COVID-19 has negatively impacted all of us. This virus took away our freedom and our ability to be physically close our friends and family. This virus took away our lives for months and it still is to this day. This virus took away 2020.
What sucks the most is that we can’t do anything about it except to abide by the rules: wear a mask, sanitize your hands and distance yourself six feet from others. I’m pretty sure we are all tired of COVID-19 and the rules it brought with it.
What we can do, though, is to try to stay as sane as possible, even though we are all on the brink of insanity, by doing things that distract us from our reality. So, here is a list of things to do during a global pandemic. It may or may not help to relieve your ‘need-to-be-near-my-friends’ stress. 

1. Start a side hustle. 

We are all literally broke college students. So, why not start a small business or a side hustle?

Here are some side hustle ideas:

• Sell your old clothes on Poshmark or Mercari.

• Sell services on Fiverr, a platform for freelance services. An example of a service you could sell on Fiverr could be business card designs.

• If you’re a creator, sell your products on Etsy.

• Start a small business based on what you like. I, for example, love clothes and fashion, so I started my own clothing brand.

Now go get that bag. Take Future’s advice and chase a check, never chase a… (I hope you all finished this lyric in your heads).

2. Watch an Oscar Award-winning movie.

To be honest, I don’t think I’ve personally watched any Oscar winning movies. Or maybe I have and didn’t know they won an Oscar Award for it?

Here are some Oscar Award-winning movies:

• “Parasite” (2020)

• “The Shape of Water” (2018)

• “Spotlight” (2016)

• “12 Years a Slave” (2014)

• “The Artist” (2012)

P.S. You can always Google what these movies are about because personally, I have seen absolutely none of these. 

3. Make TikToks

I know that this sounds stupid and it isn’t for everyone, but it can be really

time-consuming and fun at the same time. Only do this if you’re really desperate and 

bored, though.

On the bright side, you could get famous for making TikToks and eventually you could make money off of your videos. In other words, TikTok could also be another side hustle. Plus, it’s lowkey fun. Why not be fun, famous and rich all at the same time?

Kidding, of course. Tiktoks are only fun if you don’t do it for the money and the fame. 

And if you don’t want to make them, watch them instead because ten hours could pass by without you noticing. Boom, there’s your distraction from reality.

4. Create your own games

I have seen so many people on Tiktok hand-making creative games. Mostly drinking

games, but still very creative. It makes you think why you didn’t come up with that idea. 

Anyways, here are some creative, customizable games. You can also turn any of these ideas into drinking games, but please: 21 and up only. 

• Playing cards: sounds boring, but it doesn’t have to be. You can create and design  your own cards on https://www.makeplayingcards.com/ and it’s actually pretty cool. I’ve seen people making drinking cards and they get really creative with it.

• Monopoly: have a favorite show that you constantly obsess about with your friends? Make a monopoly board based on your favorite show. The one show that I have most often seen being made into a Monopoly game is Grey’s Anatomy (gotta love Meredith Grey’s depressing life). 

• Pick a can: I have no idea what the actual game is called, but this is a drinking game. You can always use soda, juice or anything else for that matter. What you do is you take all the canned or bottled drinks you have and wrap them individually in brown paper bags. Place them in front of your family members or your friends (remember to social distance!) and all they have to do is pick a bag. They have to drink whatever is in the bag. Alcohol version of this game is more fun, of course, but I’m sure you can make this option fun as well. 

I hope this list actually helps some of you prevent insanity, but if not, go take a nap. Trust me when I say that we are all going off the rails, so don’t be ashamed if you are feeling the same way. Everyone is going through the same thing. Hang in there and stay strong.

Try to have as much fun as you can even though you can’t be close to your friends. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

That’s all I have for you this week, Tigers! Please be safe out there. Wear a mask, sanitize your hands, and remember to practice social distancing.