During COVID-19, it has been difficult for a lot of teenagers to find things to do. Teenagers have been very bored and frustrated because they don’t have anything to do.  Some people can’t find friends and it was a big help to find friends through hobbies. 

Many people feel they are locked inside and they can’t do anything which has made people very lazy and makes  it hard to start work and school again.

Danielle Butcher is a 14-year-old freshman who is a dancer and a baker.  Butcher’s dance studio stopped because of Covid-19 and that was very hard for her. Butcher thinks it’s very different from what it was before the pandemic.

“We can’t be inside and we need a mask and social distance so it’s very difficult,” Butcher said.

When Butcher started again she was very happy to go back to her friends and to dance. She was very sad when her studio locked down because she couldn’t do what she loved. Finally when she was let back into the studio, she was very impressed with how the teachers had adapted.

Now some of the hobbies have opened up  but it’s not the same as it was before COVID-19. 

Jade Chen is a 16-year-old junior who volunteers at Ivey Ranch and loves to work with animals.

“I’ve had a lot of experience with animals. I have also had a lot of pets and I have also worked with horses ” Chen said.

 When the pandemic happened, Chen wanted to do something and she eventually came across Ivey Ranch and that helped her a lot with friends and boredom and has been a stepping stone to her hopeful future of becoming a zoo veterinarian. 

“I want to work with exotic animals, I think that could be cool,” Chen said.

There are still some hobbies that haven’t started back up and some of those children or adults have felt lost, but an option that always stands out is volunteer work, just like Chen found.

There have been a lot of hobbies that have stopped due to the current crisis. 70% have been seeing a lot more TV than many have done to make the time go faster. But there have also been 35% who have been doing virtual workouts. There have also been a lot who have to begin to read a lot. 

The things that have been very popular in the COVID-19 pandemic have been: Watching TV Shows and Movies, Reading, Working Out, Arts and Crafts, Board Games, DIY projects, Yoga, Baking, Gardening, Video Games, Meditation, Audiobooks and Podcasts, Writing, Learning a Language, Learning an Instrument and there have also been an increase in lot volunteers. 

These actives are just a brief list of what students and community members can start doing to improve their mental health, and to stay active and busy.