Millions of us around the world are now facing weeks and perhaps even months stuck at home as various restrictions come into force. It’s a daunting prospect – even for those like me who generally enjoy relaxing around the house – but the rules are there to protect the most vulnerable in society, so we all need to hunker down and get through this worrying period as best we can.
With that in mind, I’m dedicating my posts this week to sharing a few tips that might help. I covered home-working on Monday, so now I want to round up some ideas for making our leisure time as positive and enjoyable as possible when we can’t leave the house. I know the situation varies massively from country to country at the moment, and some people have more options than others, but I hope the below list includes a few things that are do-able for you – wherever you are, and whether you live with someone or on your own.
- Learn a new craft or skill. It could be anything – baking, knitting, painting, flower arranging – and websites such as Creative Live and Skillshare have online tutorials covering a vast array of different topics.
- Start that DIY project you’ve always meant to do but have never found the time for.
- Pamper yourself with an at-home spa day. Light some scented candles, play relaxing music, don a bathrobe and treat yourself to a facial, manicure and pedicure.
- Start a WhatsApp book club with friends or neighbours. It’s a great way to find new things to read and maintain a bit of social interaction.
- Stay active with an online yoga or Pilates class.
- Have a boardgame night. You could even play with friends via online apps and chat on Skype at the same time. My favourite games are Ticket To Ride, Upwords, Maponimoes and Catan; I also like Pandemic, but you may or may not feel that’s appropriate at the moment…
- Support your favourite local eatery by ordering a takeaway and recreating the restaurant experience at home, complete with music and candles. And if you can, please tip the delivery driver – many are facing precarious times and won’t qualify for sick pay if they fall ill.
- Have a wine-, gin- or cheese-tasting evening.
- Or how about a cocktail evening, where you get dressed up and mix up your favourite tipples? I saw Emma from Apogee Interiors doing this and dubbing it ‘Quarantini Night’, which I love!
- Download the Duolingo app and challenge yourself to learn a new language. I’m currently trying to learn Swedish, and the extra hours at home mean I also have plenty of time to practice by watching Nordic Noir TV!
- Speaking of TV, if you’re in the UK you can find lots of interesting series via Walter Presents – a streaming service that shows foreign-language programmes from all over the world. New stuff gets added regularly, but my current recommendations are Stockholm Requiem (Swedish), Seaside Hotel (Danish), Young & Promising (Norwegian), Spin (French), Before We Die (Swedish), Locked Up (Spanish), Deutschland 83 (German) and Thicker Than Water (Swedish / Finnish). Find it by going to Channel 4 On Demand and selecting ‘World Drama’.
- Declutter your home. Take one room, drawer or cupboard at a time and then move on to another. Try not to create unnecessary waste, though, and put anything that could be donated to charity shops aside for when they reopen.
- How about growing some flowers, houseplants or vegetables from scratch? You can order seeds online, and you don’t need so much as a windowbox for some varieties, let alone any outdoor space.
- Propagating houseplants is another option – find out how here.
- Have fun researching future travels for when things return to normal. Many travel businesses and hotels are on the edge at the moment, and future bookings could help them stay afloat.
- Change up your surroundings by rearranging a room, shelf unit or corner – you can read my top tips here.
- Make yourself a cuppa and have a virtual coffee morning with friends over Skype or FaceTime.
- Have a quiz night – Sporcle has thousands of trivia games to choose from.
- Create a photo book filled with happy memories. There are lots of different websites but Rosemood is my favourite. Its printing studio is temporarily closed, but you can still design and save your project for delivery once it reopens.
- Look through your recipe books and have a go at cooking an entirely new dish.
- Play music roulette – put your Spotify or iTunes playlists on random and see what tracks (and memories!) pop up. Dancing round the kitchen to a cheesy tune from my university days was a moment of light relief for me last weekend.
- Absorb yourself in a mindful activity like a jigsaw puzzle, a craft or an adult colouring book. The latter were incredibly popular a few years back and I can see them having a resurgence now!
- Research your family history, or the history of your house and local area. There are hundreds of resources online and it’s amazing what you can uncover. Find out how to get started here.
- If you have a garden or balcony, have an at-home picnic or make a campfire and toast marshmallows.
- Or take a blanket and a few pillows outside, lie back and gaze at the stars. I know nothing about astronomy, but I find looking up at the night sky incredibly calming in these uncertain times. It’s a reminder that the world is still turning, and I always feel restored after a bit of fresh air.
If you have any more ideas then please do share them by leaving a comment below…
All photography by Abi Dare
Gorgeous post – v inspirational.
Thanks Liz x