Even from early childhood, boredom is presented as a very unpleasant feeling – when there is nothing to do, the day stretches slowly, there is inexplicable fatigue or, conversely, a burst of energy, which is unclear where to direct. At the same time, in fact, boredom is a vital reference point. It helps a person to realize whether he likes what he is doing and whether it is worth continuing. So, if lying on the couch and looking at the ceiling has become boring, it’s time to do something else. The most popular remedy for boredom is free games, but if you want something different, our list is for you.
Take up sports
Physical activity is a great way to dispel boredom, the main thing is to choose a sport to your liking. Of course, playing with a ball and running long distances at home is not an option, but there are a huge number of activities that are suitable even for a small apartment.
Fitness and strength training
Free time at home is a great opportunity to get your body in shape. So, if you want to improve your health and start the path to a perfect figure, it’s time to get into sports.
On the Internet you will find a huge number of strength training programs that you can do regularly at home. YouTube has video tutorials on how to properly pump abs, do push-ups and squats. You can try a couple of exercises right now.
What is the right way to squat?
Squats are an effective exercise that activates several muscle groups, including the glutes and abs. In addition, squats do not require a large space to perform. Both beginners and experienced athletes can squat, the main thing is to follow the correct technique so as not to damage the joints. To complicate the task, you can practice with dumbbells.
The correct technique of squats:
- Keep your back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, lower your hips slowly to parallel with the floor. At the lowest point, hold for a couple of seconds and exhale to return to the starting position;
- try to squat as if you are going to sit on a chair, pulling your pelvis back and keeping your weight on your heels;
- when squatting, keep your knees and feet pointing forward, not inward;
- keep your buttocks above the level of your knees and your knees in line with your toes;
- keep your chest lifted and straight, do not lift your shoulders;
Yoga and stretching
If heavy strength training doesn’t pique your interest, take up yoga or stretching. This physical activity will help relieve muscle tension, develop flexibility and improve circulation.
Lessons with detailed descriptions of asanas and poses for stretching can also be found on the Internet. It is better to start with the simplest exercises to avoid injury. Even if you want to achieve some ambitious goal – for example, to sit on the twine – it should be done as carefully as possible.
How to sit on the twine correctly?
Free time at home – a chance to make the first step to regular stretching. In one hour-long lesson to sit on the twine, of course, the beginner will not be able to. However, you can try to learn the correct stretching technique and set yourself up for further training. It takes 6 Months on average to learn how to do the twine from scratch
Before performing twine exercises, it is necessary to warm up the muscles of the whole body, not only the legs. All movements should be performed smoothly and slowly, without sudden jerks, which are fraught with micro tears. Overcoming severe pain is also not necessary – let it be better to twine will take more time, but the body will adapt to such loads.
Effective exercises to sit on the twine
Leg swings lying down: lie on your side, leaning on your arm. Raise your straight leg as high as possible, holding it at the top for 10-15 seconds. Do a few swings and repeat the same with the other leg.
Leg bends: sit on the floor and extend both legs forward. Bend one leg at the knee and press the foot against you as if you were sitting in lotus pose. Bend your whole body to the straight leg, stay at this point for 10-15 seconds. Do several repetitions for both legs.
Forward lunges. Do the usual lunge forward, lower the back leg to the floor. Keep your weight on your feet, pull your body towards the front leg for 15-20 seconds. Repeat the same lunge with the other leg.
What other sports can you do at home?
In addition to strength training, stretching and yoga, you can simply dance to your favorite music – it will be a good cardio load, which leads the body in tone. By the way, regular cardio workouts are good for losing weight and boosting your mood.
As the name suggests, cardio exercise is very good for the heart – it has been proven that people who regularly engage in dancing, running, swimming and even regular walking have lower cholesterol levels and healthier heart function in general. If physical activity in everyday life is enough and in your free time you want to relax – you can watch broadcasts of sporting events.
By the way, watching sports is almost as beneficial as engaging in physical activity. For example, soccer fans, worried about their favorite team, “train” the heart and blood vessels – for 20 minutes of watching the match their pulse accelerates as during a fast walk. So, if you just want to sit in front of the TV and cheer for your favorite team, you should not deny yourself this.
Cleaning and rearranging
Cleaning is also a great option to get something done if you’re bored just lying in front of the TV.
In the house
You could do a general cleaning throughout the apartment, dusting and vacuuming. It is also worth spending your free time to clean those places in the apartment, to which you have not reached before. For example, throw out old groceries and clean the refrigerator, disassemble the closet and clean up the desk – throw out unnecessary papers and move away everything that clutters the space.
In gadgets
You can also do a “cleaning” in gadgets – clean your phone and computer from unnecessary files, old programs that have not been used for a long time and only clog the memory.
Furniture rearrangement
Another way to have fun and freshen up the space is to make a furniture rearrangement in the house or pick up a new decor for the interior. You can choose and order new bedspreads, curtains and pillows online. You can also create a sense of newness with the help of home fragrances.
Self-education
What else can you do if you are bored sitting at home? Engage in self-education. A good option is to take free online courses and try a new specialty or improve and expand your skills in your profession.
For example, among the most in-demand professions today are engineer (the range of specialties is very wide, from robotics and artificial intelligence to chemical engineering and biotechnology), financial analyst, marketer, IT specialist, psychotherapist, oil and gas specialist.
After completing your training, be sure to update your resume.
Additional education is a chance to move up the career ladder or change your field to one that really piques your interest.
Many companies now offer a huge selection of online courses and master classes in a variety of areas. If you don’t want to spend money, you can try free ones.
