Beat the boredom: 9 tips to brighten up self isolation for you and your housemates
The vast majority of us are normally busy. Unbelievably busy. So busy we can barely stop to catch our breath. Between working, socialising, exercising the list goes on and is exhausting – we live life at a dangerously fast pace. We often don’t have time to relax, let alone get bored. But our normal routines have been abruptly knocked off orbit with social distancing and isolation. Our diaries are suddenly clear for the foreseeable future and we have already binged half of our watch list on Netflix. See below our compilation of boredom busters!
- Movie Night! Turn the lights down low and indulge in some guilt free binge watching, it’s not often we get to do this. Whether your tapping into your inner cool cat with Netflixs ‘Tiger King’ or taking it way back with Disney +, grab your popcorn, sit back, relax and blame Carol Baskin for the world’s problems.
- Declutter, clean & more decluttering. We are all guilty of hoarding items over the years and not throwing out that God awful top because ‘you never know when it might come in handy’. Now that you’re sitting at home more than usual, it’s the perfect time to get that spring clean done and get your Kim Woodburn on! Follow some cleaning gurus on social media for handy tips & tricks. See the link to check out my personal favourites: https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/gallery/2018112064756/mrs-hinch-cleaning-instagram-accounts/2/
- Become the next master chef! Bring World dishes to your home. Now that we’re all done hoarding the essentials, there’s ZERO excuse as to why you can’t conjure up the best dishes on the table. You finally have the time to fire up a meal in the slow cooker or to try out those tricky recipes that you’ve not quite mastered. Maybe even a Come Dine With Me style competition with your housemates! Missing travelling already? Then take the time to cook a delicious Pad Thai or bring some sunshine into your home with a Greek salad. Make a trip around the world with a different destination dinner each evening!
- Master your favourite cocktails. Now that all bars and restaurants are closed, it’s really time to learn how to make that Pornstar all by yourself. You have the luxury that at home you manage to make your surroundings cosy and ideal for an evening spent sipping on a delicious mojito. Look up the recipes online and create your own cocktail bar from the comfort of your own home. Follow the Tipsy Bartender on Facebook for fun twists on your favourite classics!
- Expand your knowledge with free online courses. Let’s get back to some more serious business. Maybe this is the perfect time to revive your career, learn something new or add extra knowledge. This valuable extra time allows us to get up to speed with topics we were always curious about, but never got the chance to. Some universities offer free online courses, ready to let you dive into a plethora of new knowledge that awaits.
- Grow your own plants, herbs or veggies. Now is the time to be self-sufficient. If you have a garden, get out there and grow yourself some veggies. Struggling for outdoor space? Buy some packets of seeds for growing smaller herbs indoors, like parsley, rosemary or mint. We can almost guarantee that your food will taste ten times better when you have the satisfaction of knowing the herbs were homegrown by yours truly! Here are some tips to get you started: https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/herbs-indoors/8920.html
- Stay fit at home! As if motivating ourselves to actually get off our bums and use our gym memberships wasn’t enough, now we are confined to our living spaces and staying in shape may not seem like the easiest or the most fun thing to do. No, TikTok dances don’t count as exercise. If you are struggling to motivate yourself, fear not as there are also plenty of apps, online resources and YouTube channels to provide you with all you need to do your ‘favourite’ exercises at home. Take part in Joe Wicks daily online classes or follow some fitness pages on Instagram. We recommend Sport England for some great at home workouts. There should be no excuses to be rolling to the pubs when the lockdown is lifted!
- Time to update your travel bucket list. Just because we can’t travel right now, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep the wanderlust alive and start planning for the future. So, plan and map out your next trip! You can make a first effort at learning the local language, researching the cultural hotspots and restaurants or maybe read through online travel blogs to determine your perfect itinerary.
- Brush up on your musical talents. Do you have a keyboard in your house that is mainly taking up space to look good? Or, maybe a guitar propped up in the corner of your room gathering dust. Well, blow off the cobwebs and get practicing! Practice or teach yourself a new musical instrument, everything but ‘Happy Birthday’ on a recorder will suffice.
So there you have it, our top 9 tips on how to beat the boredom and own self isolation! Let us know in the comments section which ideas you’ll be giving a go!
