Overcoming boredom is hard, yo, when you're stuck at home. Pandemic! Self-isolation! Everything's closed! WTF are we supposed to do?
The resources I’m sharing are genius things I’ve come across on Facebook and Instagram for overcoming boredom. And all of it stems from a worldwide community of people who recognize we’re all in this together. People helping people. That's what it's about.
Watch my Facebook Live video about overcoming boredom or skip down to read the blog post.
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Stay Active
Exercise
There are lots of mobile games you can play to help you get some exercise. Whether you're walking laps at the gym or on the trails outside, these app games will track your distance and where you are for gameplay. Search the iOS app store or Google Play for these.
- Wizards Unite (my fave, friend me at 9325 4513 7071)
- Pokemon Go
- Zombies Run
- SpecTrek (Ghosts)
There are also hundreds of fitness trainers and coaches who are offering free workouts online. You can do these in your home alone or log onto FaceTime and do them with a friend virtually.
Everyday Superhero Training: This couple recently did a live workout on Facebook. You can also follow them for more workouts and tips. They offer full programs on their website.
The Nifty Nerd: This blogger has several workouts for you to try, from Disney princess workouts to superhero workouts.
Sarah Placencia on YouTube: Sarah is an old friend of mine and my favorite Zumba instructor of all-time. Her workouts aren't nerdy, but there are a ton of fun because she's so full of energy.
If you try one of these workouts, let me know in the comments.
Crafts and DIY
We all know there are as many craft and DIY blogs and YouTube channels as there are galleons in Harry Potter's Gringotts vault. I've listed a couple of my favorites here. However, I've got a few ideas that are a little outside the box. You can even learn a whole new hobby while you're at home, with supplies and all.
Simply Potter: Simply Potter has a YouTube channel and a blog. One of my favorite Harry Potter crafts that she did on YouTube was a portmanteaus that the portkeys come in from Wizards Unite. (Of course, I didn't make it. I have zero craftiness in my body.)
Popcorner Reviews: My girl Monica has all kinds of crafts on her blog. She also uses a Cricut. Sometimes she puts her videos on IGTV.
Witchy Stitcher Kits: I found an awesome Spellman Mortuary cross-stitch from the Witchy Stitcher on Etsy. She sells all kinds of awesome, wicca, spooky, horror, nerdy culture pop culture patterns and finished cross-stitch. I bought a whole dang kit. It came with the pattern, the fabric and the floss. It also came wrapped in cute tissue paper with my little kitty sticker. She did it up right.
Folded Book Art: I've never heard of folded book art, but it's gorgeous. I don't know what they do to books, but they create sculptures with open book pages.
Beginner Crochet (Alien): Learn to crochet using a beginner's kit. This is a link to an alien along with all the supplies you need.
Beginner Knit (Outlander): Learn to knit Outlander clothing. You could learn how to knit fingerless gloves or a cowl like Claire's.
You can learn just about any maker hobby using kits that lovely Etsy sellers put together. Just go on Etsy and search “beginnger [your hobby here] kit.” If you learn a new hobby, let me know in the comments.
Stay Connected
Not only are we overcoming boredom, we’re also overcoming depression and anxiety. Staying active helps, but staying connected to friends help more, especially for women. Our friends keep us uplifted and enriched. How can we stay connected when we're stuck at home?
Talk to Each Other Digitally
Social Media: Of course, you can use social media. But, please be careful. Try to avoid getting sucked into the black hole of negativity that can exist online. Try to focus only on the interpersonal stuff, your friends' photos of their dogs and their kids and whatnot. Try not to a) compare yourself to what everybody else is doing, cause it doesn't matter (eyes on your own paper!) and b) get sucked into some kind of negative spiral that defeats the whole purpose of using social media to stay connected.
If you find yourself getting sucked into negativity, get off social media. Instead, connect with friends one on one using Skype or FaceTime or Messenger or What's App. All of those allow you to use live video to talk to friends.
Watch Something: Miss going to the movies? Start a Netflix Party with a friend or two. You can watch the same show on Netflix (as long as you're a subscriber) and chat while you watch.
Play Games: Yes, you can play words with friends, draw something so many more. Android Apps for Me has a lot of great game suggestions. (I'm sure you can find their suggestions in the App Store too.)
IRL: Buzzfeed has a great article on all kinds of ways you can stay in touch with your friends, whether they're long distance or just hunkered down in their home.
- Don't stop making plans, even if they won't actually happen for a really long time.
- Keep in touch through voice memos rather than text messages.
- Call each other from the grocery store.
- Set up a standing day/time for a call.
