Are you stuck at home and bored dizzy? How are you handling this lockdown/quarantine thing? Are you currently working, maybe from home, or did you lose your job because of the flippin’ virus?
Are you
- A) Fine, not a bother on you as you make the very most of this time and use the opportunity that lies within it? This is just your overall attitude. And you are surprised there are others who might actually be struggling with this?
Or are you
- B) About to go mental as there is only so much TV/Netflix… anyone can watch without getting bored?
Maybe you’re
- C) Somewhere in between. But you cannot take it for too much longer.
I was a working from home type B for longer than I care to admit.
I am one of those really lucky ones who can work from home.
My routine was
- To get up at around 6AM.
- Boot up my laptop and got everything ready so I wouldn’t lose a minute.
- Brush my teeth.
- Get my fix of coffee.
- Start work and would stay at it until I couldn’t think straight anymore.
- Then, I’d place my de-rear on the couch, reach for the remote, pour myself a glass of red, have something questionably healthy to eat and that was it.
- Two to three hours later, I’d get up and go to bed. Just to do the same thing over and over again the following days.
The only variation was the time I’d pick to take a shower.
Sadly, this is what my days looked like for the first 3 – 4 weeks working from home. I know…
And therefore, I get it. It is very tempting to just slump down on your comfy couch and binge whatever Netflix and YouTube have to offer while you’re binge eating and maybe drinking.
For a while, that is. But at some point, this just doesn’t feel right anymore. You start feeling like you’re wasting your time. And for the most part, that is probably true. Sound familiar yet?
Fast forward a little bit. Imagine this is all over and you’re looking back at this time. What would you like to remember? How all you did was to gather in-depth knowledge of all the Netflix Series and YouTube Fail compilations out there.
Seems a bit daunting and like a waste of time, doesn’t it?
What would you have me do then?
Well, since you’re asking, anything goes that would give you some (even if it’s only a tiny) feeling of accomplishment when you’re finished.
Of course, it also depends on how much spare time you have. Some of us are lucky enough and are working from home, others not so much. And this, of course, can make a difference in what you’re financially able to do right now.
No matter which situation you are in, there is always something you can do apart from just staring into a screen waiting for time to pass.
Here are some ideas of what to do while you’re stuck at home:
1 – Renovate/redecorate
Renovate/decorate your home or part of it – This does not have to be expensive. Re-arranging your furniture can freshen things up, as can exchanging the pictures you have on your wall(s).
2 – Create your bucket-list
Write down all your life dreams and declare them your goals – personal, business it doesn’t matter. What does matter though, is that they’re truly your goals, not something someone else thinks you should aim for.
And while you’re at it, think really big. No, think huge. If you will fall short a bit, you will still hit it big.
3 – Create a vision board
A vision board is a collage of sorts that represents the way you want your life to be in a very visual way. This is something we all can benefit from, whether or not we’re stuck at home. This can be a digital one or if you’re more the crafty type, a physical one.
4 – Create an Action Plan
By doing this, you make sure you give yourself a clear direction and step-by-step instructions on how to reach your goals. This is something really motivating. Start with the smallest goal and break the steps down into bite-size chunks.
You can probably take care of some to-dos on your action plan right away, and others might have to wait. But you have the steps clearly laid out in front of you. That’s the important part. It’s a bit like a self-made silver lining on the horizon because you take the being stuck-at-home-situation and turn it around to make it work for you.
5 – Spring clean
If you haven’t done so already because it’s your yearly routine, what are you waiting for?
6 – Keep it tidy
A tidy place can have a calming effect on your mind and an untidy place can have the opposite effect. So make sure to keep your home reasonably tidy in order not to add more unnecessary stress for yourself.
7 – Keep yourself tidy
What I mean by that is, get out of your PJs and take a shower regularly. Add some makeup if you want to go all out.
Even if you’re not going anywhere, it is beneficial to your well-being if you like what you see when you look into a mirror and feel fresh.
