With the current state of the world, everybody seems to be in collective states of fear, panic, and most of all quarantine from friends and family. Whether the quarantine is self induced, or brought upon by tragic results, the most important thing to remember is to stay busy, but also calm. And here are a few ways to do just that.

First, a good place to start would be taking up new hobbies, picking back up on current ones, or even revisiting old ones that may have gotten lost over time. Whether it be sewing, 500 piece puzzles, or making new recipes to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. We often take up hobbies an an outlet for whatever may be going on at work, school, or life in general. But with the current state of affairs forcing many businesses and schools to close, this is a good, albeit unexpected, time to dust of those old hobbies and kill a few hours at home. It's much better than being glues to the TV and hanging onto the words of every news anchor.

Second, keeping a journal to jot down thoughts, ideas, and even feelings. Keeping an online journal is fine too, but the temptation to jump on the latest news website and fall down a rabbit hole of updates can be pretty powerful. A good way to circumvent this is to use a physical notebook with spine and paper and just write to the hearts content. Whether its new recipes to make and ingredients that'll be needed, opinions on new shows and movies to watch, or even just feelings and thoughts about the current state of affairs; the skies the limit. No one can stop you from pouring your heart about what you feel, think, or fear, especially with how high tensions are running all over the world.

Then, there's the possibility of reconnecting with old friends over a face time chat. Its a scary notion to think about since you don't know whats going on in someone's life if enough time goes by, and communication becomes slim to none. But, now its more important than ever to keep that line of communication open and check in every now and again to make sure that they're healthy and doing well. Maybe open the conversation with something about work, school, or a new TV show, before slowly moving into the crux of the talk, then asking how things are in their neck of the woods, before opening a line of communication in case things don't seem to be going right. Communication between you and the people closest to you is paramount in times like these.

While there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to stay safe in times of emergency and quarantine, another equally important thing to take into account is how to pass the time and stay calm, without worrying yourself to death, and still getting things done around your house.

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