Before this whole COVID-19 outbreak started in the United States, I was home on bed rest for two weeks. Due to the virus, pretty much everyone is stuck home for even longer than anticipated. It is easy to get bored and look at this situation as a very negative thing, but I hope to turn that point of view around and make this “break” about self care and activities that are beneficial internally and externally. With that being said, I am going to write about some things I have done to distract from being forced home and give some tips on how to make the best of this crazy (or not so crazy) situation.
Like the average person, whenever I have some free time, I love to scroll through Netflix. I have seen a TON of series and love to binge watch shows as opposed to movies. I love some rom-coms, but something about a series keeps me occupied much longer. So far some of the series that I have seen include the Vampire Diaries, Scandal, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, All American, and so many more. During this break I have started to watch New Girl which is hilarious and cute. Watching TV is fun, relaxing, and a great way to kill time. If it gets boring, try watching an old show with a friend that you have both watched, or start a new one!
Since Netflix is a basic stay at home activity, I’ll share with you a more creative activity I have picked up since being home. I have always been a clean and organized person, therefore cleaning and organizing are fun tasks for me, but may not be for you. Even if you do not like to clean or organize, this tip involves money and I know everyone loves money! With all of this free time on our hands it is a perfect time to go through old clothes, shoes, books, and other items that might be unused and taking up space. Going through a closet or dresser does not take a ton of time and once you have a stack of clothes to get rid of, you can try to sell them! Plato’s Closet is a store that will buy old clothes off of you and help recycle them to new owners. Plato’s can be kind of picky on the items they take, but it is better than throwing these items away. Another option for reselling clothes are phone apps. There are so many apps for reselling clothes and making decent money off of your items. My favorite apps are Curtsy and Poshmark. Curtsy is an amazing app for girls who are looking to make money or save money when it comes to clothes, jewelry, handbags, and shoes. Selling on the app is very seamless and satisfying. With that being said, digging through your closet has many fulfilling pieces to it. Having a less cluttered and more useful wardrobe makes picking out outfits much easier, it might make your parents happy, it is good for the environment, and it could help make or save you money!
This next activity involves cleaning and organizing, but in a fun way. Being stuck at home is a great time to bond with your family and get things done at the same time. I like to go through my house and find broken things or unused items that are simply undated and reface them! Those pushed aside and “I’ll get to it later” tasks that have been stacking up in the back of your mind can finally be completed! For example, my mom and I repainted a bedroom and a cabinet in our bathroom. We blasted music, got in our “I don’t care about them” clothes and drank wine while we resurrected parts of our home. Let’s just say it involved some mess, a lot of laughs, and a ton of fun. In addition to painting walls and cabinets, it is fun to reframe pictures, switch pillows around in rooms, maybe paint those old mirrors hidden in your garage or basement, and make new arts and crafts that could be added to parts of your home. These little DIY activities are great for killing time, making memories, and completing things on that checklist that you kept pushing aside. Not only do these tasks help crush time, your parents will certainly appreciate the productivity and quality time that you are putting in even though it might be fun and refreshing for you too.
In addition to the home restoration ideas above, something I have always loved to do as a kid is to rearrange rooms. I moved my bedroom around all the time as a child; sometimes to the point where it drove my mom crazy! I think rearranging your room is fun, time consuming, and it helps get your brain working. Thinking about new ways to move things and how to best reconfigure furniture is an excellent way to get your brain working; especially when you need a break from too much binge watching. The process of moving furniture and removing it is also a sneaky way to get a workout in! Rearranging my room gives me something to do and helps me to clean my room without even realizing it. When I am moving around my bed or dresser I like to quickly sweep or vacuum underneath it. Switching around items on top of dressers or vanities is a good excuse to wipe down those cobwebs and maybe even sanitize the surfaces! After rearranging my room I feel much more clean, content, and cozy in my new (but not really new) room. It is also a perfect time to settle down and reflect on things you might want to add to your room or remove from it. After all is said and done, rearranging a room is entertaining, satisfying, and a good excuse to snuggle up and not leave it.
Last but not least, my favorite stuck at home activity involves Pinterest. Pinterest is hands down my favorite app on my phone and I use it daily. If you do not have it I strongly suggest downloading it because you can use it for so many things. For instance, Pinterest can act as a dream board for your future or current goals, you can get recipes for cooking or baking, recipes for new cocktails, outfit ideas, thousands of DIY ideas, craft ideas, and so much more. Pinterest is essentially an endless platform for creativity and ideas. Being cooped up at home is the perfect time to try new food, desert, and drink recipes. The process of cooking or baking is fun in itself and taste testing your creations is even better in my opinion. Taking advantage of your time at home by stacking up on new recipes you know you like will make party planning and other times you need to throw together a dish or pastry much easier. If you are interested in DIY crafts or homes crafts and organization like I talked about earlier, then Pinterest is perfect for you. Pinterest has millions of pins on just about everything, but mine is specifically loaded with easy organization tips. You can organize your boards however you’d like and you can even narrow down your search to find exactly what you’re looking for. For instance, if you want to take this time to organize that bottomless bathroom cabinet, download Pinterest! With all of the outfit ideas and organization tips that I have found on Pinterest, cleaning out my closet will be a breeze. I now have a better idea of what style I want and what items in my closet will be worn more than others. Doing this can also help put aside clothes to sell and make you more money! Essentially, Pinterest can better inspire things for you to do while you’re at home and it is the most important tip I have for you because it ties it all together. Stay home, do some crafts, rearrange your room, organize your closet and make some money, try a new cookie recipe, and hibernate in your clean, cozy room with those new cookies!
After all, being stuck home can be a bummer, but the list of things to do is basically endless. Being at home this long has taught me a lot about myself, my family, my relationships, and has helped me get a lot done. Take this time to reflect, to bond, and to grow. Life outside of your home may be on pause, but that does not mean time is so do not stop putting in work. I have learned so much from being in school, but I realized that there is so much to learn outside of school. All of these tips should help keep you entertained while either getting things done or making new memories and bonds with the people you care about. Altogether, my goal is to take advantage of being at home by building relationships with my family and taking care of things that I have had to neglect due to outside priorities. Sometimes it is easy to forget about building relationships with your family or even yourself because of all the chaos life beholds, but hopefully these tips help make time pass in an entertaining, fulfilling, and productive way.