What’s more, how attracted would you feel towards your other half if he/she is looking as if he/she could grease their bicycle chain with their hair and the BO they’re oozing doesn’t exactly remind you of a bunch of roses. All this presented to you in a super comfy egg- and coffee-stained PJ which has been worn 24/7 for the past week. And now, remember, this goes both ways. 😉
8 – Spa days
Why not pamper yourself a little bit? A nice relaxing bath or shower with some essential oils if you have them handy. Afterward, on to a hydrating face mask, mani/pedi, waxing/epilation, eyebrow-shaping…
If you’re not living by yourself and want to take it up a notch, give each other a back-rub/massage/foot massage. Aw, bliss.
9 – Declutter
Most of us should do more of this. I definitely should. Now is the time. If you cannot get rid of the things you don’t want to keep, at least sort them in the respective boxes. So, once places are back open again, all you have to do is take them there. Something I have to be very careful about is not to take things back out of those boxes if it takes too long.
10 – Email
Sort out your inbox and all the folders you have created. Are they still relevant and up to date? This is something I usually neglect, and it takes me hours to go through it. Note to self: Schedule this to be done once a month/quarter.
11 – Learn something
Being stuck at home is actually the perfect time for this. Whether it’s a new skill or you continue to study something you have been putting on hold. What is it you’re interested in? I am sure you will find loads of books, some online courses in many different price ranges and some free ones as well. Maybe you want to look into healthy recipes since you’re eating in.
I’m a sucker for these things. Since my interests are very broad, you can imagine that I have loads of online courses. Now all I need is the time to go through them all.
12 – Read
How many books are on your shelves that you haven’t read past the first 20 pages or haven’t touched at all? Why not grab one now and go through it? If it still doesn’t grab you enough, maybe charity would be a good place for it and it becomes an item for suggestion #9.
13 – Connect
When was the last time you spoke to your parents, siblings, old friend, or even grandparents (if you’re lucky enough to still have them around)…
Most of us have someone in their lives with whom they are not in touch as much as they used/want to be for no particular reason. Just life getting in the way and time has passed without us noticing. Why not pick up the receiver and connect again? Oops, I just dated myself again. I have spent most of my life with those kinds of phones. The beauty of them was that you never had to worry about the battery dying on you.
14 – Exercise/Move
You probably know that exercise is crucial to your health and well-being. Being confined to your home for a while doesn’t change that.
If you’re one of those sports nuts (and I mean that in the most loving way possible) you can skip this part. But if you, like me, view exercise as a necessity, you might have thought that being stuck at home finally gave you a great excuse not having to follow that regimen.
Yeah, no, that’s now how it works and deep down you know that.
So, the best you can do is to check what kind of exercise you can do, considering your physical health and the regional rules during this time. Some places allow you to still go outside for a run/walk or the likes, some don’t. If you have to stay at home there’s still a myriad of exercises you can do. You can do some weight lifting (if you don’t have proper weights be creative, use bottles filled with water or milk cartons…), Yoga, Pilates… the list goes on.
My absolute favorite cardio exercise is to dance to my favorite dancing tunes. Yes, all by myself, with my headphones on. Sounds sad? Believe me, it ain’t, it is sooo much fun. Go ahead and give it a shot.
15 – Get fresh air
I dare say that all of you have the opportunity to get fresh air in some way. If you can’t go out for a stroll/run/walk, you can go to your backyard. If you don’t have a backyard, how about your balcony? Don’t have that either? You surely have a window you can open to stick your head out and breathe in some delicious freshness, can’t you?
16 – Crafts/Creativeness
Do you have a pile of fabric you’ve been meaning to use for some project or other. Unfortunately, since the day you bought them, the fabrics have been waiting for their big day, when you would take them out of the drawer and make them shine in form of a new bag, blouse, skirt, or whatever else you had in mind for them to become.
Or what about the stack of old newspapers? High time you use it for a paper machée project with your kids (or grandkids, if you’re lucky enough and can spend time with them). Maybe you’ve collected some corks from the wine you drank. It’s amazing what one can create from them.
17 – Plant something
And watch it grow. Planting and growing something can have a meditative effect and can be very therapeutic. When I watch my husband planting stuff on our balcony, it is very peaceful. If you’re not sure how to plant/grow something, there are courses or just videos for that online as well. At this stage, I wonder what there is no YouTube video on. I once wanted to know if there’s an easier way to swallow my vitamin capsules other than fearing to die from suffocation twice a day. I was amazed at how many videos I found on this subject.
