It’s no secret that people are running out of ideas when it comes to filling their day during quarantine. You are stuck inside all day with most of your normal activities taking away from you. In this post I hope to give you some new ideas to try besides binge-watching Netflix shows. Quarantine doesn’t have to be boring and lonely, you will get out of it what you put in, so you might as well begin enjoying your time.
Workout
Come on, you knew I was going to suggest working out first. At home workouts can be very challenging and effective. The strain put on your muscles in an at-home workout is completely different than the strain from the gym. You can still gain muscle and see progress at home. Using resistance bands, body weight, and cardio circuits will test your body in a different way than heavy lifting will. You can still work on progressive overload from home by changing up the reps, method, rest time, etc.
Some ways to get active from home include:
- Bodyweight/Resistance Band Workouts (follow EmBurn Fitness on Insta or FB for workout ideas)
- Walk outside
- Rollerblade
- Hip-hop dance workout videos
- Go for a hike
- Stair Workouts
Games
Luckily, I am not the only person in my house, so I have a game partner! If you are the only one in your home, or just want more players in a game; I suggest using Zoom, Skype, Google Hangout, or FB Video to add in more players! You can set up weekly game nights, or maybe just a happy hour social time!
- Uno
- Phase 10
- Battleships
- Kings Cup (best over video)
- MashBall
- Trivia Games
- Drinking Card Games
- Scrabble/Words with Friends
- Drawize- Pictionary
Paint
Painting is a great way to relieve stress and create something beautiful! Water coloring is by far my favorite method of painting, because it’s hard to screw up! When planning to begin painting, make sure you have the essentials. You will need to correct type of paper, varied sizes of brushes, pain pallet, and an area with great lighting!
If you’re not the artsy type, there are great companies out there that make paint by number pictures! You can choose from already created pictures, or submit your own to be turned into a paint by number piece! The company, All Paint By Numbers has thousands of pictures to choose from, along with the option to upload your own!
Read
Reading has been a life-saver during my own quarantine. It’s relaxing to get lost in a story and not have to think about anything surrounding you. No matter what genre you prefer, I suggest checking out the New York Times Best-Selling list to find something that suits you. I also have done a lot of outreach to friends and family member to see what books they’ve read lately. Some of my best suggestions came from social media posts, where I asked my followers to suggest a book.
Just because you’re stuck inside, does not mean that you can’t learn something new, or keep your brain stimulated. I have read a couple books about self-help, nutrition, and mental health during this quarantine. Find a topic you’ve always wanted to learn about or have been interested in, buy a book, learn. Use this time to better yourself.
Meditation
Meditation is a great tool to use, especially in these stressful times. Taking time out of your day to be mindful is definitely necessary, however it is harder than it sounds. Meditation takes practice is order to be effective. Luckily, there are some great apps out there that walk you through meditation sessions.
One of the best-known free apps is Calm. The Calm app provides guided sessions ranging from 3 to 25 minutes. “It includes topics from calming anxiety to gratitude to mindfulness at work—as well as sleep sounds, nature sounds, and breathing exercises—you can really choose your focus.”
Social Media Outreach
If you’ve wanted to start your own business, there’s no greater time than now! Use your day to create your website, your content for social media, and start building your empire! Making content is most of the struggle when it comes to marketing and having your own business, so use this time to create:
- Educational videos/posts on your business
- Begin a social media account for your business/ grow following
- Begin a blog
- Post to friends and family about your business
- Start a YouTube channel
Hobby Hunting
Here are some hobby suggestions you may not have thought of:
- Gardening
- Knitting
- Video Games
- Needle Point
- Sketching
- Blogging
- Geocaching
- Fishing
- Rock Tumbling
- Cooking
- Running
- Yoga
- Dance
- Kite Flying
- Photography
Hopefully, you’ve seen some new ideas in this post that you want to give a try. This is by no means the only activities you can use to fill you time at home, these are just some that I have tried! If you have any other interesting ways to keep yourself sane from home, feel free to comment them below! Happy Quarantining!