Happy Homebody Activities
So. You’re stuck at home, your regular commute and walks are non-existent, and your gym is closed. And for the foreseeable future - that looks like a reality for a number of us. As a regular introverted, limited social life individual - I have mastered the art of staying entertained while home for long periods of time. It has been my mission for years to combat the potential downsides of staying home - lack of activity, regular exercise, and keeping routines feeling less monotonous.
In this very quickly put-together article - I have a list of resources, activities, and ideas for you to try to pass the time, stay active, and kick your own butt (and brain!) at home! Please bear in mind, that I live in a studio apartment in a major city - so you may have more space than I may describe here. This means - you should have no problem whatsoever making these fit!
Three Focuses
Let’s break down the main components of healthy well-being care while at home for long stays:
Mind - brain stuff
Food (just some tips, I’m not gonna tell you how to eat)
Body - at-home workout resources & games
I hope you find these helpful - and let me know on Twitter if you have any further suggestions!
Big Ol’ Brain Flexing
We’re going to start with the brain, mind, and basically your most important muscle to keep safe during this. Take stock of your surroundings - what do you have available around you? And don’t say “NOTHING, I’M ALREADY BORED!”. I am very certain you have something that can meet one of these needs:
Do you have any projects you wanted to finally start?
Is there something that can make you feel extra great for getting it done?
Anything you have been putting off that you would be able to plan, start, and get close to finishing?
What is your favorite craft? Do you like reading? What is something new you could learn?
Are you burned at both ends and you just really want to finish that show, sit on your butt, and enjoy a new experience?
Do it.
Whether it is home improvement, learning a hobby, or finally finishing that long overdue task - you have the time now to try it and succeed! Control the space around you and make something feel accomplished. There is zero judgment here! None! You make the best of your time as you feel fit - staying busy or relaxing - doesn’t matter because it is what you need at that exact moment.
A few other tips:
Limit news and social media time - Make sure you’re not just drowning in the latest news. Check in and stay informed, but don’t inundate yourself for houuuuuurs thinking it’s the best for your brain. The story will be there when you come back and if it is urgent, you will find out - don’t worry.
Have some fresh air, and sunshine, or change your scenery when you feel restless - Open a window, go outside for a walk, take your activity to a new chair, or find a new position to sit in your favorite chair. This helps you feel not as stale or bored when you just try to change things around for a little bit.
Schedule a phone call - Hearing someone’s voice that you know is a great experience after being in your head so much. Break up that narrative in your brain for a Discord call, a Google Hangout, a Skype call, a phone call, facetime - whatever! Just make it interactive, engaged, and verbal! Text usually is fine, but it is very nice to hear voices other than from your screens or shows.
Keep your daily routines - If you are working from home for the first time and for a long time - routines are a great way to get your mind ready. Keep your skincare and hygiene routines. Brush your teeth even if people aren’t going to smell them. And clock out of work ON TIME - just cause the laptop’s there doesn’t mean you work. Sleep regularly and nap if you want to - keep that body well rested!
Keep your spaces separate - This one can be hard. Make one surface your work surface, and one your play/relaxing surface. Keep your bed clear of electronics, if you can. Make it your most restful space - not another space where your brain is activated and you have screens. I only have a couch, a desk, and a bed. They are all separate in their utility and what activities I do with them. This helps me feel rested instead of engaged in mixed signals from my environment.
And lastly - you do not need to be productive to be good. If you need to rest, escape, or binge for 14 hours - do (and I cannot stress this enough) it.
This is your permission slip from the Hype Queen.
Food Is Your Friend
While now may not be the best time to bring up one of the things you do when you’re “bored” or stressed - but I feel like it is good to acknowledge it. The feelings attached to your eating habits can fester and cause you even more uncertainty in a hectic time. Allow me to give you a scenario of a food spiral:
“Ugh, what do I want to eat?” as you stare at a fridge and pantry full of options. Nothing sounds good to you except for the Chipotle you either can’t have or won’t be able to get cheaply. And you already fog ate through an entire bag of chips yesterday - so now you’re feeling guilty about that on top of being indecisive and hungry. Wait, are you actually hungry? Or are you just bored and also unsure of what is going to happen next, so you just want to shove the closest and most simple item you can into your mouth? And then your brain goes “Gosh, aren’t I just a pig - look at you.” Then your brain starts to rip at you, saying you barely worked out or did ANYTHING. Now, you’re going to EAT MORE?! You ate only 45 minutes ago, you don’t… /end spiral
This. Is. Exhausting.
If you don’t go through this, I am proud of you.
But if you are like me, you are ruled by your fuel and equally by your loathing of your own body image - food is hard for you. And when there is tension in your life, stress, or even an ounce of boredom - you turn to food!
For me, being at home is hard. Because I am surrounded by food I will eventually just fog through and fall into a spiral or two. This has already happened because I have been home since March 5. Here are my tips for ways to help manage food when it is ever-present. And you want to preserve your supply, avoid going to the store, or feel better about your situation.
Water - I know, I know - it’s overdone advice but it works! When you’re not visiting a work kitchen, don’t have the same scheduled breaks, don’t go on regular long walks to your bathroom, or even have the same commute where you finish a drink by a certain time to start up your next intake. Water helps you stay hydrated and also helps you feel full.
Mindful eating - It is tempting to sit on the couch and just eat a whole bag. Do it if you want to, but if you don’t - pour it into a bowl/plate, be present while you eat (pause movies, music, podcasts), and sit for a while before thinking about if you need more food.
