Fun things to do at home when you need to self-isolate

I received a complimentary product or service for a honest review. This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read More

With current health warnings and people being told to stay at home I am seeing lots of social media posts saying how bored people are.

I am used to being stuck at home whilst having cancer treatment so I have a great list of fun things to do at home when self isolating in fact I have so many ideas I dont get around to doing them all as there just are not enough hours in the day.

People are having to stay at home at the moment but this will be temporary, for people living with chronic illnesses it could be part of their normal life.

When having chemotherapy, I must stay at home as much as possible to reduce the risk of infection and generally because I felt like crap and do not even want to go out.

My list of fun things to do at home will keep you entertained for weeks

I personally love staying at home, there is nothing better than staying in PJs all day reading watching Netflix doing crafts and even learning new skills.

I have found many fun things to do at home when bored and now I have so many cool things to do at home alone, I dont mind being stuck in the house.

I was mainly looking for fun things to do at home alone because during my first months of chemotherapy I was mainly on my own but now I live with my mum who also has a chronic health condition which means she is sometimes housebound so we have found things to do at home together.

Look at future travel inspiration

My main thing to do when I am bored at home is to look at travel inspiration so I can dream about my next trip.

If being housebound is only temporary for example being at home injured or ill, then something I do is dream about where I am going to travel to when I can go out again.

This is where I love the internet and I wonder how we coped without it not so many years ago. I spend hours reading other travel blogs for inspiration or researching my next trip.

I have also subscribed to travel magazines which gave me inspiration every week/ month when a new magazine arrived.

I am also the owner of many travel guides my favourite are Lonely Planet travel guides which give detailed itineraries of future places I want to travel to.

When I can’t be bothered reading anymore I will look on the tv for travel shows. I love Pilkington dude the idiot abroad he is so funny.

Make the most of your garden

Gardening is said to be therapeutic I think it’s to do with planting something and seeing it flourish as it grows. I am by far the most unkeen gardener there is.

So much so we had paving added to our garden to keep it as low maintenance as possible. However, I do wish I had a pretty garden to sit out in.

If you dont have a garden but still want to grow things then you could invest in some houseplant to nurture. Or there is a cool grow garden that is like a mini greenhouse you keep inside that you can use to grow herbs and things.

Another option is a window box or hanging baskets.

If there is a bit of sunshine or even just a break in the rain then sit out in the garden as fresh air can also lift a mood. During chemotherapy when I was too weak to venture for a few minutes sitting in the garden did me the world of good.

It makes a difference from staring at the four walls of your house. You are still close to home so if you are isolating you will not come into contact with others if you have a private garden. Get your book and even sit on your doorstep and get some fresh air.

If it is sunny how about sitting outside with a cocktail it doesnt have to be alcoholic, get out a deck chair or out down a beach towel put on some sunglasses and listen to some summer vibes and pretend you are on that beach in the Maldives.

Or if you have kids how about getting out their paddling pool and going the whole hog and splash around as though you are at that hotel pool.

Media Entertainment at home

We are so lucky these days that there are lots of online media entertainment things to choose from at home.

Imagine years ago when there was no internet if you wanted a book you had to go to the library and if you wanted to watch a film you had to go to the shop pick it and rent it… god I sound so old and in a way I do miss those days as it was the weekend highlight to go to blockbusters get the film and then the off licence and then the takeaway now you just order it online and it gets delivered or its immediate which is amazing.

Podcasts

Podcasts are popular to listen to at home and when travelling. I have never really gotten into podcasts.

I have got loads downloaded and I am not quite sure why I haven’t listened to them yet as I love listening to things when I can’t be bothered to read or watch the tv so maybe this will be a good time for me to actually sit down a listen to one.

What are you favourite podcasts?

Audiobooks

I love listening to audiobooks. It reminds me of being a kid and my parents used to read me bed time stories only problem is they do send me to sleep so a audiobook can last me months as I have to keep going back a few chapters as I fall asleep.

I love audiobooks when I am travelling but they are also great to listen to at home. I have lots of audiobooks on CDs but the only problem with them is you must get up to change to the next CD, so I recommend online audio books which I download to my phone.