Read the Buzzfeed article for more creative ways to stay connected.
Stay Well-Fed
Maybe you're a gourmet chef. Or maybe you're bored of canned soup and frozen meals or whatever it is you're eating. Here's how to stay fed in nerdy, fun, yummy ways.
Geeks Who Eat: This is my friend Sarah and her husband. (You can watch her “Disneyland treats” interview with me here.) Geeks Who Eat has sweet and savory recipes. They have recipes for entrees, appetizers, drinks, and all kinds of food that are pop-culture themed.
Popcorner Reviews: I mentioned my friend Monica and her blog above in the crafty section. She also has amazing recipes. One of her recent recipes is for an adorable The Hobbit cookie. It's so cute! The finished cookie looks like the front door to Bag End.
From Girlie to Nerdy: This is also a fun nerdy blog. She has some fantastic recipes, some sweet and some savory.
Magical Food Department: I don't know if you've seen Magical Food Department on Instagram, but, OMG. Her photos are beautiful. She keeps all of her creative recipes on her blog.
Simply Potter: I mentioned Simply Potter for DIY projects, but she also has a lot of great recipes.
Sugar Geek Show (YouTube): Fun baking videos with lots of Disney-themed treats.
Binging with Babish (YouTube): Babish cooks recipes that are based on foods from TV shows and movies. One of my favorites is Milk Steak from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I mean, if you can make a recipe for that, you can do anything.
Kawaii Sweet World (YouTube): This channel has loads of videos and recipes for really, really cute Kawaii characters.
Amazon also carries dozens of TV and movie-themed cookbooks, like Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Outlander, Harry Potter, Star Wars and lots more.
Stay Entertained
Staying entertained to overcome boredom is pretty easy to do nowadays, with a gazillion streaming services and your TiVo queue on demand. Streaming services come in super, super handy right now when you're stuck at home in self-isolation. I'm not going to list movies and TV shows to watch while you're home because there are hundreds of lists online. Instead, I am going to give things to watch that you might not have thought about, plus one special tip that will keep your to-watch list full.
Google Earth: Travel the world virtually with Google Earth. There's so much to see on Google Earth and the street view makes it super fun. Google “best of Google Earth” “weird Google Earth” “ancient Google Earth” “movie locations google earth” or other kinds of places you want to visit. There are some weird locations out there and aerial photos of things that will blow your mind. You can also visit Disneyworld on Google Earth.
Her Geekery: Here's the one list I'm going to recommend. Her Geekery has a list of feel-good TV shows to watch when you're feeling anxious or depressed. Parks and Recreation and The Good Place top the list, and I couldn't agree more.
Time Lapses
Time lapses are long, long recorded videos that are sped up into just minutes. There are all kinds of time lapses out there, like watching the sun rise and set in a location or watching a painting come to life, but I like travel time lapses that take tours of specific places.
Paris time lapse: Take a tour of the City of Lights, including the Eiffel Tower.
Rome time lapse: See the Colosseum, the Forum and much more.
Pacific Crest Trail: Virtually hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail in minutes.
Celeb YouTube Channels
Plenty of celebrities have their own YouTube channels that are successful in their own right.
Buzzfeed: Check out one of these fifteen channels for some behind-the-scenes shenanigans with the likes of Will Smith, Jack Black and Angela Kinsey (below).
On the Roam: Jason Momoa's YouTube channel covers his travels on motorcycles, in Hawaii and more.
How To YouTube Channels
Watch makers bring their unusual creations to life.
Drawing Wiff Waffles: This channel features loads of fun videos where the artist draws mash-ups of characters and scenes.
High Eye Workshop: High Eye Workshop creates dioramas for train sets or window decor.
Miniatures: The channel's name says it all. These are DIY dollhouses and furniture to match.
Secret Weapons
Thrillist Streaming Newsletter: I love Netflix, except it suggests the same five shows to me over and over. I want Netflix to dig deep and show me shows and movies that I might like that are six sub-menus down.
I found a newsletter at Thrillist that pulls unheard of suggestions from all the streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+. The Thrillist streaming newsletter suggest shows and movies that you will probably want to see, but haven't heard about. They dig deep and found really great suggestions. If you're tired of seeing the same shows over and over, sign up.
Audible: It's easy to forget about Audible as a way to keep yourself entertained, but it's my secret weapon. Why? Because I can listen to books while I'm driving, cleaning, walking, whatever. In fact, I hate cleaning and cooking, and listening to an Audible book makes the endeavors much more likable.
How are you overcoming boredom? Tell me in the comments. Maybe we can benefit from your wisdom.
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