Bored At Home? Here's Some Ideas Of What To Do

We have been asked to practice social distancing to try to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 virus. What this means for most of us practically is that we are suddenly at home A LOT. Some people are able to work from home, others are off work, but either way boredom is going to be a problem. I’ve been off work for most of the last year and a half due to chronic conditions, which means I’ve had a lot of practice at this. Let me share with you some of the great things you can do while staying away from other people.

One great way to spend this time is by engaging your brain. You can do this in any number of ways. Reading books is a great option, and considering most of us have a pile of books just waiting for us to read them this seems like a great opportunity to catch up on that. If you like reading on an e-reader then the whole world of publishing is open to you. If you prefer an actual book then you’ll need to work with what you already have or buy books to be delivered to your house.

This would be a great time to start writing that book you’ve always dreamed about. Or to start much, much smaller and try journaling. Journaling can have a surprisingly strong effect on how lonely you feel. It seems counter-intuitive since you are literally only writing to yourself but somehow it does seem to help. Writing can also be a good way to work out your own thoughts and feelings, especially when you don’t have as many opportunities to talk it out with friends.

You can engage your brain in more gamified ways. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, kakuro, kenkens, and other math and logic games can be fun. A quick search through the app store will give you plenty of free options for these sorts of games on your devices and if you still get the paper there are usually at least a few puzzles in each issue.

If you are at home with other people like a partner, roommates, or kids, board games could be a really good way to spend some time. Here in Pittsburgh there is a local game store offering curbside pick up for games so you don’t have to touch any shared surfaces and you only have to interact with one person (Games Unlimited in Squirrel Hill). In addition to all the normal favorites they have a great selection of two player games and jigsaw puzzles. Puzzles are a soothing activity that’s very easy to lose yourself in. You can put on some music or just sit quietly. It can be really lovely.

Another great way to spend some time is watching edu-tainment videos on youtube. Check out PBS, SciShow, Crash Course, Vox, National Geographic or any other topic that interests you. Chances are if you have wondered about something someone else has made a video about it. This is also a great option for kids to learn about new things.

Many outdoor activities are still on the table. You don’t want to come in close contact with other people but that doesn’t mean you can’t go for a walk or a run in your neighborhood, or drive to a nearby park for a hike. Just stay at least two meters away from anyone else you see there. The weather is starting to warm up for spring. If you have a porch to sit on you could bundle up with a cup of tea or coffee and listen to the birds chirping. Where I live there’s a cacophony of birds every morning and in the evenings I can hear the owls hoot in the woods. And I don’t live out in the country either, I live about a mile from the city limits of Pittsburgh so you might be surprised by what you can hear.

If you have a yard this is a great time for gardening or yard work. My garden has never had this great of a head start. I’ve planted my earliest spring crops already (peas, spinach, etc…) and started some seedlings inside. You can get a lot of the supplies online and have them delivered to your house. If you have a place to do a campfire that’s a wonderful way to spend some time. In fact I’m writing this sitting in my backyard by a campfire with a nice cup of tea. You can walk around your yard picking up all the sticks that have fallen over winter and then burn them in your campfire (please burn responsibly, we don’t need any extra forest fires right now). And remember that campfires don’t have to be at night time. I love cozying up to a campfire in the morning with my coffee and watching the sun rise.

Personally I’m trying to spend some time outside every day if I can. Being outdoors is good for my mental and physical health. If you want more information on why it’s a good idea to get outside regularly see my blog post: Being in Nature is Good For You-Even in Winter.

Let’s not forget about creative expression. Some people have more artistic skills than others but we all need to express ourselves in some way or another. If you are less artistically inclined try coloring books. You can even find free pages online to print and color. If you play an instrument now is a great time to practice. If your neighbors are down, you could even do it with the windows open or on the porch so the neighborhood can enjoy the music. This sort of thing is happening in Italy right now and it really seems to boost morale. If you don’t play an instrument you can always listen to music.

For me cooking is in many ways a form of artistic expression. Right now I’m trying not to go to the grocery store more than absolutely necessary so I’ve been working very hard not to waste any food. The other night I made a soup with beet stems in place of celery and beet leaves wilted in like spinach. It was delicious and I had a lot of fun learning how to use those parts of the beet.

It’s important to find ways to have meaningful interactions with people over the phone or internet since you aren’t able to see them in person. Humans are a social species. Even the most introverted person needs at least some human contact. Call you family and friends. Do facetimes and show each other what you’ve been doing to fill the time. Ask questions about things you don’t know about. If you are trying to garden for example you probably have a friend who already gardens and might know all about it. Of course you could look it up online but it might be worthwhile to take the opportunity to interact in a meaningful way with someone in your life that you aren’t going to be able to spend time with face to face for a while.

Then there is spring cleaning. What a great opportunity to clean the house up. You can finally catch up on all your laundry and dishes. Public health officials are already recommending you disinfect often touched surfaces like door knobs, light switches, and faucet handles. Why not keep going while you are at it!

And lastly, there’s more movies and television shows available to stream than any one person could possibly watch. Enlist your friends for recommendations if you’re not sure what to watch next. You can look into something called Netflix Party if you’d like to watch shows at the same time as friends and have a chat going about it. Or find a ‘100 best movies’ list and work your way through it.

There are so many worthwhile things to do while you are staying home. Be intentional about staying in contact with friends and family via phones and the internet and try to find ways to enjoy this forced slow down. Resting is important and good. I know it’s frustrating because you did not choose this for yourself but try to make the most of the situation you find yourself in.