What courses you can take online:
professional: in IT, marketing, digital design, copywriting and so on;
Language: you can start learning both world languages – English, Spanish, Arabic, and more exotic and local languages – Turkish, Finnish, Portuguese, Hebrew, and many others;
Humanities: online you can find courses in history, philosophy, sociology, art history – this knowledge broadens your horizons and can be useful in your career and in a friendly dispute;
Psychology: such courses will help you understand yourself better and learn to understand others;
exact sciences: if in childhood math and physics caused delight, not silent horror, you can look for courses that will expand knowledge in different areas of science or learn to solve complex problems.
If you don’t want to take a whole course, you can watch a lecture on a topic of interest or start listening to podcasts – they can also be a good audio accompaniment for cleaning.
Music and musical instruments
A boring weekend at home is the perfect time to learn to play a musical instrument. You can learn the simplest piano techniques and basic chords on the guitar in one day. One of the easiest instruments for beginners is the ukulele, a small four-stringed guitar. It has soft strings that won’t hurt your hands, a small fingerboard, and you don’t need to train your fingers to strum chords. You can play almost any song on a ukulele, just like on a guitar. However, you should look for chords for ukulele separately. You can master your favorite song by video lessons on the Internet and later surprise your friends with your musical abilities.
If playing music yourself seems difficult and uninteresting, you can look for new albums and re-listen to the songs of your favorite artists. Instead of surfing social networks, it is better to browse through the recommendations of streaming services and discover new tracks or even find a new favorite genre.
Drawing and art therapy
Drawing is a calming process that helps you relax, gather your thoughts and get a release if there is emotional tension. It is essentially the same as meditation. If it is difficult to draw yourself, it is not necessary to delve into the subtleties of the construction of still life or details of human anatomy, as it is done by professional artists – for simple amateurs there are many alternatives.
Coloring books for adults
Coloring books for adults are distinguished from children’s books not by 18+ content, but by the complexity of the images that are offered to color. Coloring books for adults are thicker, and the pictures in them are more detailed – with many small elements. So this hobby requires a certain amount of care. You can color with colored pencils or felt-tip pens, which do not show through the paper – just like in childhood.
Mandala coloring
Mandala is a symmetrical drawing that symbolizes the world or the universe. The tradition of drawing mandalas originated from the tantric yoga teachings of Buddhism, and it is also a common practice among Hindus. Each pattern within the mandala can have a specific meaning – for example, a triangle means confidence, striving for higher goals. Circles symbolize integrity, and squares symbolize safety. A special meaning is given to colors. For example, light pink can be associated with tenderness and innocence, red – with confidence on the way to a great goal, and green – with calmness and peace in the soul A mandala can be simply painted in your favorite colors, or you can make a kind of amulet that will bring luck, money, love or good fortune – it all depends on what meaning a person will give to his drawing. Working with a mandala is a deep spiritual practice, but even a simple coloring can help to relax and temporarily stop the flow of intrusive thoughts.
In addition to the above activities, one can try assembling puzzles or constructors and prefabricated models. Also popular hobbies in recent times – molding from clay, soap making, creating wax candles. In general, any creative activity will help to pass the day at home, banish boredom and relax.
Cooking
Snacking on boredom is not the best way to spend your time. But trying to cook some interesting dish is a great idea. In the season of fruits and berries, you can make delicious and healthy desserts with the addition of honey and nuts. It is also quite easy and quick to make homemade ice cream from cherries, strawberries and even watermelon. If you want to cook something more complicated, learn how to make pancakes using a variety of recipes. For those who do not like sweets, hearty meat dishes, such as borscht, are suitable.
By the way, a weekend at home is a good time to learn the basics of good nutrition. On this topic, there are many educational materials that will help to establish a diet, diversify the diet and get in shape.
Movies and TV series
For a relaxing vacation at home, a great option is to watch a movie or series that you didn’t have time for before. You can choose something fun, relaxing or, conversely, watch an exciting thriller or horror. By the way, some series can be watched in just one evening – this mini format is ideal to pass the time and dispel boredom.
What mini-series are worth watching?
“Queen”
Year: 2020
Directed by: Scott Frank
Number of episodes: 7
A fascinating story about a brilliant chess player who learned to play, being a pupil of an orphanage for orphans. The series shows the life of the main character from childhood to the peak of her sporting career – all the while she is training, fighting drug addiction and proving to the world that women can play just as well as men.
“When They See Us.”
Year: 2019
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Number of episodes: 4
A drama about a group of black teenagers who are wrongly accused of a serious crime. The series tells how the imperfection and bias of the judicial system breaks the lives of innocent boys who can hardly escape such “justice”.
“What does Olivia know?”
Year: 2014
Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko
Number of episodes: 4
At the center of the plot is a young teacher named Olivia Kitteridge. Each series is a separate episode from her complicated life, full of mysteries and other people’s secrets.
“Mrs. America”
Year: 2020
Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Amma Asante
Number of episodes: 10
The story is set in 1970s America. During this time, attempts were being made to amend the United States Constitution to include equal rights for men and women. “Mrs. America” – a daring drama about the confrontation between American activists and the rigid system of legislation of the time.
“Mildred Pierce.”
Year: 2011
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Number of episodes: 5
The story of housewife Mildred Pierce, who is forced to survive and raise her daughter without a husband. Her husband left her for a mistress, and now the heroine has to make a living on her own. The situation is complicated by the Great Depression, which then covered the United States.
In addition to movies, an excellent entertainment can be books – classics or modern novels, as well as popular science literature, books on business and self-development. Reading literature can inspire you to new achievements, and then you will definitely not be bored.
