I’ve got to be honest, I prefer looking at is as being ‘Safe at Home”, but does the idea of being stuck at home fill you with dread? I’ve got some great ideas for things to do when you are stuck at home, whatever may be keeping you there.
There are times in our lives when we may find ourselves unable to get out and about as we’d like to. With the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us may have to stay in for a long time, even if we are well. I love cosying up at home, but even I have to admit that weeks and weeks of it could get a little wearing.
For many of us, day to day life hasn’t really changed that much, except that we can’t go out – so it isn’t like we have a huge amount of extra time. However if you do have time to spare, these ideas for things to do when you are stuck at home can help keep you interested and engaged until life gets back to normal again. They are a great way to help yourself thrive in difficult times.
Having said all that, with the challenges we are all facing, some of us may feel like we want to do a lot, and some of us may feel like we really just want to get through this time. So remember these are only ideas, not a suggestion that you should be busy all the time, nor that there is anything you ‘should’ be doing. This is new territory for us all, and there is no right or wrong way to navigate it.
Things To Do When You Are Stuck at Home
Catch up with a friend
Loneliness can be a real issue, especially in a pandemic. However, we don’t have to meet in person to enjoy each others’ company. With FaceTime and Skype you can arrange restorative catch ups, virtual cups of tea, or inspiring mini mastermind meetings with friends or colleagues.
When our trip to the US earlier this month didn’t happen, I had a ‘virtual cup of tea’ Skype call with a friend in the Bay Area. We had a lovely chat and it was really great to connect. For the past year or so I have also had a monthly ‘mini mastermind’ meetings with a dear friend in Toronto. We discuss our daily lives as well as our businesses, coaching and encouraging one another. This sort of thing works really well if there is a period of time when you can’t interact in person with friends and colleagues.
Of course, you can also reach out by email or letter. Having said that, you may prefer to have someone virtually ‘in the room’ with you if you are looking for things to do when you are stuck at home.
Start or devote some more time to a journal
We may think the minutiae of our days are not interesting, but I would absolutely love to discover a journal written by one of my relatives in years gone by. Not only does journaling give us a vehicle to record our thoughts, feelings and events, it also is a valuable historic record. A Gratitude Journal, in which you record 5 things you are grateful for each day, is also a very good idea for helping you to keep your happiness levels up.
Create a challenge
Creating an at home challenge for yourself, or participating in one with friends, can be a lot of fun if you are looking for things to do when you are stuck at home. Lots of people try doing cookbook challenges of various kinds. (Obviously cooking for others is not something you should do if you are actually infected with the COVID-19 virus or self-quarantining, unless you are cooking only for yourself.)
There’s the Julie and Julia style challenge where you cook every single recipe in one cookbook, or a more relaxed approach where you cook one recipe from one of your cookbooks every single week. The length of the latter is of course determined by how many cookbooks you own, but based on my experience, most people have quite a few – and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want an excuse to buy or borrow more. You could also join an online cookbook club like the Rainy Day Bites Group.
Another way to thrive in difficult times is to expand your horizons through reading. Join a Reading Challenge, online book club or make a reading list of books or audiobooks for the next few months of your own. You could make a themed list, books written by a particular author or in a particular genre, or just a selection of books you have always wanted to read.
Puzzles, board games, podcasts, movies you want to watch (or re-watch) and crafts are all great things to build challenges round as well. They can be a challenges you take on individually or with family and friends either virtually or in real life.
Be flexible with the time scales on any challenges you undertake. You don’t want to make yourself feel bad for not achieving goals when you are trying to nurture yourself!
Tackle an enjoyable task you’ve been meaning to do
If we are having to spend more time at home, then this is the perfect time to tackle those tasks we simply haven’t had time to get to. I don’t mean tasks we may find unpleasant like decluttering or filing (although of course you could use the opportunity to do those too). What I am thinking more of is fun tasks we have been wanting to do but simply haven’t had time for.
