As we enter week 45,765 of following the government’s stay-at-home guidelines, I’m sure we’re all experiencing every possible wave of emotion. We have felt fear, loneliness, excitement, depression, contentment, acceptance, panic, worry, anxiety, enjoyment, gratitude, and finally, boredom. Just boring. So flipping is boring.
And now the news comes as a further blow that people will be fined £5,000 if they travel abroad by July 2021. I know it was the right decision, and I wasn’t actually even planning on going on vacation, but it confirms that we are far from getting back to normal.
But there are some ideas to beat the boredom and make everyone feel a little happier while staying at home. We all know this won’t last long, so let’s enjoy this last stretch (hopefully!) and find a way to stay home and be happy.
I’ve read several posts like this, and everyone agrees with the general advice of “keep a routine,” “get some fresh air,” and “try not to watch too much news.” I think you’re tired of it. We all know this by now, but the days feel long and hard. So he shares five things I’ve done recently that have made me feel happy being at home.
5 ways to feel happy to stay at home
Plant a garden!
Now is the perfect time to start planting seeds and new plants in your garden. Even if you only have a small space or a sunny windowsill, you can plant a lot of plants and the joy of watching things grow and nurturing living things is very happy!
My mother has a wonderful garden, so I’ve always had a slight interest in gardening, but this year I started to get serious about gardening. If you’re going to be spending most of 2021 at home, you might want to make the most of it and enjoy your garden. I’m writing a series where I post monthly garden updates. The first one can be seen here: March in my garden.
Make a big deal out of Friday night
One of the things many of us have struggled with through lockdown is that there is little definition between our day-to-day lives. When you’re at home, every day feels the same, and there’s no distinction between weekdays and weekends, and more importantly, weekdays and holidays.
Over the past few months, we’ve been rocking Friday Night Movie Night. Grab some takeout (or homemade faux pas!) and watch a movie as a family in your pajamas. We pile blankets on the couch, close her blinds, turn off the lights, put a big bowl of popcorn, and watch a new movie. It’s simple, but it marks the start of the weekend and gives us something to look forward to.
Enjoy the final few weeks of doing nothing and having no plans
In February 2020, someone told me to stay home, relax, enjoy my home, get all the work I wanted to do, bake, cook, read, go for a long walk. If I had told you that you would have plenty of time to play, you would have been so happy to have spent some quality time with your kids! I always moan about being too busy, but when I was given the chance to slow down, I just couldn’t fully embrace it. Enjoy your last (hopefully!) stint at home. You don’t have to try to be more productive or do everything you set out to do. Relax and enjoy.
Decorate a room in your house
Do you know that corner of your house that you always hated? Or maybe a wall that needs painting? Or is it a junk room with great potential?
Yeah? Just line them up and decorate!
I’ve been saying that I wanted to make my living room green ever since I moved in, and I moved here five and a half years ago! So I’m very happy that I finally did it. It feels like a different room and I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner.
Use your time at home to finish any tasks you’ve been putting off.
I always think that decorating costs money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A small tin of paint and some photo frames aren’t very expensive, but they can make a big difference.
Find a way to document lockdown
I love this little video I made on Christmas Eve. I didn’t see anyone on Christmas Eve and it’s usually a very busy day, so I thought it would be a very boring Christmas Eve. However, it was a different Christmas than usual, but it was still fun and I have wonderful memories.
Lockdown feels so boring and mundane now, but in 20 years’ time it will be a fascinating period in history for people to look back on and study. What happened when the whole world had to stay indoors for a year!?
I find it very interesting to reread diaries, letters, emails, and look at photos and videos.
There are many creative ways you can document it, such as:
- journal
- Letter or email (to yourself or someone else)
- everyday photos
- short video
- long vlog-style videos (even if you’re the only one watching)
- scrapbook
Doing something creative every day is good for your soul and gives you a sense of purpose. For me, it’s also an encouragement to go out and do something fun, or as much fun as possible during lockdown. If I decide to make a video that day, I know I need to go out and do something worth filming.
If you’re interested in creating mini-films to document your days, we recommend Xanthe Berkley’s Handmade Filmmaking Course. In our online course, you’ll learn how to create everyday videos using just your phone. Zante’s own films are so much fun to watch and a great source of inspiration!