#imstayinghome but what can I do? 6 tips so as to not get bored at home
Here are some simple tips to make the most of your time and your home environment!
In recent weeks we have had to seriously review our daily routine: for the good of everyone, we have been asked to remain at home and limit travel, so we have suddenly found ourselves stuck at home with time on our hands that we are not used to having. In our normal, frenetic lives, always on the move, we only manage to enjoy our home at the weekend! How long have we used simply as a place to sleep and taken all of its space and potentiality for granted?
In our home, there is space for everything, it is the most intimate, welcoming and versatile place, capable of transforming itself into a thousand other spaces, from office to gym, from cinema to pastry shop, from library to Michelin starred restaurant. Our apartment can change its appearance and function according to the moment, it is all about knowing how to make the most of it! Here then are 6 activities that can easily be done in the home, so as to not get bored at this unusual time.
1. Rediscover the joy of cooking
Lunch breaks consumed in a hurry at the office or university, sad sandwiches or a packed lunch devoured between one job and another... our constant running has made us forget the beauty of preparing delicious delicacies with our own hands! The time has come to dust off that set of saucepans that we haven’t used in ages, and, list of ingredients in hand, get to grips with new sweet or savoury recipes, brunches that are a bit more creative than the usual coffee, and great traditional Mediterranean classics (strictly videoed with mum or gran to lend an expert hand). Or even, room for experimenting, with themed lunches and exotic recipes, like sushi or Hawaiian poke, so at least we can fly away in our dreams.
And once the dish is ready, rediscover the pleasure of sitting down at the table and calmly eating, forgetting about e-mails and notifications... it doesn’t matter if you are in your living room, on the terrace or improvising a picnic with your kids in the garden, the important thing is to enjoy the moment, we can clear up later.
2. Try to keep fit... or at least away from the kitchen!
With the gyms closed and the fridge close at hand, our fitness is put to the test! We need to find a way of carving out at least an hour of exercise, even within the home: but where can we perform our cardio, yoga or free body session and put into practice the advice of apps or personal training tutorials? If you don’t have a terrace or garden, the best option is definitely the lounge or bedroom, the biggest and most versatile spaces in the home.
If sport is not your thing, but you still want to stretch your legs, why not turn your living room into a dance floor? Don’t worry, no one can judge your taste in music or your awkward moves within the confines of your own home!
3. Just relax... with a good book, TV series or new pastimes
And after training? It is time for a bit of well-deserved rest, perhaps in the company of a good book or our favourite TV series: in fact our home can easily be turned into a home cinema or a city library. It doesn’t matter if you go analogue with a magazine or super-technological with a tablet, the bed and the sofa are always there to welcome us! Don’t forget that during these weeks, many TV platforms and online magazines, like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hearst are also offering free monthly subscriptions, to help us fight the boredom. Another passion that is winning many over is that of audiobooks and podcasts, but if you don’t want to overwork your mind, you can always relax while colouring in a mandala, sewing, listening to your favourite playlist or rediscovering a board game, perhaps in the company of your kids or some distant friends, thanks to the online versions.
If, on the other hand you are really lazy, you could always treat yourself to a long afternoon nap... even our bedrooms deserve some consideration. To make it even more welcoming, we can choose floral patterned sheets or those in pastel colours, such as the relaxing classic blue, the Pantone of the year.
4. Do some spring cleaning and reorganise your rooms
If rest and relaxation are not for you... why not take advantage of the available time to finally give your rooms a nice thorough cleaning and reorganise the space in the house? It is scientifically proven that dusting and tidying up are good for the health and stimulate energy and a good mood!
Change the layout of the furniture, spend some time in the garden or the leafy spot on the terrace, change seasons in the wardrobe and finally get rid of all those old-fashioned clothes and old beauty products, catalogue your books and put those thousands of half-read magazines in order, perhaps with the help of boxes and space-saving solutions... no more excuses for not getting on with these tasks that we are always putting off!
5. Taking care of ourselves... body and soul!
After the first few days spent on the news, TV marathons and social media sharing, we will inevitably feel the need to detach a bit and dedicate some quality time for rediscovering ourselves and maybe even self-improvement. First of all by taking care of our mind: it is time to brush up on those old hobbies and explore new ones, to learn how to play a musical instrument or a foreign language, or take some online training courses. Many schools and companies offer free webinars and masterclasses these days, just choose a topic and start searching the Web.
Our home can even be turned into a museum thanks to the choice of many international museums, from the Louvre to the Hermitage and the Sistine Chapel, to make their collections and guided tours virtual and freely available.
If, on the other hand, you feel the need to go offline, you can always take care of your body. Every one of us hides small, simple beauty rituals, from DIY facemasks to organic products, from manicures to hot baths with scented salts: our bathroom can finally turn into a perfect temple of calm and wellbeing!
6. Spending quality time with those we love
Activities to do at home may now seem to be too many, but don’t forget what is the most important: spending time with your family. It doesn’t matter if it is under the same roof, or far away by phone or videocalls: now that we can, let’s dedicate time and attention to our children, parents and friends! We have the chance to make up for lost time and the small deficiencies in our normal life, let’s not waste it.
To be able to get through this destabilising moment a bit better, it is essential to remain positive and rediscover what surrounds us, first and foremost, our home. In our home we can carry out practically any activity, even those that we never imagined before: we just need to realise it and learn to live it to the full!
