What could be so bad about staying at home for a few weeks?
But, self-isolation during the pandemic is a lot more than just staying at home. It takes its toll, both mentally and physically. It doesn’t matter how much you love your home. The prospect of not going out as you usually would, for a walk in the park or a catch-up around a cup of coffee, can create a lot of mental pressure. Boredom kicks in. You’ve been trying to keep yourself busy, but despite a huge list of hobbies and activities you could do, you can’t help but feel too bored to do anything. Why is that happening?
You spend too much time indoors
The most common mistake that affects your energy levels is to stay inside for too long. It’s not always easy to go outside every day, especially if you are worried about virus spread. However, in the long term, failure to get enough direct sunlight exposure will affect your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is linked to your immune system and your mental health. It can make you feel sluggish and down, which often translates into a sense of boredom. Get yourself out with simple and fun activities where you can control all the risks. If you live next to a park or a woodland area, grab a cornhole game – you can click here to pick some fun-looking designs – and some sunscreen lotion. Ideally, you want a self-contained game, hence cornhole, but cricket, football, rope skipping, or even handball can be a lovely family activity.
Your home workouts lack excitement
You’ve been trying to work out every day at home. But you can’t get excited about your yoga mat and dumbbell anymore. It’s time to get creative and create a new approach to sports. It’s not safe to join a sports club yet, but you can build your own active studio at home. With a little DIY magic, you could create your own indoor rock climbing adventure in the garage. Rock climbing can be a lot of fun, even indoors. You may not need to prepare like you would in a professional climbing venue. But you’ll still need some gear, namely a pair of shoes and a chalk bag.
You don’t feel like you’re doing anything productive
You’ve had a long list of skills you’d love to learn in self-isolation. It’s been weeks now, and you find that you still haven’t managed to learn any new French vocabulary or to practice your splits. It’s been an unproductive lockdown. And you know what? It’s okay. You don’t have to be productive. The lockdown is not about making you a better person. It’s all about staying safe. So stay safe, and stop pressuring yourself into turning a pandemic into a skill challenge. It’s normal to feel down and to lack the motivation to go through your to-do list. It is an exceptional situation, and, as such, you should maintain mental clarity by refusing to let yourself feel guilty about your achievements or lack of.
We can’t say it often enough. During the pandemic crisis, your mental health matters just as much as your physical health. While most people think about depression or anxiety, boredom is actually the most common symptom of lockdown fever. Tackling boredom can help you manage your mental health… Besides, it’s also super fun to be positive about your activities and yourself.
