The best moment for anyone and everyone is that moment when you can just let go of the burden on your back and relax. Be it the workload from the office for the adults, or the countless assignments, projects and exams for the students, a nice, light break after all this work is like no other. And the much-awaited break by us students is definitely the summer vacation: the time for travel, the time for fun. It’s then when we are free to do whatever we wish to without the constant worry of having to complete any school-related work. We can spend our time doing what we love to our heart’s content.

But one cannot casually spend time on gadgets or sleep all day. After all, it is rightly said that all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy. However, taking the current situation into thought, having everything suspended for quite some time literally translates to being stuck at home 24/7 (which, well, we are).

While the thought of having schools cancelled for nearly half a year and free time all to ourselves with no work-related bother sounds exciting, it eventually not only bores us, but also annoys us. It is pretty ironic that when we are piled upon with work, all we wish for is a minimum of five minutes of relaxation and now, when we have time beyond imagination to enjoy, our only thought is to get out and do something productive. The situation worsens, with strict rules and regulations to be followed for even the most important events to happen (important religious festivals). Spending time outdoors is a favorite for killing time during holidays, but 2 | P a g e now, that is next to impossible without the ceaseless thought of getting infected.

The only option we have left is to make the most out of our time indoors all day. Although this is pretty tough to go around, we can make our days just as enjoyable and fun as it would have been when spent outside. Here are some effective ways to spend time at home:

1) Gadgets: Now, we all love spending countless hours on our devices, binge-watching TV shows and movies, scrolling through chats and going through memes. This surely is fun, but it absolutely does us no good. It only results in slow brain development, lack of concentration and a lot of finger cramps. We can instead use these gadgets for a better purpose, perhaps watching some educational, informative videos or even fun DIYs to mess around with when bored. And if you really want to take it up a notch, you could search up preferable online courses to get busy with. In this way, we help our brain remain worked up, but with stuff that we can enjoy.

2) Games: So what if we can’t spend our time outdoors playing cricket or football? We can enjoy the same experiences with an Xbox, WiiSports or any other gaming stations. And if you don’t happen to own any of these, worry not. Let’s resort to our traditional indoor sports: board games. Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble, UNO and more, what else do we need when have these with us! This is a great way of spending quality time with family, which helps strengthen bonds between the members, having a warm and positive effect on everyone.

3) Hobbies: Another good way to spend time is on hobbies. Be it reading, dancing, writing songs, drawing, painting, cooking or even indoor gardening, anything to get the mind absorbed in and away from distractions is a good hobby. This also gives us opportunities to try out something new, or improve our discovered talents. For example, learning a new instrument or practising one we have already learnt, helps develop our skills. It is also proven that playing instruments enhances the concentration level of the brain, so all you interested ones, grab your instrument and play it hard!

Now, as the saying goes, “Practice what you preach”, I too am following the above mentioned suggestions and am trying to spend my time as creatively as possible.

I absolutely love playing Scrabble with my family; it just lightens up my mood while also helping me to concentrate and frame scoring words. It sharpens my mind, helping me to look out for the best spaces to place my words and make the most out of my letters. As I play almost everyday, I learn a lot of techniques from my parents, enabling me to improve my game.

I have also been doing a lot of artwork, including pencil sketches, color pencil art and a little painting and craftwork. The beautiful thing about art is that it lets you lose yourself in the world of colors, which really eases your mind and gives you inner peace. Amid the tensions of the virus, being calm and peaceful truly prevents the mind from getting stressed, and art is certainly one of the best solutions for this.

This lockdown period has also allowed me to try something that I had never, ever done before: cooking. The only reason for me to enter the kitchen before was to grab something to eat, but now, I’ve tried my hand at a couple of easy-to-make dishes and also help my mom in her preparations.

And no, I haven’t stashed my school books to a corner and neglected my assignments and projects. While trying out these activities, I have also spent time daily to do my schoolwork. As I have been engaging myself with fun tasks, I haven’t felt lazy or bored through the months, and am thoroughly enjoying myself.

By following these methods, we are sure to be able to cope up with time well, without having our brain get all rusted and cotton-filled. So let’s spend our time effectively, doing something creative, productive and innovative. And also, amidst all our fun, let’s not forget to pray for all the frontline workers, who are working day and night for our safety. These heroes without capes deserve to be remembered daily by each and every one of us for their hard work. Continue praying for the world, all of those suffering from various problems and thank God for all the little and big blessings He has showered you with. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the summer.