A global pandemic, constant quarantines, country-wide lockdowns. Then followed by anxiety, loneliness, existential thoughts, frustration. The norm of 2020 is quite bizarre and difficult to accept. It’s all so overwhelming that it be really difficult to make your quarantine productive. But among others, podcast creators have been using their creativity to help listeners get through these strange times. These quarantine podcasts have save us all during these uncertain times. So, to help our readers, we’ve decided to make a list of our podcast picks for the pandemic.

Some new podcasts had experts helping listeners through various issues, and some well-established ones experimented with pandemic topics. Make your extended alone time at home interesting with our picks of pop-up pandemic podcasts.

1. Our Plague Year

Now, this had to be the first of our podcast picks for the pandemic. The creator describes this current-events pop-up podcast as “an experiment in public anxiety.” The talks on Our Plague Year offer peeks into the lives of regular people living through quarantines and lockdowns, helping listeners survive the pandemic together. As the podcast bio states, “it’s a scary year, but it doesn’t have to be scary alone.” This is one of those quarantine podcasts that is a great way to draw comfort in many spaces.

Host: Joseph Fink

2. Introverts Guide to The Good Life

If you’re an introvert, this would be one of the best quarantine podcasts for you. This podcast always talked about the different types of social (and home) lives, mostly from introverts’ perspectives. Once the quarantines started cases of loneliness and anxiety increased. So, as a result, Nerdette released related episodes on the Introvert’s Guide to The Good Life podcast. This is for introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between. They teach how to deal with isolation challenges like working from home successfully and living with roommates or family, and also include some optimistic advice.

Hosts: Phil Rickaby and Jess McAuley

3. Science Vs

Science Vs’s specialty has always been Debunking myths and offering well-researched scientific explanations in layman’s terms. When the coronavirus broke out, the team wasted no time in collecting questions and giving the listeners the correct fact-based answers. The questions range from “Do I disinfect EVERYTHING?” to “Was it made in a lab?” to “Protesting in a pandemic.” On every episode, you can listen to different experts talking about what they know best. So, make your quarantine intellectually productive with this podcast!

Creator: Gimlet

4. Home Cooking

All we had were the odd collection of kitchen rations when the first lockdown was announced. Our creativity in the kitchen has been tested extensively during these weeks in quarantine. So, chef Samin Nosrat took questions on Home Cooking podcast and suggested delicious recipes that use the bare minimum. Listeners found easy recipes and answers to their individual tricky situation. For example, one caller had a vegan roommate and a meat-loving partner. While another had stocked a massive quantity of beans. The episodes are also full of ridiculous puns and infectious laughter! Trust us when we say this is one of the best quarantine podcasts out there! So, make your quarantine productive with Samin Nosrat!

Hosts: Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway

Related: 10 Life Lessons That The Art Of Cooking Taught Us

5. The Kids Are All…Home

True to its name, The Kids Are All…Home is exactly what parents of young children are looking for. These episodes are made for children – to keep them entertained and their imaginations active. The creators describe the podcast aptly as a “podcast for kids with nothing to do, by kids with nothing to do.” So, the episodes explore the creativity of kids with the help of wacky questions (and wackier answers), made-up scenarios, derailing conversations, and more. This is certainly the most creative one on our list of podcast picks for the pandemic. So, make your kids’ make your quarantine productive with this podcast!

Creator: Pineapple Street Studios

Related: Are you about to move in with someone who has kids? Read about What You Have to Talk About Before Co-Living With Kids.

6. The Distance: Coronavirus Dispatches

Full of stories from across the world, this podcast is a collection of vastly varying experiences. The personal stories on Coronavirus Dispatches include a diverse set of people who talk about the extraordinary issues they’re dealing with in ordinary ways. So, listen to how ER nurse Katy working at a refugee camp was stranded in Iraq. Or how Mistress Eva from Bali took her dominatrix craft online. Or how journalist Rayan sees a pandemic lockdown merging with a political lockdown in Kashmir.

Creator: VICE

Related: How To Be Kind To Your Coworkers Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic

Here are some more pop-up podcasts inspired by the coronavirus pandemic we recommend: Telescope, Masters of Scale: Rapid Response, Checking in With Susan David, and Small Triumph, Big Speech.

D’you know what else Roomi does outside of helping its readers find the best podcasts to listen to during the pandemic? With our ever-increasing lists of rooms and roommates across the world, we help you find your perfect match! Download the app here and hop on the easiest ride home, ever!