“There is nothing to do.”

The above phrase has been undoubtedly uttered in many households throughout the past few weeks. As humanity hides away indoors from the pandemic, there is yet another threat to mankind. That threat? Excessive time.

The world is structured in such a way where people never have extensive time alone for weeks. As a result, people are more terrified of time spent by themselves rather than the actual pandemic. Not having contact with other people is challenging for anyone, especially if you are extroverted. People get lonely. Then, that loneliness can give way into other problems, such as anxiety and depression.

Little do people recognize that quarantine is a wonderful time for healing yourself. Being a college student is stressful. Before spring break, I was working two jobs, as well as managing a sorority and seventeen credit hours. I had absolutely no time for myself. When I did, I made sure to put it to good use.

Now, having no time for something is no longer an excuse. Quarantine is the new normal, and it will be that way for a while. With so much time away from society, there are a load of opportunities available for self-growth. And by “self-growth,” I don’t mean coming out of quarantine completely ripped and healthy.

Most people don’t like spending time with their thoughts. Before you click on the next episode to watch it, maybe try playing the piano you used to play when you were little. Or maybe write a few more words of that story you work on once in a blue moon. There is no better time than now.

Now is the most perfect time in history for people to listen to themselves.

So much time can be devoted to the hobbies or things we never get the chance in normal life to do. While it is perfectly fine to sit down and watch Netflix for hours on end every once in a while, it is not ideal to do it all of quarantine — especially if you are a college student. College is the prime time in your life to sit down and introspect. Some of us will be graduating next year without a clue of what we want to do with our lives. By experimenting with different hobbies during quarantine, maybe you will realize your true passions.

The world needs time alone to reflect and deflate all of our egos. If everyone stayed home and worked on themselves, the world will become wildly different once we all leave quarantine. Staying home will not only just benefit you; you will be saving the lives of people everywhere too.

Meghan is a sophomore in LAS.

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