Ever since staying at home became the new normal to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), there has been an explosion of YouTube videos with quarantine content to entertain the public, but not all of them serve to their purpose as well as the ones on this list.
Whether you need a boost of positivity, creativity or energy, YouTube offers an endless scroll of options to fuel you up, and I have selected the best ones so you don’t have to.
1. If you want to make your own hand sanitizer – or because you have no option
If you paid a visit to a grocery store recently, chances are high they ran out of hand sanitizers because people began stocking them months ago. Luckily, Youtubers are sharing DIY (do it yourself) tutorials for quick and easy hand sanitizers. When the WhatsUpMoms channel shared a DIY video 4 years ago, it received fewer than 50 views per hour and today the same video is getting over 1,200 views per hour. So, next time you realize your local grocery shop is out of Purell stocks, you may follow along this 2-minute video to create your own sanitizer.
2. If you want to experiment in the kitchen with what’s in stock
Since there are shortages in food supply in some regions, Youtubers are providing recipes that require ingredients that are likely already in your pantry and can easily be substituted if not. Whether you are vegan or bored of regular rice, you might want to check out the second episode of the Washington Post’s “Quarantine Cooking Show” on YouTube that guides viewers through a 5-minute coconut rice recipe in an easy-to-follow format.
3. Turn your living room into a gym without equipment
Your regular gym is closed, you are not allowed to leave your house but you still have to get your workout done. However, you have no equipment, limited space, and a bunch of people at home? No problem! From Pilates to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), there are numerous options when it comes to home workouts, but Blogilates’s Silent Cardio workout is ideal for burning fat without annoying your neighbors. It is short, fun and effective.
4. If you want to destress during these really stressful times
The unknowns about COVID-19 are creating high levels of stress and anxiety that intensify during quarantine and social distancing. It is important to take care of ourselves — and of our houses, which may require cleaning, organizing, and more cleaning. However, not everyone is an obsessive cleaner like Monica, so cleaning may not cure stress for some (or most) people. If that sounds like you, checking out Carrie Rad’s simple but effective stress management tips may be helpful.
5. If you want to laugh – a lot
Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel used to make us laugh from their studios and now they are inviting us to their houses as virtual guests. Beloved late-night hosts turned themselves into vloggers after productions shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but their home-based productions are just as entertaining, if not more. If you are ready to meet the funniest vloggers yet, I recommend starting from the first episode of The Tonight Show’s at home Youtube edition, and there are 5,7 Million viewers to back me up.
6. If you want to find to stay positive but struggling to find a reason
Positivity is great at any given time and condition but it is especially great under these circumstances. Instead of regarding quarantine as an unfortunate necessity, we should be grateful that we are able to stay at the comfort of our houses, with access to a variety of food and activity choices. Jo Franco has a video dedicated to simple reasons we should remain positive under quarantine and it is worth checking out the next time you need a positivity boost!
Bonus: If you are still bored after these recommendations, I dare you to listen to the Coronavirus Rhapsody until you begin to mistake the new lyrics for the original (Bohemian Rhapsody) version. You are welcome!
Becoming A New Yorker 