18 – Sort out your finances
Are you one of those people who always know to the cent how much money they have? If so, kudos to you.
But maybe you’re more like me and have a rough idea, but from time to time have un/pleasant surprises when you check your accounts (or pockets). Then why not use this stuck-at-home time to get an overview of all the money and/or assets you have.
Maybe you even want to go a bit further and create a financial strategy to get closer to your dream house/car/vacation/retirement…
Figure out where you can save money, make the changes you’re willing to make, look for investment strategies, look up courses on how to make the most of your money…
I know, this might not be your favorite subject and you might even find it boring. But if you think about it, it shouldn’t bore you at all because in some way it is your personal freedom you’re thinking about.
19 – Most importantly though, be grateful
Count your blessings every day and log them. This is really powerful.
You may pity yourself because you’re stuck at home. But at the same time you know that there are so many people out there who are so much worse off. Like, for instance, the home you’re stuck in might be something you have learned to take for granted. But many people out there would love to have a home to be stuck in.
When you wake up, focus on the things you are looking forward to/are grateful for that day and write them down. Before you go to bed do the same. Write down what you are grateful for and the good things you have experienced that day.
These things don’t have to be epic, but of course, epicness (is that even a word?) doesn’t rule them out either.
No, seriously, a lot of times the tiniest things can shine a light on an otherwise gloomy day. A smile, some good news, the world coming to life during spring, your kids took the trash out or tidied their rooms without you having to ask them – but wait, that would be a borderline miracle – a lovely meal, a parcel you were waiting for arriving early, an unexpected email from an old friend, being able to work from home… You get the idea.
Which of these things are for you?
A lot of them – not all, I know – can be done without a spare cent in your pocket.
You may not be able to renovate your home, but you might find ways to redecorate it. That doesn’t have to cost much/anything. Instead of the original Klimt, you could hang up some family pics you’ve been storing in a box. A passe-partout can be made of some old cardboard you can paint and cut to fit.
It for sure doesn’t cost anything to tidy, to exercise, to get fresh air, to be grateful…
Oh, and only because you don’t feel like it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any of it. Just get out of your own way for a few minutes and you will see, it’s not so bad at all. And the feeling of accomplishment afterward is well worth the little effort.
If your house is in danger to be mistaken for a pigsty, don’t wait until you feel like tidying up. That’s likely not going to happen anytime soon.
Trick yourself into feeling like it.
Say what?
Yeah, you read that right. It’s easier than you think. If there is something that needs to be done in order for you to get the desired result – like straightening up so you actually like what you see when you look around your home – try this:
Agree (yes, with yourself) to start tidying and to stay at it for 10 minutes. If it is still that bad, you can stop once the time is up, but not a minute earlier.
Most of the time it turns out that it is fine or at least not as bad as we made it out to be in our heads and continue until the job is done.
Seriously, try it. I was skeptical when it was suggested to me. When I tried it, I was surprised how easy it was to finish.
In short
Surround yourself with and do the things you love and/or are good for you. If you have to stay in one place for longer than you like, look for your options to make the most of the situation.
And no, I am not saying don’t watch TV/Netflix/YouTube or the likes anymore. All I am saying is, make sure that’s not all you do.
If you think you cannot cope
In case you are seriously struggling because you’re stuck at home (or for any other reason) and think you really can’t cope with this situation any longer, don’t hesitate to call one of the mental health helplines.
Don’t wait for it to go away on its own. It may. But it just as well may not. Don’t allow yourself to fall into that hole any further than you already have. Because the further down you go, the harder it will be to get back out again.
This plea is not limited to the current situation either. It goes for whenever you feel you can’t cope. At any time. Also, after the world will come back to life.
Here are some suggestions on who to contact
Not everyone feels can or wants to talk to family or friends. Below you’ll find some alternatives but I can’t list them all:
In the English speaking part of Europe, the Samaritans are a good option. They have a free phone service 24/7.
The Irish Government has another free phone line if you’re concerned about your mental health.
What is your take on this?
Do you have any ideas and tips? Is there anything you are struggling with in particular? I’d love to read about it. So, don’t be shy and leave a comment.
