Beat Boredom

The idea of being stuck at home may seem daunting. What will you do with all of your free time? Can you actually last a week in the same space as your partner without infinite bottles of wine? Will you be able to successfully work from home without entertaining your kids every two seconds? We are all asking ourselves these questions, so we decided to explore ideas for keeping ourselves sane during this abnormal time.If you have a to-do list that never seems to get done, now is the time to knock a few items off that list. Paint that bathroom you can’t stand to look at or start that garden you have always wanted. Clear out the things you don’t need in your house or frame the photos that have been sitting collecting dust. If you have kids, maybe pick projects that they can help with to keep them occupied like organizing their playroom or planting flowers in the yard. Utilize your time stuck at home to transform your house into a place that you never want to leave.  Maybe you have never had the time to chase a dream of yours. Take this opportunity to do it. Get your boating license, learn another language, start a blog, or get into a fitness routine - our local barre3 is offering a variety of online classes and a free 15-day trial to help you stay active and engaged at home. You may never have this much free time again, so why not go after your dreams. If you don’t have one in mind, maybe just read the book that you’ve been carrying around for weeks hoping to find a free minute. Try something that you wouldn’t usually have time for like cooking gourmet meals, binge-watching a new show, or playing some of the board games that haven’t even been opened. These are also all great ways to reconnect with your partner by doing them together.  If your kids are driving you up a wall, we have a few suggestions for fun at-home activities. Build a fort – it can take hours just to build, and then will usually keep them occupied for another few hours. Bake cookies together – let them stir the dough, pour in the sugar, and make sure to use a few utensils so they don’t fight over who gets to lick the spoon. Read a series together – depending on their ages, you may enjoy the books as much as they do. It can be tiring and strenuous to spend so much time with your kids, but you will look back and appreciate this opportunity to bond with them. However, if you do need alone time, find an educational movie or show that will keep them busy, but also keep their brains activated while away from school.  “Stuck at home” tends to have a negative connotation, but we hope this article can help make your experience a positive one. Whether you live alone, with a partner or roommates, or have a house full of kids, there are many ways to stay engaged and productive during this time. You can also follow The Patterson Group on Instagram or Facebook to keep up with the ways we are handling the coronavirus and our time at home.