What Introverts Like To Do For Fun

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It has come to my attention that, suddenly, in the year 2020, people are genuinely curious as to what introverts do for fun. It seems that they sincerely want to know what we do with all of the time we spend at home, and how we don't get bored on the weekends when we opt to stay home instead of going out. It is no longer a rhetorical question when we get asked what we do for fun, everyone actually wants to listen. Interesting. But you know what? As someone who has been an introvert for as long as I could remember, I'm happy to share some insider information with those who are genuinely curious.

Listen, despite my sass, I'm nervous about the current situation going on around the world too, so I know you need a distraction. I know you need something to keep your mind occupied. So if you can find even a little bit of joy in any of my favorite at-home activities, then it's worth it to share them. And if you're reading this in the future when the craziness has all blown over, and you just happen to be stuck at home for some reason, or you're just curious, then I still hope you find something that you might enjoy!

13 Fun Things To Do When You're Feeling Icky

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It happens to all of us at some point in our lives; we get sick. We've all had those days where we have felt like total crap, and we didn't want to do very much. Let's be real, with some ailments, we can't do much of anything. It's hard to even sit on the couch and watch Netflix when you're running to the bathroom every 30 minutes with a stomach bug, just saying. If you're feeling particularly icky, it's better to just rest. But what if you're just feeling a little under the weather? I'll be real with you, I'm not going to just stay in bed over seasonal allergies. I usually don't even stay home over a cold, I'll just cough into my elbow or sneeze into a tissue to avoid spreading it. Even when I'm feeling crappy enough to stay home, as long as I'm feeling functional, I still want to do something with my day, even if that something is playing The Sims all day.

All of that being said, because I'm writing this as the COVID-19 outbreak is escalating in North America (and most of the world), we're being advised to stay home if we're unwell. Even if we're just feeling a little under the weather. I'm not going to go on and on about the coronavirus, as I am not an expert on it, but even if you know you just have a cold, it's not a bad idea to avoid putting any further stress on your immune system. You don't want to risk catching anything else at the same time. Besides, it's actually better to let your body rest so that it can focus on getting better, and you can start feeling better sooner. I mean, who wouldn't want to feel better quicker? Even if you're not feeling horrible, it's still not fun to have a cold, or any ailment, regardless of how minor.

But once again, I know that you probably don't want to just stay in bed all day with the sniffles or a slight cough.  If you're anything like me, you want to feel productive or have a little bit of fun, not be bored out of your mind watching daytime television on the couch and aimlessly scrolling social media. While it is necessary to be gentle with yourself when you're not feeling your best, there are still some things you can do so that you don't feel like you're just wasting your day away.

14 Beautiful Things About Online Friendships

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I would like to dedicate this post to all of my online friends. Thank you all for being so amazing! As someone who wasn't exactly popular in school, and has always had a hard time making friends in real life, social media has actually been quite a blessing for me. Not only has it made it easier for me to make friends, in general, but it has made it possible for me to connect with people that I have a lot in common with from all over the world. As a matter of fact, I actually have a deeper connection with some of my online friends than I do with anybody that I know in real life. I am sure that many people who have close friends that they've met through the internet can relate to this to some degree. Online friends are sincerely a blessing.

Although maybe we should call them long-distance friends, as I honestly consider a lot of my online friends to be my real-life friends. Even though they might live father away, and we might not have met in person, it doesn't make the friendship any less real. I honestly wish that older people would understand this! But whatever you choose to call them, we should all take a moment to appreciate the beauty of online friendships, because they are absolutely something special.

How To Be An Optimist In A Pessimistic World

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I like to consider myself to be an optimist, as I am sure that most dreamers do. I always believe that things will work out as they should, and even if they don't pan out exactly as I'd like them to, I still try to look for the positive in the situation. I can't always say that this is easy, and sometimes the good can still be a hard pill to swallow. Admittedly, I'm also a little bit of an idealist, so it can be hard to accept when not everyone is happy, and things didn't pan out the way that they would in a movie. I also have to admit that when bad things happen, whether to me or in the world, it can also get me down quite a bit. I am quick to become emotionally invested in something, whether it directly involved me or not. Heck, it doesn't even have to affect me, or anyone I know personally, at all, and I can still be emotionally invested in it. It's actually a bit of a mood-killing habit for me because if you haven't noticed, things in the world aren't exactly great right now, and the realist in me knows that, unfortunately, it isn't going to all change by tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. But the thing is, being an optimist doesn't necessarily mean always being happy. Nor does it mean that you never have negative thoughts.

Being an optimist doesn't mean being oblivious to the negative. Nor does it mean ignorantly believing that everything in the world is just peachy and that tomorrow everyone will wake up wanting to be the best versions of themselves, and everyone in the world will all join hands singing Kumbaya, figuratively speaking. It doesn't mean believing that everything will have a fairy tale ending or that there won't be any hardships along the way. Optimism isn't the belief that life is perfect, or even can be perfect. Optimism is recognizing the negative and acknowledging it but choosing to look at the positives. It is choosing to continuously work towards living your goals and not throwing in the towel at the first sign of trouble. Optimism is making an effort to create a positive life for yourself and those around you.

Unfortunately, but understandably, not everyone is an optimist. For the longest time, I was more of a pessimist myself. I'll be honest, I still have pessimistic thoughts from time to time. It's only human. Especially when you're constantly being bombarded with negativity. But it is possible to be an optimist, no matter what your situation may be. And it is possible to change your mindset if you sincerely want to.