Be a nature buff:Be in nature. It's your best bet of getting out of the house and keeping 6 feet of distance from other people, Watson says. Find an area where you won't encounter crowds. Breathe fresh air. Notice things about the world around you that you didn't see before. If you live near a national park (lucky you!), now's a great time to visit. Parks that have remained open have waived all entry fees. Start birdwatching. Coronavirus hasn't bothered the birds. Find out what species nest near you, dust off your binoculars if you've got 'em and download a birdwatching map. Sit in your backyard or near a window. You'll be surprised by how many you notice when you really look. Audobon has an app to help you start birding based on your location. Let the offline tweeting begin. Go on a secluded run. Yep, you can still exercise -- as long as you keep your distance from others. Keep your immune system strong and clear your mind. You need not give up your love for all things gourmet. The best prevention against the coronavirus is still washing your hands. Here's the proper way to do it Get takeout. A lot of independent restaurants are hurting right now. Support them by eating their food. Many restaurants are switching to takeout to keep their businesses afloat. CNN affiliate KABC reported takeout service Grubhub will stop collecting commission of up to $100 million to support independent restaurants that use their service. Just make sure you limit your contact with the delivery driver (though be polite) and wash your hands. Make that recipe. It's been sitting among your bookmarked web pages -- and in the hungry corner of your brain -- for weeks. It's a challenge. It'll test you. But it'll taste damn good. It's time to make that difficult dessert or that day-long roast. You have all weekend to master and devour it. Make them along with your favorite chefs. Check out Publix's online cooking classes or model meals after the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen squad -- then take comfort in knowing that they, too, are cooking from home for now. Find new recipes. Read your cookbooks and pore over every culinary site on the internet. You've got the time, after all. For the self-care folks:Your mental health is precious, especially during periods of social isolation. Take care of yourself and connect with your loved ones, Watson says. Video chat. A lot. If you are alone, you don't need to feel alone. Juice your cellular data for all it's worth and video call the people you love. Download Zoom, a video conferencing web app that lets you talk with multiple people at once. Host an Instagram Live session and chat with your adoring fans -- or chat with celebrities who host their own. Meditate. Life is slowing down for a bit. Emptying your mind and centering your awareness no longer feels impossible -- and it may help you relax. Nap. Why not? For busybodies:You're sick of pacing up and down your home or watching the wallpaper. Keep your hands and brain busy. Bring out the board games. Clue. The Game of Life. Scrabble. The classics are just as fun as you remember. Bask in the nostalgia. Get competitive. Tackle a ginormous puzzle. It's gotta be challenging enough to keep you occupied, but not so challenging that it threatens to drive you mad. Make art. Whether it's a page out of a coloring book or paint-by-numbers masterpiece, a knitted scarf or a piece of pottery, creating will ease your mind and keep your fingers nimble. Do the tough stuff. If you've been putting off your taxes (now you have until July!) or completing that dreaded report, do it now and get it over with. Sorry. Get handy. If something needs fixing around the house, whip out your toolkit and get to work. There's something about building that fills you with purpose. No sports -- now what? The season suspensions are tough, especially because they extend to nearly every televised and live sporting event under the sun. Become an expert. Read up on your sport so that when your team starts playing again, you'll have even greater insight into the game. Bill Nowlin, who sits on the board of directors for the Society for American Baseball Research, told CNN his love of the game has been enhanced by a deeper understanding of the game. Show your team some love. Your favorite players are likely as disappointed as you are that their season is on hold. Tweet them a positive message or send them a photo of you wearing team gear in solidarity. Better yet, support a charity that your favorite player loves -- that may mean more to them than anything. Revisit an old game. You know the one -- the game you watched from your dad's shoulders years ago when the crowd felt electric. The game you watched on pins and needles until your team pulled a last-minute victory. The game that made you fall in love with the sport. If you have a subscription to a sport-specific streaming service, check if they have your favorite game. If not, YouTube has clips of a surprisingly large collection of games. Gregory Ramshaw, an associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at Clemson University, told CNN he plans to spend the hiatus this way. Watch sports docs. Sports documentaries provide helpful context about games of the past and present -- and more often than not, they're more emotionally challenging than a Pixar film. Grab the tissues and turn one on. *Originally posted to CNN.com
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