3 Ways to Cure Your At-Home Boredom During Quarantine

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By Rebecca Fending

At this point, a majority of us are struggling to enjoy our time cooped up in our houses. And even though businesses in Florida are beginning to reopen with new health procedures (including restaurants opening to 25 percent capacity), many folks are still wary about being back in the public. So, how can you occupy yourself at home? Here are just a few ideas for curing your housebound boredom.

Escape for a While

For some, their passion stems from a hobby they took up when they had nothing else to do. Whether it’s painting, volunteering or educating yourself on a number of topics you’ve always been curious about, try to leave your comfort zone. It may be intimidating at first, but diving head first into any project or topic is a great way to exercise your mind, the place where your boredom stems.

The New York Times published an article in which they denote the different ways you can easily occupy yourself at home through writing. When all you need is a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper, or even your computer, iPad or smartphone, writing is one of the easiest and inexpensive ways to get your gears turning and escape from the world for a while.

The Times article describes that you can write in any style from journaling (i.e. talking about your daily thoughts) to creative writing. Journaling can be especially therapeutic during times such as a pandemic because not only is it a self-sufficient activity, but it helps to organize a chaotic and anxious mind in a constructive way. Plus, keeping a journal with frequent entries can act as an interesting time capsule for either you or someone else to stumble upon in the future.

With more creative endeavors such as creative writing, many people tend to experience a phenomenon referred to as “flow“. Flow is the sensation of losing track of time and place as you become enraptured with your creative project. Talk about therapy, flow whisks you away for hours at a time, making the day fly by while exercising and enveloping your mind with peace all at the same time. What better way to spend the day than creating and escaping for the cost of a ballpoint pen?

The Great Outdoors

With summer quickly approaching, it’s the perfect time to get out of the house and enjoy the sun and warm temperatures. We’ve talked of the benefits that come with sun exposure (like producing vitamin D), but getting outside has a number of boredom-curing elements to it, as well. Activities like gardening or general landscaping for your home is a great way to both invest into your house, pass some time and give you a sense of accomplishment. Whether you’re potting flowers or building a planter box for your own Victory Garden, being outside and getting your hands dirty is a great way to escape from the doom-and-gloom of news shared online or television.

The outdoors is great for a multitude of other activities, like bird watching. Whether you take a walk to a more active bird area or are able to watch from your sun-room, seeing what birds you can spot and watching their behavior can be a great afternoon spent out of the house and in nature. The best part about the outdoors is that it’s both free and available to everyone. Be sure to enjoy the sun in moderation to ensure your safety and health.

Cook Away the Boredom

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, social media has seen a huge surge in home cooks. Many people have taken to baking bread, both because they have the time and so that it lessens the number of grocery runs. Others have taken to challenging themselves to cook and bake with whatever ingredients they may have. Websites such as Supercook.com help amateurs in the kitchen create delectable meals in a flash.

Facebook groups such as Cooking and Coping: Gathering Around the Virtual Table have created a place for home cooks to both debut their personal comfort food classics and air their frustrations with cooking. From simple Sheet Pan Roasted Rosemary Vegetables and Chicken to elegantly plated Manchego Pasta, there’s no limit to what you can make at home.

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Regardless of what you find yourself doing in order to make it through the last leg of this pandemic, be sure to stick with it even once the world goes back to “normal”. The best time to invest in yourself in always the present.