Audible is good if you really get into audio books. It is a subscription and each month you get a credit which is a lot cheaper than purchasing an actual audiobook. They have lots of great titles and all genres.

Books

I am a big fan of reading and I always try and read in bed before going to sleep as a way to relax.

Reading a book is a good way to escape from stresses of normal live and if I am reading a good book, I can happily sit there all day doing nothing else.

I have a kindle which is great if you cannot leave the house as you can download books to it.

I do however love reading a proper book there is just something about the smell and turning the pages.

I like chit lit and crime books what is your favourite genre? I have a number of book reviews on my blog

Watch a film

How about watching a film whether it be one of your favourites or something you have never seen before.

I am currently signed up to Netflix and to be honest I would be lost without it as there never seems to be anything decent on tv when you want to watch it.

What film can you watch over and over my favourites are dirty dancing pretty woman and stand by me.

Tasks you keep putting off

Everyone has something they keep putting off, a task that does need doing and you think I will get around to that one day but other things crop up.

Like sorting out a cupboard or organising your paperwork or even painting the garden shed. If you are stuck at home, it is the perfect time to cross of some of these things from your list.

Organise Paperwork

One task that I hate doing is organising my paperwork and I look at it thinking I need to do that one day. Well I have finally got around to it.

When I get post I read it then shove it into a drawer and forget about it until I need that important piece of paperwork and cannot find it.

So I have bought some organising folders, sorted and shredded paperwork I no longer need and then I have filed away all my important documents so now I should be abler to find the important letter when I need it.

If you do not have a shredder or have so much paperwork that shredding seems another task you do not want to do you can destroy paperwork with private details on with a bucket of water.

Tear the pieces of paper up and put in a bucket with water ( you can use bit of bleach to quicken it up but remember to then use gloves) leave for 24 hours then squeeze out the paper put it into balls leave in the sun to dry and then place in the bin. The paperwork ink will then be eligible so no chance of someone stealing your details.

Declutter

Just like sorting through paperwork how about decluttering the rest of your unwanted things.

I seem to keep rubbish literally I have had a big declutter and filled lots of bin bags with stuff for the local tip which I can take once I can leave the house again.

I have sorted through things that are still in good condition and can go to another home for the charity.

If you have a gift that you do not use, and it is just gathering dust how about regifting or donating it to a worthy cause. There are lots of charities who want things to sell the raise vital funding.

One of the major things I decluttered were DVDs and books. I used to love buying DVDs but just do not seem to watch them anymore. It is so much easier to watch something on Netflix.

I gave most of them to charity but I have kept back my favourite ones and now instead of shelves and boxes full of DVDs I have now have one tidy bookcase organised with DVDs and a few books that I have not yet read.

I am the same with books every time I walk past a charity stall and see a book, I have not read I tend to buy. I have a full book case so then I put in boxes and put under the bed and when these were full I just left in my room making it look messy so I have had a big sort out, donated the books I have read to charity. Kept the ones I want to read and now have a tidy and organised bookcase.

The best thing about decluttering is its also a chance to find things you have forgotten about but also a way of tidying. If you have too much crap and nowhere to store things it will make your house look untidy and that is not creating a nice relaxing space.

So especially if you are stuck at home because of an illness you need a relaxing space to recuperate so having a good tidy should start to help with your wellbeing also.

Sort out your wardrobe

I must admit when I am housebound, I do not get dressed all the time and live in lounge wear and pjs. I have however decluttered a lot of my wardrobe.

I sent to charity clothes that do not fit, I have kept them for years thinking they might fit one day but let us face it, they probably will not.

I have sold some items on eBay and I have thrown away items that were not good quality or used old t shirts as rags for cleaning.

I also must admit to something else that after I decluttered, I did some online shopping so just filled up my wardrobe again but at least I now have some nice clothes for when I can finally go out again.

How about getting your summer wardrobe ready and put your winter clothes into storage to give you more wardrobe space and visa versa depending what season it is. I have bought some vacuum bags and have stored my winter clothes under the bed until I need them again.

Organise photos into albums

This was a nice task and something I have been meaning to do for years. Going through old photos bring back memories.

I found so many photos that were blurry or had people’s heads chopped off which were just taking up space, so I destroyed those. I then organised the photos into some nice photo albums.

