My fellow introverts and extroverts,

I understand your pain. I know it’s hard to stay at home. Originally I thought it was a great thing. As an introvert myself, I would rather stay at home and turn on the PS4 than go out drinking every Friday and Saturday night. But due to the coronavirus, there’s not as much enjoyment staying indoors. Before it was a choice to stay at home and relax. But now, even for me, I’m starting to get a bit of cabin fever. Hell, I recently moved to the city of Incheon in early March and I haven’t had a chance to fully explore. I want to get out of the apartment and go explore my new city. But for obvious reasons, I can’t take the risk of going out and finding hidden gems of a restaurant.

Everyone, I know we all want to get out of our homes. But for the sake of your friends, your family, and some of your neighbors don’t spend so much time outdoors. Please stay the hell inside of your homes. Especially if you or someone close to you is above the age of fifty and or have a pre-existing condition. To everyone whose under thirty five, don’t assume that since we’re younger that we’re immune. You could carry the virus and end up spreading it to those who are vulnerable and not even know. And while the chances for someone young contracting the virus is low, no one should take the risk.

But don’t worry my fellow extroverts. Your introvert friends and family are here to help you during these trying times. Here are some ways I have kept myself from going insane. Now this is from a viewpoint of a single man with no kids. So if you do have children……well good luck to you.

Increase your cooking skills fam

Let’s be real, most of us are spending a lot more cash on takeout and having it delivered to our homes. And I’m still guilty of this also. So why not take the time of being at home and learn to cook. There are a variety of recipe apps and videos available to teach you how to make something amazing. A while back I learned how to make a Chicken Panang. I was craving Thai food and since there were no Thai restaurants near me, I said screw it let’s make it! And it continues to be an amazing dish. The best part of the dish is there are leftovers to take to work.

Read Something

I know it’s hard to not feel discouraged from reading news articles on the virus. Or reading social media posts from people being laid off and losing their income. Instead of reading posts read a book. Personally I prefer to read a physical book whenever possible to give my eyes a break from looking at a screen all day. Unfortunately the library’s in Korea are closed so I had to purchase some books on Amazon. I recently ordered books on Wilmington, North Carolina and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both cities had a historically wealthy black district which were unfortunately burned to the ground. Or if you’re a comic book fan like yours truly, this a great opportunity to catch up on your favorite series. I’m willing to bet many of us have said to ourselves “I’m going to read more”. Read something that brings you joy. Something that makes you laugh out loud during these trying times. Whether it’s a physical or digital copy of a series, just read something unrelated to the corona virus. In my current backlog I’m finally reading through Tokyo Ghoul and Justice League 2016.

Indoor Exercise

Just because we’re stuck indoors doesn’t give you an excuse to not exercise. I get it, y’all finally at home and catching up on your Netflix & gaming backlog. Why not exercise and watch your favorite shows and movies at the same time? Now I’m not the healthiest guy out there but I still try to take better care of my health. What I typically do after every hour or least an hour and a half, I do some push ups and squats. Stand up maybe 20 minutes and do some squats at the same time. One of my favorite YouTubers Jaxblade has some great exercises with his Tough Like the Toons videos. Exercise not only helps reduce any stress you have, but helps you feel great. If you must go for a run, keep it short and sweet in your neighborhood. Everyone should try their best to keep their immune systems as high as possible. Diet and exercise has always been a huge asset to not only reduce your anxiety and stress, but it’ll make you feel better and help your immune system.

Go through your TV & Gaming backlog

If there’s one major benefit of self quarantine is finally having the ability of going through the backlog of shows and video games. I’m not gonna lie out of all of the suggestions I’ve written, the majority of my time has been playing games. As of this writing all of my gaming has been on Doom Eternal, replaying Persona 5 & Code Vien. Playing games has been one of my outlets and can kill a lot of time. I’m sure it can be a great way to bond with family or the people you care for. This is one of the best times to be a gamer. You have something to keep you occupied and at home. Just don’t invite folks over and have a Smash Bros party until all of this over.