So you’re stuck at home, all your future plans have been cancelled and you’ve successfully watched almost everything on Netflix! We think there are enough news articles about how stressful and worrying this time is, so we’re here to put on a positive spin! Being confined to your home doesn’t mean you have to be bored and we’re here to give you 17 things you can do at home during social distancing!
Do A Deep Clean Of The House
Since you’re going to be spending a lot of time at home anyway, now’s the perfect time to give it a good ol’ clean. When was the last time you cleaned inside your kitchen cupboards or dusted those hard to reach surfaces? This is a great mindless activity that can bring a sense of normality back to your life. Want something to listen to in the background to keep you motivated? We’d recommend an uplifting playlist or a funny podcast.
Complete An Ultimate Puzzle
Did you get a puzzle for Christmas that you’ve been putting off completing? Or perhaps you’re craving to do something with your hands that’s not biting your nails with worry? Whether you’re on your own or have someone to help you, putting together a puzzle is a great productive distraction, and you’ll get the satisfaction of completing it when you’re done. Perhaps start out with something simple if puzzles are new to you, but the bigger the puzzle and better the result!
Virtually Volunteer
There are so many ways you can help your local community, even if you’re counting your pennies or want to stay indoors. The COVID-19 Mutual Aid is a group of volunteers supporting local community groups during this pandemic and giving them any help needed, whether it’s to help make an online food order or have a reassuring phone call. This can be a difficult time for people that live alone and sometimes one phone call with another person can make their day.
Make Something Crafty
Whether it’s painting, drawing, knitting or sewing, being stuck at home is a great opportunity to learn a new skill and even get something to wear or display at the end! There’s lots of paint by numbers sheets available to print and this can be a great thing to do with the kids too or for those that want a bit more direction in all this chaos! YouTube is another obvious source if you’re looking to learn how to draw something specific or finally sew on that missing button from your favourite jumper! We’d also suggest trying out knitting your own quilt to keep you warm and feeling secure.
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Lewisham Clock Tower SE13 - Giclée Art Print
Experiment With New Recipes
With supermarkets being picked clean, you may have had to alter your weekly shop and buy things that aren’t usually on your list. We think this is a great excuse to try a new recipe and break out of your culinary comfort zone. BBC Good Food and other sites have thousands of recipes to choose from to try. You can even batch cook these and freeze them into portion-size containers, perfect for a quick fix for those evenings you don’t feel like cooking.
Photo credit: Maarten van den Heuvel
Organise A Skype Party And Get In Touch With Old Friends
Being stuck indoors can be turned into a good thing, as sites like Skype are there to help us stay connected to people. If you’re missing your Friday night club sessions, get all your closest friends in a Skype call, blast your favourite tunes and have a virtual dance party! Whilst you’re on Skype anyway, remember to check in with your friends that live further away or even overseas to have a good catch up with them too.
Virtual Book or Film Club
So you’ve finally picked up that giant book you kept telling yourself you didn’t have time to read: make it more fun and read with a friend! It can be hard to Skype with friends and find something to talk about that’s not the pandemic, so we’d recommend setting up a virtual book or film club to discuss those films and books you’ve been meaning to get to. Some big books you could start with can be J R R Tolkien’s ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ for some fantasy escapism or marathon a long film series like Harry Potter or even all the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Either way, they’ll be lots to discuss!
Exercise Videos and Yoga
It’s easy to start feeling sluggish when you can’t go outside, luckily, there are hundreds of exercise videos to keep you moving! Maintaining an exercise routine can also release endorphins to boost your mood and keep you feeling positive and energised. You can even take this a step further and do an exercise class with a friend over Skype! By using the site Watch2Gether, you can watch synced Youtube videos with your friends. Looking for something more meditative and relaxing? There are also countless yoga videos to stay at peace.
DIY Projects
Go further with sprucing up your home and try a DIY project! Whether it’s finally fixing a wonky table or a room you want to paint a different colour, making these big and small changes can help to lift your mood and feel more cosy in your home. We’d recommend perhaps painting some of your rooms a light and brighter colour or buying some IKEA furniture to tackle building with the family.
Creative Writing or Journaling
When you have a million thoughts swirling in your head, it often helps to write them down. Journaling can be very calming and therapeutic, whether it’s to document your thoughts diary-style or do some creative writing to take your mind off reality. Want to push yourself even further and try a bigger project? Have a go at writing your own novel or screenplay! If you write a play, you may be able to encourage your family to perform it too!
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Writing and Posting A Letter
In this time of isolation, we can be thankful the internet and video chatting exists, but this could also be a great time to go back to basics and write a letter! Taking the time to write by hand can be quite peaceful and is a great way to connect with your older family members that feel daunted when it comes to using video chat. You can even get creative and start a long distance pictionary game or send back and forth little creative writing tasks you can share with your pen pal.
Organise Your Garage/ Trash Room
Whether it’s a draw, a garage or an entire room, everyone has somewhere that all the miscellaneous things and nick nacks go, so why not spend the extra time giving it a good sort and organise! You may even find some hidden treasures that you had forgotten about and spend some valuable time looking through old memories.
Make A Scrapbook
It can be difficult to be separated from your loved ones or hard to remember when times were better. If you’re looking for a project to keep your mind occupied, try making a scrapbook or photo album! Taking a look back at happier memories can remind us that these hard times will pass and can remind us how important it is to hold our loved ones close.
Indoor and Outdoor Treasure Hunt
Since the kids will be spending more time at home, one way to entertain them is having a treasure hunt! Whether you can do this outside in your garden or inside, you can hide random objects or toys around the house to keep your children busy on a scavenger hunt. Still wanting to get into the Easter spirit? Make it an Easter egg hunt and hide eggs around the house to get a chocolaty treat!
Rearrange The Furniture In Any Room
Another way to keep things interesting whilst stuck at home is to rearrange the furniture in your house! Even a simple change like moving your bed to a different spot in your room can make you feel more productive, giving you a fresh start. If you’ve got kids to entertain, try pushing your sofas together and creating a blanket fort! Perfect for stress-free, cosy evenings.
Build That Lego Set You’ve Been Putting Off
If you like your puzzles more 3D, then have a go at building a Lego set! As you can imagine, Lego has thousands of sets to choose from, from simple designs to epic creations. This is a great activity to keep your kids busy too if you are living the ‘work from home life’. Building a set can be a great way to distract your hands and your mind, plus you’ll be able to display your beautiful creation in your house once you’re done!
Focus On Self Care
Last, and perhaps most importantly, look after yourself! Little things like doing a face mask or pouring yourself a warming cup of herbal tea is a great way to carve out some quality time to relax and switch off, even if it's only for an hour or two. Other therapeutic self care things you can do are taking a bath, painting your nails, colouring, using a YouTube video for meditation and anything that makes you feel at peace.
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