For example, you could organise and make digital copies of your old photographs. I have box-fulls of photographs dating from the early 1900’s all the way up to the present time tucked away in my cupboards. There are many different apps available depending on your needs. I use Photomyne, an iPhone app to scan my old photos.
It’s also possible to convert slides to digital files using an app for your phone or a portable scanner you can use at home. Consider using the digital versions of your old photographs to make photo books gifts for family and friends. That way you are not only getting organised, but you get to be creative too.
If you have a collection of old family recipes, you could also work on collating them. I’m working on a cookbook of family recipes which I hope to have published on a wider scale, but if you are thinking of something just for family and friends, this idea looks interesting.
Learn something new
Expanding out experience and learning is an excellent way to thrive in difficult times. There are tons of online courses available in just about every field. Learn to bake sourdough bread, take a creative writing course, learn flower arranging, up your photography game, study creative lettering, drawing or painting. The possibilities are endless.
There are so many things to do when you are stuck at home
While being stuck at home can be stressful, particularly if you aren’t feeling well, I hope these ideas will help you find ways to enjoy yourself and feel creative too. Always be sure to follow medical advice about which activities are appropriate if you are ill. Take care and stay well, my friends!
Comments & Reviews
These are all great ideas. I love the idea of starting a challenge. How fun!!
Thank you, Michelle 🙂
Great ideas, April. We are sticking at home more this week and over the next few months by the looks of things. Thanks for linking up to Feel Good Friday. I hope you can join me at Motivational Monday on my Fashion blog today too 🙂
Thank you, Claire! Take care and stay well 🙂
Great ideas April, I’m going to be working on my photography skills!
Thank you, Leslie! I was thinking of doing a course to help me improve my iPhone photography 🙂 I’m taking a short free webinar on doing more video tomorrow which I’m excited about!
Thanks for all the great tips. We had been curtailing, but now we are HOME.. I live on the beach, so I do try to spend a few hours a day reading on the beach. Somehow the day goes quickly, but the nights are long.
I’m so glad they resonated with you, Judee! How lovely to live on the beach. The days do seem to be flying by here too. I must admit, I am really looking forward to dinners with my husband. He’s working at home now, and although we are together all day, it’s lovely to actually sit down together and catch up properly. Take care and stay well!
Thank you for this post, we need to remain calm and focus on things we do have control over, so why not take the time to accomplish things we have been putting off. I know I have plenty to do. It keeps my mind off what the world is dealing with. Stay well, my friend!
Thank you, Karren! We really do need to stay calm and focus. I’m finding a routine very helpful too. Take care, my friend!
A very positive spin on being homebound. It really is an eye opener to see how much more time we have to spend. It’s such an opportunity. I think people focus on what they can’t so when they can focus on what they can. I made a list of some of the little things I’ve had on the back burner–cleaning out closets, the crawl space, organizing my photos, etc. Even taking more time for myself-bathes instead of showers, painting my toenails. This is the perfect time to shut out the noise and get back to our families. I know it can be lonely for those who are alone, but I hope everyone can find something positive out of this time.
Thank you for your beautiful comment, Pamela. You are so right, this really will bring things into focus. I’m hoping to come out of this fitter and stronger than before I went in, with a much more organised home!
I hope we will be able to help those living alone to be less lonely with some of the technology and programmes that are being put in place to support them. I’m relieved to see that people are pulling together on some levels to support neighbours and friends without family. The British government are particularly concerned about the mental health of our population, and I hope this will be reflected worldwide. I too truly hope everyone can find something positive out of this time. There are a lot of things I won’t take for granted ever again, that is for sure. Take care and stay well!
Very nice ideas, April! I find being separated from my grandchildren the hardest. We do video conferences and chat online but it is not the same. I’ll do anything to stay healthy and keep them the same so the sacrifice is worth it. I’m keeping busy otherwise–there is always something to do around the home 😉
Thank you, Pat. It must be very difficult indeed being separated from family. I’m grateful we can all connect digitally but as you say, it isn’t the same. It definitely will be worth it to stay well though. Take care. Thinking of you.