with some games
2. Some painting supplies and few medium-sized canvases
3. Journals and pens for writing or dream recording
4. Postcards and envelops to write endearing letters to all your loved ones
5. Lots of good food for cooking

These are ideas to get you started, but like I said, unless you have someone to go to the store for you or you can order these things from local delivery service, you should order them online sooner than later so they show up when you start to get bored. The first few days isolating in a hotel room can feel fun like camping but you start to go crazy rather quickly.

While waiting for my 5 things to show up, I did a lot of internet browsing, listening to podcasts and reading blogs like the Medieverse and a few others to keep me sane until I was able to disappear into the used PlayStation 3 that was delivered to my hotel room door. I found a game called Dragon’s Dogma to be very entertaining. The paint supplies, however, were even more of a blessing for me as it’s something I’ve always wanted to get better at growing up and now I finally have a few paintings I’m proud of enough to hang in my bedroom where only people I trust can ever see them, lol.

But by far the thing that saved my existence the most while quarantining for two weeks in my hotel, because my room had a small kitchen attached, was baking and cooking. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to avoid sugar like I usually do, but I had a good reason. All the baking I ate, stuff like muffins and even a whole cake at one point, which got moldy in the fridge by the way (I didn’t eat the whole thing), kept me from getting overly depressed.

I’m not able to live without seeing people for too long so I also spent a lot of time on the phone. Writing those personal letters by candlelight at night are some sweet memories, and the replies I got in the mail brightened the loneliest days and were written in beautiful handwriting so I framed them in my hallway.

One habit I picked up in quarantine that I never thought would stay with me is journaling. I already filled the journal I bought from back to front with recordings of my dreams, doodles and cute little notes to myself. So expect me to transcribe some of that content into more blog posts in the future.

I hope these ideas inspired you to make your time in isolation no worse than it has to be. Have fun!