Stuck inside? Here’s what to do
Whether it’s down to the good old British weather, an unexpected break from work, or a weekend in with nothing to do, boredom can be a real downer. So don’t just sit there staring out the window wishing for a bit of sunshine, stop wandering around the house aimlessly, and get stuck into one of these indoor activities that are a surefire way to keep boredom at bay.
Read a book
If you have a book, you’ll never be bored. Never has a truer word been spoken. If you find yourself stuck in the house with nothing to do, pick up a book and lose yourself in it for a couple of hours. It’s great for the mind and helps you relax and cast aside any worries you might have about work or your personal life.
What if you don’t have an extensive library of books in the house? That’s easy. Get yourself onto Amazon and set up a Kindle account. You don’t even need to have a reader, as there are apps that allow you to read books on your laptop or even your tablet.
If you’re not too pushed on buying a digital book or paying for a subscription, then all is not lost. The amazing Project Gutenberg is a free ebook depository that has over 60,000 copyright-free ebooks that are completely free to download.
Play some poker
Grab a deck of cards and set up a quick game of poker with the family. It’s not difficult to do and once you limit how many peanuts or matchsticks you can bet it should be great fun. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to play. That’s where a spot of online poker might come in handy.
The best thing about playing poker online is that you’re not limited to what’s usually on offer at the live casino. Take online poker giant 888 for example. They have several variations of the game available and have even added a few tweaks of their own, such as the Snap poker game, which cuts down on waiting time at the tables.
But best of all is the fact that there are always other players ready and waiting. Whether it’s 1pm in the afternoon or 1am in the morning, you’ll always find a table online that’s ready for another player. And who knows, you might even win something!
Break out the board games
Monopoly; the breaker of hearts
If poker doesn’t quite float your boat, then it’s time to get out those old board games that have been gathering dust for the last few years. We’re talking Monopoly, Scrabble, Blokus, Risk, and even the old favorite, chess. We do recommend some extremely strict rules set in place if you’re diving into Monopoly – that game always somehow manages to start wars between loved ones!
If you’re bored of all the games you have, then why not try to adapt an old game to make it more fun. For example, if you have a Jenga set, you can write forfeits on the underside of some of the blocks. If a player removes the block, they must complete the forfeit.
Listen to your favourite tunes
We may be just a tad biased here, because there’s nothing we love more than spinning a few classic tunes like those that Xanthe Bearman brings you on the GR80s show. But in all honesty, there’s a lot to be said for music and how much positivity it can bring to your day.
Of course, you can just stick on the radio and tune into Phoenix FM, but you can also put together your own shows. Get onto your favorite streaming service or break out the old iPod and start making playlists of your all-time faves.
Even better is to play a game with friends. You name a tune and listen to it, then the next person has to pick a tune that is somehow related to the previous one. So, if you choose ’99 red balloons’ the next person might choose a song by someone also named Nina, or a song with the color red in the title. It’s great fun and the hours fly by as you play.
Learn a new skill
Okay, this one is pretty broad so it’s really down to your own personal tastes. You could learn how to bake something delicious or cook that gourmet meal that you always wanted to master. You could even take on something a little more adventurous like the piano or guitar. Obviously, not everyone has a piano or an in-tune guitar lying around the house, so go with what interests you or what you have available.
Make a list of all the things that you’ve wanted to be able to do or you fancied learning. This can be anything from learning to ride a unicycle to juggling, or even picking up a language. Then go through the list and see which ones you can realistically learn from watching YouTube videos or through an online course (you’re stuck inside). Pick one and see what resources you can find. Preferably, it will be one that you can make a little progress with as soon as possible.
So there you have it. Five things that we reckon should keep anyone active during those long hours stuck in the house. You might not find all of them interesting, but there has to be at least one that will help you stave off boredom.
We’re probably going to go with the music option, but then you’d expect no less, right? So get cracking and who knows, perhaps the weather will pick up and you can actually go outside for a while!
