The pandemic and the various ensuing lockdowns have had a myriad of negative effects on people that range from tragic to rather trivial. While the more tragic effects might be a little bit more obvious, most people will be experiencing some shade of the trivial impacts, with perhaps the most obvious and noteworthy one being the massive influx of boredom that so many people feel while trapped at home.

When you feel this boredom come around for the first time, your first instinct might be to despair, but fear not, there are advantages to be had here. Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and you might find this situation to be all too good a time to prove that to be true.

It Forces You to Get Creative

Having all of your options stripped away means that you can only go forward. There’s no sense dwelling on the past; that won’t help you get through all of this time you have to yourself. Instead, you might turn to projects and hobbies that you’ve been putting off for years due to a lack of time (due to work or prior commitments) and give them an earnest go. Taking these up now could even mean that you have enough time to develop a skill, meaning that you’ve not only successfully occupied the time you’ve been in lockdown, but you’ve put it towards a productive end.

You don’t have to get creative, of course. This can also be a great time to live out your dreams of procrastination. If there’s a particular movie binge that you’ve wanted to indulge yourself in, what better time than when you’re stuck inside for days on end? Pieces of entertainment like movies and video games were practically invented for times where you were inside for long periods of time, and the best part is now there won’t be any shame for binging them.

It Draws Your Attention to Current Trends

Something that can be a bit of comfort during this time is to remember that you are far from the only person experiencing this. In a way, that means that you’re part of a group of people who are together in being temporarily isolated. While that might not be of any immediate comfort, what it does mean is that you can take advantage of current trends to see how other people are making use of this time.

Gardening is something that has become very popular throughout lockdown due to its mental health benefits and the sense of calm that it provides people. It also has the fortunate quality of being able to take up a lot of time and offering a rewarding sense of progress. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a garden, so this might not be applicable.

Still, this is far from the only trend. Online games have taken off during lockdown to the ease of accessibility and fun that they provide, so that and similar avenues could be where you might find your oasis in the desert.