Schedule snacks and meals - Keeping the same times a day also helps you stay in a routine and also helps your body send the right signals when you should get food!
Cooked a bunch of the same thing and nothing sounds appetizing anymore? Make it look different or serve it with a different base. If all you cooked was chicken, rice, and beans - add things to it that are different than what you had before - make it into a sandwich, a salad, or a bowl. Is it soup? Have one day with crackers and another day with bread. Keep those taste buds interested!
Try a new recipe you have been meaning to try - Make something feel adventurous when you’re feeling down about your choices. Even if it is just something frozen - try it. Just because you’re stuck at home does not mean you have to eat mystery meat bricks and jello.
And lastly, remind yourself that you should be kind to yourself.
Who gives a crap how dented the soup can is because it was at the absolute bottom of the delivery truck? Shake off how that store visit felt - that weird internalized shame of being part of “the panic”. You had to do what you had to do. Who cares how much it cost or was discounted due to damage - food is food and you are supplying for yourself and your family. No one is going to judge you for what you eat right now.
Is it keeping you alive, sane, and able-bodied? Then eat it. That is your permission slip number two!
You are a champion of mind and now the food - let’s get to the good stuff now!
We Like to Move It, Move It
(Sorry for the earworm.)
Activity is a great break for the brain as well as necessary for keeping a healthy body. This is the vessel that will get you through your days - let’s treat it well and also have FUN!
Yes, fun. F U N - in the house, away from (most) people, and with limited equipment.
I will make this section a whole lot less ranty and more link heavy. These will be a mix of paid services and free services - so please feel free to look through to find the one for you!! I only am recommending these because they are ones I have used, do use, or feel safe recommending. Have at it!
Yoga :
Yoga With Adrianne - this is my favorite resource for videos of all difficulties, types, lengths, and styles. Please enjoy her content and subscribe to her, she is amazing! (PS - we do group yoga with her videos every Saturday AM on Twitch!)
DDP Yoga - it’s true. WWE Legend and now AEW star DDP (Diamond Dallas Page) has a strength training-filled, energized, and less spiritual take on yoga. Not into chakra’s but want your back to feel great? Check out his program!
DoYogaWithMe - is an informative resource with lots of videos! This is how I started out with my at-home practice before I used the other 2 above.
Don’t have a yoga mat? Use a towel or a folded blanket as padding. Make sure you make a space for you to practice. A space you know is meant for you to relax, zen, work, and sweat.
HIIT / Strength Training :
Emily Skye - I absolutely adore this wonderful lady, her message, and all of her content. She includes stuff with weights or without. She has tons of platforms and options for consumable media. I’ll post some of my routines inspired by her work soon! (Paid App is here with a free trial)
VShred - Mike has a great program if you’re looking for a serious burn. I lost quite a few inches with his 90-day programs and he has some quick, couple of minutes workouts available on his youtube. If you’re interested in his stuff - I found it to be great to stick with it if you like it. He has modifications and everything in his program videos if you want to switch things out in terms of difficulty.
App Store - Daily Burn, Adaptive, or Nike - I have used all three of these and you can typically use trials or access free content. Check em out!
Use heavy books, detergents, or juice jugs refilled with water as extra weight for your workouts.
Check with your insurance company and see if you have access to wellness apps that stream videos online - like Peerfit!
Cardio / Walking :
Staaaaairs - do some rounds of stairs in your house, in your building, at your apartment. Just take a little tour up and down to get that heart pumping.
Make it a Game - do you have a deck of cards? Pick a starting place. Place the first of your cards down. Spades and Clubs go one way, and Hearts and Diamonds go the other! Put on a Netflix show or a Podcast and walk a few card decks around your apartment. It’s really boring to keep checking a pedometer to check your steps. Make it fun and challenge your brain to think while walking!
Chores - Yes, chores count! Moving from room to room, kneeling to standing, carrying heaving things. All of this is a great activity! Don’t forget to clean and tidy your living space - is good for your mind and body to keep your space feeling good.
Dance - Have a Just Dance game? Have a favorite creator who has VODS you could dance along to? Have some favorite music videos you could jam to and learn the dance to as well? Get rolling on those playlists and dance the day away!
These are some fun as heck options for your last bit of homebody happiness. You now have my permission to dance, sweat, walk, play, and climb your way to some movement in your day!
As your further motivation - today is a good time to start. If this is your catalyst to do that next step in your life - then go for it! If this is just a way for you to best use the space that you have given the situation - then go for it! No one is forcing you or saying you HAVE to do the above things to be productive with your time. It is a way for me to cure boredom or restlessness or fight off depressing thoughts. But so can a shower, a good book, or an immersive artistic craft. Do what you feel capable and comfortable doing.
And know if you want to do any of the above workouts, that I am freaking cheering you on! YOU GO FOR IT!
And to close out this much longer post than I anticipated, I have the following last few tidbits of advice.
Fact check your sources and for the love of the gods - don’t just rely on social media for news. And also, I reiterate again - TAKE A BREAK.
Create a communication plan with those you know to check in, be aware, and potentially meet up if you need to for whatever reason.
Advocate for your company to let people stay home. Advocate for worker protection. Advocate for smart thinking - and the better we contain things now, the better the rest of the year could turn out. Be optimistic that your efforts are worth it (they are).
Be cautious and prepared, yet community-minded. You are protecting your family, but saving your community by taking social distancing/quarantine seriously. I thank you for it.
Practice patience, empathy, and compassion. (Also read tweet here)
Take care of yourself and be kind! <3
Thanks for reading.
