Twelve Ideas for Beating the Corona Shut Down Boredom Blues
- Find something to learn. What have you always wondered about? Use the internet to research a topic that you are interested in. It could take 5 minutes. Learn something new every day.
- Appreciate art. Listen to music (really, just sit and listen to every note of a song). Give yourself to immerse yourself completely in the entire chapter of a book – just read, no guilt, there’s nothing else you should be doing.
- Savor food. We are usually in a rush. We chow down, eat on the run. Pick a food that you love, or a new food you’ve never tried. Prepare it with care and enjoy the process. Then eat it slowly, mindfully. Taste slowly. Notice every nuance of flavor, texture, spice, color. How does it make you feel?
- Virtually travel. It could be your favorite destination. It could be somewhere you’ve never been, but fantasize about going there. Read about it, look at pictures and videos. What are local foods, music, architecture? What would you do if you could be there right now?
- Record your history. You have some great stories from your past. Write them down. Record a video of you telling this story you want to pass down. Write a letter to your great great grandkids that they can read and know something about you. What’s something good you would want people to remember?
- Fix something. We all have that door handle, leaky faucet, lamp that doesn’t work. Fix it. There is a video on the internet that will show you how if you can’t figure it out. Or maybe you always say you never have the time, but now you do!
- Organize. Sort through clutter. Finally get those documents filed. Delete those 10,000 photos that are all duplicates or pictures of your foot. Pull everything out of that kitchen cabinet you always just throw things in. Go through an old box you haven’t looked through in years.
- Take care of personal affairs. It may seem grim, but it feels good to have things in order.
Create a will. Write out your savings plan. Make a list of important information. Where is your life insurance account #. Important website passwords that someone might need if you are not here. Do you have investments, land, collectables that no one knows about? Make a list. Imagine you get hit by an asteroid tomorrow. How would people sort through what you’ve left behind?
- Contact someone you care about. Call, video chat, text, write, email. If you always just text, do something different. Contact someone you haven’t talked to in a long time. I guarantee they probably think the same thing “well, I miss them, but it’s been so long they’ve probably forgotten about me…” No they haven’t, you’re both thinking the same thing. Re-connect. Reach out to a relative you rarely see. Don’t wait till the next wedding or funeral.
- Learn a new skill. Learn a new language. Teach yourself how to do something you’ve always wanted to do – juggle, card tricks, stand on your head, draw, fix your car, plant a garden, bake a pie, train your dog, write a poem, play an instrument. Could be anything, simple or complex. Try, see what happens?
- Learn a new job skill. Bored at work? Can’t work? Teach yourself to use some new software or a new programming language. Get a certification in something that will help you get a promotion. Read that journal or book that people say is important. Research how to get started in a new career. Find out how to start your own business.
- Take care of yourself. Forgive yourself. Stop saying all that negative stuff about you in your own head. Exercise. Breathe. Meditate or Pray. Sleep. Eat something healthy. Think about 3 things you are Grateful for. Choose to let go of something you have no control over. Give yourself a gift.