I do not have any recent photos as you tend to take them electronically and do not print them, so my next job is to make a photo book. This is where you upload your photos and it is put into a nice book. I am going to make some from my travels.

You can also make gifts for family members and friends. I have made one for my best friend of the photos we had of us through our crazy teenage years.

Write an email or a letter

Now adays letters are not popular but most people like to receive something through the post that is not a bill so how about writing to a friend you have not spoken to in a while

I have a friend who sends me cards every now and then, it doesnt even say much just that she is thinking of me. When I receive a card, it makes me smile.

If, however you are housebound and do not have any help taking the letters to the post-box for you, you could send an email instead. Or you a company such a moon pig where you can design cards and write your own messages.

Housework

Now housework is something I do avoid, but it is mainly because I am too weak to do much.

I set myself daily tasks do a bit of housework then do something I enjoy. It means that housework does not seem like a horrible chore as I know when I have done it I get to do something fun.

Back up laptop and phone

I always forget to do this, and my life is on my phone I would be so upset if it stopped working so back it up to the cloud or another platform.

Arts and Crafts

Amazon is amazing for arts and crafts and it is not just for kids.

Colouring is very therapeutic; I have an adult colouring book full of swear words.

Painting by numbers is also great if you are not the best artist but want to create a nice painting.

Have you heard of diamante art I did a few of these when I was at home on chemotherapy. It is a bit like painting by numbers, but you stick diamantes to a picture to create a jazzier feel to it.

I have been a keen cross stitcher for years, I cannot do it much now as my fingers are numb from cancer treatment but its also a great way to create nice pictures.

Jig saws

I love jig saws I have a nice big one of New York that takes me weeks to complete. I also do them on my phone which I thought was a bit strange at first, but it is quite fun and keeps me occupied for hours at a time.

Card Making

I hate being bored and when I first started chemo I needed something to keep me entertained when at home so I didnt go crazy.

I saw someone was selling a card making die machine I had never even heard of it I started googling and it looked like fun so I got one off eBay and started making cards.

I really got into it and bought magazines to teach myself, I sold the cards to raise money for my favourite charity

So not only did card making stop me getting bored it made me feel good that people wanted to buy them and I could support charities.

Bracelet making

This is one hobby I got very obsessed with just like my card making it took over my life and my house.

I would order beads from china and because they would take weeks to arrive I kept ordering more. in the end the postman was for everyday delivering something from ebay but agan I sold then to raise money for charity and made some beautiful different styles.

Puzzles

Do you like a crossword or are you a keen word searcher? I love sudoku and it keeps my mind occupied. When I am watching TV, I have to be doing something else, so I often do my sudoku I have it on my phone and I also have a few books.

Cooking and Baking

Cooking and baking are fun to do at home as let’s face it you get to eat your creation, well sometimes I do. I am not the best baker I wish I could bake I have even bought baking kits and they do not always turn out edible. I am a better cook.

Also check out the internet for new inspiration and there are loads of cooing programmes to watch but be warned you might get very hungry.

Virtual tours

Museums offer virtual tours as do a lot of other tourist attraction now you can visit places on the other side of the world from the comfort of your home.

I love webcams and have been following Edinburgh zoo live webcam.

I used to think virtual tours were a bit pointless but when you are craving some wanderlust they are actually quite good.

It is a bit like watching it on tv but you can decide which bits you go and explore. The Louvre and Van Gogh Museum have virtual tours as well as wonders of the world such as The Great Wall of China and Stonehenge.

Exercise

There are still exercise options you can do at home. YouTube is a great resource you can find exercise plans you can do in your living room.

How about learning a new dance routine or doing some yoga and Pilates. There are even options for the less mobile such as chair exercises.

Have a Pamper

If you have a bath then how about filling it with some bubbles, lighting some candles and having a relaxing pamper. Put on a face mask a hair condition and treat yourself.

If you live with a partner convince them to give you a massage as its therapeutic so great if you are at home due to injury or illness.

I do not have a bath as we have a wet room however I love filling a bog bowl with Epsom salt and having a foot soak.

What do you do when bored and stuck at home?

PIN IT FOR LATER