10 Ideas to Fight Boredom While You’re Stuck At Home
With all of the unprecedented bad news out there, it’s easy to fall into a state of fear and negativity. I have even found myself getting sucked into the doom and gloom. But then I started thinking, we’ve gone from living a crazy busy life of commuting to work, shuffling kids around to school and events, eating junk food on the run to a major halt of life. We will now spend time at home with ourselves and/or our families. Instead of gluing ourselves to the TV, or worrying about the “what ifs” or sleeping the day away, I’ve come up with 10 ideas to fight boredom while you’re stuck at home.
While I am in no way trying to make light of this current concern, I believe we can still find some silver lining in this dark cloud. For the first time in a long time, we have time to do things we normally have no time for. We can use this time to focus on what really matters.
Play games with your family.
Too often we don’t spend enough quality time with our families. We’ve become so accustomed to rushing around in different directions. If we’re lucky, we might get to sit down together for a quick fast food dinner before someone has to rush off. Any downtime is probably spent with people’s nose buried in their smartphone, right?
Instead, use this precious time wisely to reconnect on a personal level with your family. Let your kids laugh at you as you try out their favorite video game. Play an old fashioned board game, or a game of cards together. Put the phones AWAY for a couple of hours. It’s all bad news right now anyway. Let’s our kids that even in uncertain times, we can still respond positively and remain calm.
Go camping in unincorporated areas.
Camping is one of the things you can do when you’re stuck at home, mainly because you don’t HAVE to be stuck at home and you’ll still be isolated from others. Win-win!
*If your area has a shelter in place order, PLEASE stay at home and skip over this idea for now.*
Public campsites may be closed, but find open spaces near you to “rough it” with just your tent, food, and a campfire. There’s nothing more soothing than being out in nature, looking up at the stars as you warm yourself by the fire.
If we are going to have to live without some of life’s conveniences, might as well enjoy the isolation of nature in the mountains or country. It’s the perfect way to ground yourself in nature again.
Start a vegetable garden.
Another idea to cure boredom while you’re stuck at home is to start a vegetable garden. That way you will won’t have to deal with rushing to the grocery store only to find the aisles bare. Gardening will give you something else to focus on, and get you out in the sunshine. It’s also a great teaching tool for younger kids.
Not to mention, you can share any excess produce with friends and neighbors. I’m sure they’d appreciate the gesture.
Bake your own breads.
Since bread seems to be a hard commodity to come by, why not make your own? I’ve been searching for it in the stores for the past 3 days! No bread anywhere. What happened to all the gluten-free peeps?? LOL!
There’s nothing better than a house filled with the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven. And many of us now have the extra time on our hands to try it out. The best thing about it is that yours will have all natural ingredients, unlike most breads you buy in the store.
Give your house a deep cleaning.
Last week was the start of the Spring season, so you know what that means? Spring cleaning time! Now’s the time to give your home a really good cleaning and clear out all that old clutter.
It will help take your mind off of the worries, and focus on something productive. I know I always feel a sense of relief when my house looks and smells really clean. Don’t you? Plus, if your family is home now, you can enlist them to help!
Make a plan to get in shape.
# 6 of the list of 10 ideas to fight boredom while you’re stuck at home is to get in shape.
I remember driving to work every morning being envious of people who were able to go for a morning jog. Now we can do it, too! The gyms may be closed, but you can still take a walk or run. Workout indoors with some online programs from Beachbody or Les Mills.
Depending on how long this isolation period lasts (hopefully not too long), you could surprise your coworkers by being a few pounds lighter when you go back to work! In addition, exercise and a healthy diet are the key to a strong immune system.
If you need help coming up with an easy way to plan out healthy meals that will minimize your prep and shopping time, check out the plan that helped me create 25 simple healthy meals only cooking 2 times a week.
Start that home improvement project.
Now’s the perfect time to tackle that home improvement project you’ve been putting off. Even something as small as painting a room could have an uplifting effect on your mood. I may not enjoy the actual PROCESS of painting. But I feel great when I look around my renewed space!
Maybe there’s a few small repairs or fixes you just haven’t had the time to fix. You can definitely scratch those off the list now.
Sign up for a delivery service.
The stores and restaurants are in desperate need of drivers and shoppers right now. This could be your lifeline if your work hours have been cut at your regular job. I pick up grocery deliveries on occasion, and lately the available batches have EXPLODED! Many people are earning over $300 a day! It will keep you busy and get you out of the house.
As an added result, you’ll feel good knowing you are providing a vital service to those who need it most during this time.
Find online classes or how-to videos.
Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to learn, but never had the time? Another great way to fight boredom while you’re stuck at home is to learn a new skill. This would be the perfect opportunity to take an online course.
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to do something, there are tons of videos and blogs out there to teach you how to make almost anything. My fiance, my son, and I made an outdoor loveseat I found on Pinterest. It was our first woodworking project, so needless to say it didn’t come out perfect. But it still works, and it looks great on our back porch. We should have filmed the process, it was like an episode of the 3 Stooges! 🙂
Finally, STAY POSITIVE!
Last but not least, on the list of 10 ideas to fight boredom while you’re stuck at home is to focus on positive thoughts. I know this easier said than done, especially if you’ve lost your job. Or worse, maybe you’ve come down with an illness. But try to remember that things WILL get better. It might feel like a very long wait, but nothing is permanent.
The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to be as calm and lighthearted as you can, while still being realistic. Stay away from social media and the news except to get critical updates. Remember that not everything that is out there is true. Get your information from reliable sources.
Find ways to keep yourself productive, and check on others that may be feeling lonely. Technology allows us to video chat with each other, so take advantage of that so that you stay connected.
Most importantly, I hope you and your loved ones stay safe, healthy, and happy!
Take care until next time!
