Right now, we’re living in a crazy time of our lives that’s left a lot of us more confused, worried, and frankly bored than ever. Even though times are scary and uncertain, it’s such a crucial time to keep our spirits up for the sake of our mental and physical well-being. You don’t have to let lockdown be a prison sentence, in fact right now may be a better time than ever for personal discovery, getting things done, and having some fun at home (outside of catching up on Netflix shows). Here’s a list of ideas to get you started on keeping yourself busy and happy while stuck at home, and if you have more great ideas to add, share your ideas in the comments below!
1. Exercise (Even If You Don’t Have a Home Gym)
Getting exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy and boost your mood, but you don’t have to have a home gym, or really any exercise equipment at all, to stay active at home. YouTube is a great resource for free at-home exercise classes that I’ve been making lots of use of lately. POPSUGAR Fitness is just one of hundreds of fitness channels available, but I love that they have a huge variety of classes like kickboxing, yoga, and my personal favorite, dance fitness. If you do want to stock your home with some basic exercise equipment, jump ropes, dumbbells, and resistance bands are inexpensive options that you can pick up online.
2. Clean, Organize, and Decorate Your Space
I know cleaning may not sound like the most fun way to spend your time, but getting your house extra clean and organized can be really good for mental clarity and mood boosting, so why not give it a try? At Home With Nikki is a highly rated YouTube channel for home organization tips, but there are tons of other options to check out, like the famous Marie Kondo, who has a popular Netflix show and a collection of books on the subject. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about where to start with cleaning and organizing, I’d recommend starting with one room at a time, going through your belongings, and creating a pile of items that you want to get rid of (donate if you can). Once you’ve gone through each room, you can start in on organizing, and finally finishing the job by detail cleaning (dusting, scrubbing, vacuuming, etc.). Finally, if you’re feeling ambitious about decorating but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, check out Mr. Kate’s YouTube playlist that’s all about decorating rooms for under $300.
3. Create Some Artwork
Arts and crafts is one of the most stress-relieving and fun activities I can think of while stuck at home, and you definitely don’t have to be Picasso to enjoy creating. You may have heard of Paint and Sip classes, which are painting classes led by an instructor that guides you through creating a specific painting step by step (all while drinking), but it turns out there are a ton of free Paint and Sip classes on YouTube ranging from beginner to expert level. You may also remember Paint by Number from childhood, but there are actually tons of adult-level Paint by Number canvases that you can create, like Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night. Pinterest is another great source of inspiration for finding fun art projects to try. There are a lot of options when it comes to arts and crafts, so do some exploring and find something that you really enjoy.
The ideas listed above are some of my personal favorites for staying busy at home, but here are some more ideas that might spark your interest:
- Take singing lessons online (Skillshare has a free trial)
- Take other online courses (Skillshare and Linkedin Learning have tons of options, and both have free trials)
- Read some books (ebooks are perfect for the times)
- Try cooking some new recipes (Cookie and Kate and Pinch of Yum are great food blogs)
- Have a pampering/spa day (mani/pedi, face mask, bubble bath with your favorite wine/beer/whatever, maybe even convince your roomie to give you a massage?)
- Learn to play the ukulele
- Organize/create playlists on Spotify (you could create the perfect playlist for that huge party you’re throwing when lockdown is over)
- Listen to podcasts (Spotify has those too)
- Have a “night out” (make a fancy dinner, have some drinks, turn on some music and dance like you’re having a night on the town)
- Have a game night (Loaded Questions, Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, and Taboo are some of my favorites)
- Try some hair and makeup tutorials (check out YouTube and Pinterest for ideas and inspiration)
- Learn a new language (Duolingo has free lessons on a number of languages)
- Get outside (I know there may be some limitations right now, but getting some fresh air on a walk or bike ride can do wonders)
- Have a movie marathon with some of your favorites
- Do some writing, blogging, or journaling
- Try out your green thumb
- Have a Zoom hangout with friends and family
I hope you find some enjoyment out of these ideas, and if you have more ideas to share, drop a comment below and let us know about them!