For someone who has a personality, I consider myself very introverted. If you know me personally, I do like going out, but that’s once in a blue moon. When I do paint the town red, it takes me a week or even two to recover.

I love staying home! I know how to keep busy and I know how to keep myself distracted. Yes, there are days when I want to go out and I do. But I never had a hard time just staying put in one space.

I found that doing things alone in a house full of people is actually very easy. It’s not that I have a schedule, but I just know how to keep my mind preoccupied without being on the internet or playing video games or watching movies.

Although these activities are really fun, you can only do that so many times without feeling a bit monotonous. Through times like this, everyone is feeling anxious, stressed out, and well… let’s be real… y’all are bored! Am I right or am I right? Yes, in all reality, this sucks. But if we don’t practice social distancing, we won’t be able to flatten the curve and mother earth won’t be able to heal itself. So stay indoors and only go out if you super-duper need to! So instead of reading false news and listening to some people’s negative vibes or playing the same video games or watching the same tv shows and movies, here are five other ways to keep your mind busy in doors.

This list is mostly for adults who don’t have children, but you can definitely tweak some of these tips to be kid friendly!

Read a book!

Whether physical or digital, reading a book can help expand your imagination, expand your vocabulary, and pass the time! Now, I know what you’re thinking! “Chrissay! You’re so crazy! How can I get a book? The library is closed and books cost money!” EHHH! WRONG! Here are some helpful links to online libraries!

Open Library All you have to do is sign up for free! When you do, you can borrow up to 10 books for 14 days!!! This library has books for all ages!

Project Gutenberg  Books here can be read online or you can download the PDF to your Google Drive or computer. This website was really helpful to me when I was in school because the search is so in depth; I found a lot of my resources here.

Questia If you’re into classics or want to get into classics, this site is for you!

If you don’t fancy reading! Don’t worry I got you!

Audible Not only is this website adult and children friendly, they also offer international titles and story books as well! For sure a big plus!!! I actually just started going through this website 2 days ago and so far, I’m getting my listens worth.

Get creative and….Color!!!!

Although it sounds very childish to do this, coloring actually helps you relax and ease anxiety as you focus on what you’re creating. This is also kid friendly! So not only are you relaxing, you can also relax with your kids. (You know when I tell that to parents, they always tell me they don’t want to do that. But hey, worth a try!) Below are some awesolicious websites that can help you color to your hearts content.

TLDR; some of these require a printer

Hello Kids I know it says Hello Kids, but this link takes you to a few Mandala Pages. Mandala drawings can keep you very busy for a few hours because of its intricate detail. You can also download their app via Apple Store and Google Play.

Just Color Just Color legit offers everything you can think of. If you have a printer, this website is one of the best! You can print as many as you want and go at it!!! The best part is, if you’re super happy with your creation, you can frame it and hang it on your wall. Then you can call it a one-of-a-kind piece when your friends and family come over.

Coloring book for adults is an awesome app for your tablet or mobile device. You can get the app on the Apple app store or on Google Play Store. After using all my free pages on other coloring apps, I found this one and they have so many that I can go on for hours and hours. The one bad thing I want to say about this app is that it has limited colors. I mean it works for me, but i do wish it had more color selection.

Write

Writing has helped me a lot! If it’s through journal or even in a letter, writing helps a lot and it can express a lot of hidden feelings that you really didn’t realize you had. If you’re really not into that kind of writing, try writing a letter. Thank you, I appreciate you, or just a, “Hey! How are you?” letter are my go-to. I feel like writing is a lost romanticism that not a lot of people like to use. But when someone writes me a note or a letter, I feel a little giddy inside knowing someone took the time out of their day to actually say something sweet to me. Now, if you would like some creative prompts, here are a few websites that can help.

Think Written gives you 365 creative writing prompts. You can do one a day or 3 a day or if you want to challenge yourself start the 365 writing today! This website also gives you tips and resources for beginners and experts on writing stories and such.

Quora is actually a good website of all things writing, but I use this website for self-improvement prompts. Like many people, I have my rainy days too and I often keep it to myself. But through writing and answering a suggest writing prompt, I become more self-aware of my feelings as well as others around me. Quora is a bit different than other websites. Although you can use the prompts privately onto your notebook, you can also share it in the many forums it offers on the site. If you’re really shy about sharing your truth or feel like you’re going to be judged by the way you think, Quora can help a whole lot. It has been a non judgement zone for me when I post responses and topics.

Work out and healthy living

YouTube is pretty legit; I totally sound like an old lady, but free work outs are available on YouTube thanks to awesome influencers! Depending on what you want to do: Yoga, Zumba, or a quick work out, YouTube is the place to be. Below are some awesome people I started working out to.

Yoga with Adriene Let me tell you I didn’t know how flexible I was until I started watching Adriene’s videos. Bless her heart for her beginner’s yoga videos.

Pop Sugar Fit has a little bit of everything for everyone. This is pretty legit if you want to change up your routine. On top of that, the instructors are engaging as if you’re in their class. Highly recommended for those who love to dance!

BoHo Beautiful is a lifestyle blogger that focuses on pilates and yoga. Her challenges are pretty intense. I have tried and couldn’t commit to a few; listen to your body friends! But her vlogs are really fun to watch too!

Listen to podcast and music

I know some of you are doing house work or yard work or something like that around your place. Music is a must to keep you alive, so my advice for that is listen to what makes you move and what puts a smile on your face. I recently just got in to podcasts and I gotta say it makes working around the house very interesting. Here are my top three podcasts I listen to on Spotify.

“My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgraiff and Georgia Hardstark” I’m a weirdo that likes to listen to weird things like murder. I honestly don’t know how to explain it. But both Karen and Georgia both talk about their love for crime stories and share tales of said stories on to their podcast. Some are a trip while others really make you not want to stay at home alone. Highly recommend listening to this if you like true crime shows and unsolved cases.

“Love Letters by the Boston Globe” If you ever heard of “Dear Nancy” or “Dear Anne,” this is the modern version of it. Meredith Goldstien is a columnist for the Boston Globe and she is all about relationships (or as I call it relationSHITS). It’s not really love advice, but more of a “Sis, this is how you get it together in relationships.” She gives you the hard truth of how to deal with break ups, sex, being single, and lots more. Best part is you can write in to her too! This is actually a good podcast if you’re in a relationship because you get to learn how to deal with certain scenarios that you really can’t bring up to friends. And if that solution doesn’t work, you can listen to another episode or write to her for some advice! Heheh~

“Girlboss Radio with Sophia Amoruso” If you don’t know who Sophia is, I highly recommend you listen to this podcast. The Nasty Gal Creative interviews and talks about well, being a Girl Boss! Spreading positivity and strength, Sophia also talks about embracing and growing into being your own person alongside some of the most of the inspiring guest who also share their story.

TLDR; the first episode with Charlize Theron is the reason why I walked away from a job. After listening to the first episode, the next day, I decided to give my 2-week notice. She talked about finding your passion and how every day, you should wake up wanting to hone into that passion and how you can make it better. If it wasn’t for this episode, I would have still been in the same place not knowing my potential.

Hopefully these suggestions help you during this time. I want to end this post in saying that yes, I know you’re bored, but I am with you in this too. This is really different for all of us; not working, not taking kids to school, and not going out in general. We all thought it wouldn’t have gotten to this point; yet here we are, all at home and trying to get used to the new normal. Who would have thought the new normal would involve not having toilet paper?!

Just know that we are all in this together. If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed, do not hesitate to reach out to me. We can talk and we can figure it out together in the best way we can. You are NEVER alone!

Until my next adventure! Toodles~!