You’ve left Switzerland and now find yourself on a leisure or business trip overseas. When you arrive in a foriegn country such as the United Kingdom, you have to go directly to the place where you’re staying and not leave until 10 days have passed. This is called self-isolating. Self-isolation means not leaving your place because you have or might have COVID-19. It’s about protecting others and slowing down the spread of the novel coronavirus. It has been proven that self-isolating is the best way to contain the deadly virus.
Staying indoors can be difficult, challenging even, but it’s necessary to avoid infecting other people, whether friends, loved ones, or acquaintances. In spite of the COVID-19 vaccination, the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate. There are mental health risks associated with loneliness, such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. For this reason, it’s recommended to use your phone, along with your other devices, to keep in touch and avoid complete isolation.
You can use technology to ease feelings of loneliness and boredom. How? Keep on reading to find out.
Set up a group on WhatsApp and don’t lose touch
The World Wide Web offers an important means to stay connected with those who matter. You can socialize, hold parties, and even cook together – remotely, of course. If you have a smartphone, the most useful thing to do is to create a WhatsApp group. You can share anything from videos to PDFs at any given time. You can make a video call to everyone in the group. The call costs the same no matter where you are in the world. It uses end-to-end encryption, which means that your conversations remain private. You don’t have to worry about prying eyes.
In case you didn’t already know, you can use WhatsApp on your PC by accessing the web service. All you have to do is to go to the website and scan the QR code. Open the app on your phone and scan the barcode using the device’s camera. The only drawback to using WhatsApp is that you can’t contact numbers that aren’t in your contact list. Maybe so, but you have the opportunity to have fun conversations in an easy way. You can get closer to the people you care about when you can’t be physically near them, which is no little thing.
Plop on your couch and watch SRF
You might not be able to spend quality time with your best friends, but you can sit back and relax. There’s no better time than now to stream the things that you’ve been meaning to stream – games, TV shows, and videos. If you already miss your culture, language, and customs, watch SRF. Watching Swiss TV abroad can be difficult due to the geo-restrictions of the online platform; more exactly, the content can’t be accessed outside of Switzerland. Well, there is a neat solution. You can unblock and watch SRF live with the help of a VPN. You can watch news, sports, documentaries, movies, politics, and so on.
A virtual private network will hide your IP address, so any site that you connect to will see the VPN server’s IP address. You’ll get a Swiss IP address, so you won’t get an error message. The VPN will encrypt your online connection, which in turn prevents third parties from monitoring your activity. You can use a VPN with any given content streaming platform, whether SRF or Netflix. Speaking of which, did you know that Netflix allows you to watch TV with your friends online? There’s a Chrome extension, called Netflix party, which makes it possible for you and your buddies to LOL in harmony.
Read a book
Reading used to be a popular pastime. All that has changed since the emergence of the Internet. People prefer spending time on social media than expanding their knowledge base. If you’re self-isolating, you should give reading a chance. In addition to learning new information, you can ease stress and improve your memory. You don’t have to spend the entire time binging shows or chatting with your loved ones. Take some time for yourself. Reading provides a mental escape – you can travel within the pages of the novel. Reading helps you escape from your daily life, which can be a blessing. You no longer have to deal with the pressures of the real world and construct a fantasy world (one that is tailored to your own needs and wants).
Obviously, you can’t go to the library and grab a book. Don’t fret because you can buy some books online and they’ll be immediately delivered to your doorstep. You don’t have to wait for ages. Another thing you can do is read online. There are tons of free databases and online eBook stores that you can browse. You can read full-length books or stories on your mobile phone or tablet. You can personalize your possession with notes, not to mention that you can flip back and forth, as you please. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to smell the book. If you’re not a book nerd, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Learn a new skill and update your CV
It doesn’t matter if you have an advanced degree or you’re just beginning a new career. It pays to expand your skill set and learn new things. It will make you more confident and bring fulfillment in your work life. You should be curious about the world and understand that you’ve got still much to learn. In an increasingly interconnected world, it’s important to curate your learning experience and limit the information. It’s too late to sign up for an online course, but you can start reading articles and find out more about your industry.
Keep in mind that information is power. You should be up to date with what’s happening. It’s not necessary to speak with colleagues when you can find a wealth of information online. You can use digital tools to improve your learning curve and achieve a good balance. You can immediately test your knowledge and obtain valuable feedback. All in all, you need to be productive while staying indoors. There are healthy and unhealthy distractions and it’s up to you to make the difference. Keep yourself busy and productive and, most importantly, don’t waste your free time.
