How to Remain Occupied Through Internet Isolation
Elinor Jones suggests some ways to keep occupied when the internet fails
Amidst a pandemic, with the need to access information rapidly for work, medical needs and keeping in touch with relatives, the internet has taken a great hold of our lives. But what happens when the internet fails? How do we keep entertained in our remote, quiet, solitary worlds sheltering from the virus?
Using your allotted one exercise outing a day, if you are able to, can be done without the internet. Use this time to reconnect with your housemates or family, yourself if you are alone, or the nature around you. Whatever form of exercise you choose, this exercise does not have to just be functional for your physical health but for your mental wellbeing too.
Lockdown does not have to be about picking up a new instrument or perfecting a language. If you do experience episodes of internet interruption, reading can help you find the immersion and entertainment you get from your favourite series on Netflix. Instead of reading books that you think you ‘should’ read, because they are well thought of or ‘high-brow’, find something that really excites you when you read the blurb, just as if you were comparing trailers for movies to watch. Whilst we can often find ourselves too busy during term to read for fun, if you can, finding time to read is a much-needed form of escapism. Recommendations from my recent readings include When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, a particularly pertinent read in the current climate, The Power by Naomi Alderman and Shtum by Jem Lester.
Rediscovering joys from the past has also provided entertainment
Whilst social media has become swarmed with banana bread images and stories of limited flour in shops, baking is relaxing and can be practical too, using ingredients that may otherwise be rendered useless and left in the cupboard. My sister and I compared pizza outcomes over the phone and I delivered lemon cake to my grandparents’ doorstep then later called to hear their verdict. Rediscovering joys from the past has also provided entertainment, whether this was listening to my old CD collection or finding old diaries from my early teenage years, there is enjoyment there.
It would be easy to say that we should be able to occupy our time without the influence of the internet, yet it has infiltrated the ways we communicate, entertain ourselves, buy food and study. Hopefully these simple ideas help keep you entertained during lockdown if internet access is slow or not available.
Cover Photo by Remy_Loz on Unsplash
