Federal employees affected by the US government shutdown are turning to social media to share how they’re spending the unexpected free time after being put on temporary leave.

Courteney Bush, who is one of these furloughed federal workers, posts about her daily routine on TikTok for a series she calls “Shutdown Diaries”.

She is not the only federal employee sharing her experience on the app. The hashtag #federalemployees currently has more than 10,000 posts.

“I think it’s just the uncertainty of it that keeps people up at night the most”, Bush told the BBC.

Video filmed and edited by Meiying Wu; produced by Meiying Wu and Madeline Gerber.