I used to have a small, hand-painted sign over my desk; it read, “I am bored.” It was a gift and I rather liked it, but my father did not. He could not imagine how anyone could be bored, so eventually, I took it down. At the beginning of COVID, during the mandatory lockdown, I often thought about that sign. Not that I was bored. I wasn’t because I filled that year with writing a book, but I knew many people who were going crazy trying to fill the empty hours.
Retirement is another one of those times when we may suddenly find ourselves with unstructured time and no idea what to do with it. That is, of course, if we haven’t planned for this stage of life or don’t have the money to do all the lovely things we see on TV—floating in turquoise pools, walking leisurely down white-sand beaches, or riding in a gondola on Venice canals.
Being sick or disabled may also make the hours drag. A friend of mine commented that she could only watch so much TV in a day before her eyes began to cross. If you are a news junkie, you can switch channels day and night because there are so many of them that broadcast news 24/7.
But the question remains: What to do when there’s nothing to do or at least nothing that comes to mind? If your imagination is on permanent hold, of course, go to your favorite search engine and, well, search. You won’t believe the hundreds of ideas out there! I’ve tried to list and duplicates
Here’s the first website I found—https://bydeze.com/things-to-do-when-stuck-at-home/
10 Fun Things to Do When Stuck at Home bydeze.com
1. Tour 12 famous museums from your couch
2. Teach your pet new tricks
3. Put together a really big puzzle
4. Come up with a signature cocktail
5. Fall asleep to brown noise
6. Write and send cards
7. Read the most interesting articles on Wikipedia
8. Get to know your spouse, roommate, child, friend, or neighbors
9. Exercise indoors
10. Facetime a bunch of people and pretend you’re NOT stuck at home
Website #2—https://annasaxton.com/things-to-do-when-youre-stuck-at-home/
10 Interesting Things to Do When You’re Stuck at Home by annasaxton.com
- Read
- Try a new hobby
- Switch out your clothes for spring
- Spruce up your living space
- Research that thing you’ve always wondered about
- Try a new recipe
- Get outside
- Do a yoga video
- Dance
- Get dressed
Website #3— https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do/best-things-to-do-at-home-stuck-inside-bored by Timeout
10 Challenging Things to Do When You’re Stuck at Home by timeout.com
1. Solve your way out of an online escape room
2. Feel the thrill of a fresh true-crime podcast
3. Catch up on the awesome new movies you missed because, well, 2021
4. Blast off into the universe of sci-fi
5. Gawp at some pretty spectacular photography
6. Get into running (and actually stick with it)
7. Reboot your repertoire in the kitchen
8. Stream one of our fave shows of 2021
9. Get back into video games
10. Take a literary tour of the world
Website # 4—https://themighty.com/2020/03/bored-covid19-social-distancing/
10 Healthy Things to Do While You’re Stuck at Home by the mighty.com
- Learn a new hobby using YouTube Tutorials.
- Text your friends. Stay in contact.
- Go for a drive, even if you have no destination.
- Schedule a therapy appointment!
- Limit your social media time. social media is not your only cure for boredom.
- Play a game with friends or family — even if it’s digital.
- Start journaling.
- Get dressed and ready for the day every day, even if you aren’t going anywhere.
- Write a list of things that make you happy.
- Volunteer online. It’s easy to sign up.
These lists barely scratch the surface of what’s out there in terms of things to do when you’re stuck at home, for whatever reason. There are numerous websites, each offering enough ideas to keep you busy for a year. Just search online for things to do when you’re stuck at home. The rest is up to you.
