5 Ways To Stay Sane and Improve Your Mental Health While Stuck At Home

Bored at home? Then check out this list of things you can do to stay sane while stuck at home. Being stuck doesn’t have to feel so stuck!

1. Do Something You Wanted To Do Or Enjoyed In Your Childhood

When you’re a child, you have all of these hobbies, skills, and desires that seem so attainable. We are full of dreams such as “I will walk on the moon,” “I’m going to be a professional basketball player.” We aim high and feel such innocent excitement and wishful thinking.

 Sadly, at some point, some of us lose the ability to reach for the stars and give things a try. Think back to something you felt excited about trying as a kid. Maybe you thought about it and never put it into practice. Maybe you tried it, but didn’t give yourself enough time to become skillful.

Also, these aspirations do not have to be all that high. They can be, but we are talking about getting out of your comfort zone and giving yourself a chance to feel that childlike wonder and motivation to do something different.

If you’re like me, you had a hobby during your childhood that you eventually stopped for one reason or another. I enjoyed writing in my journal as a kid, I loved to run and I always wanted to play an instrument as a child but never did.

If you’ve got time to kill, and want to access that childlike wonder, think about something you dreamt abounding a give it a try. Okay, maybe it’s not that easy, depending on the fantasy. If you wanted to become an astronaut, for instance, and that’s just not going to happen, watch videos and research what it takes to become an astronaut.

Allow yourself to get lost in the excitement of the fantasy. Have fun with it and imagine this dream has come true. If your childhood dream is achievable, set your goals realistic and attainable. Read about creating SMART goals here for increased success at reaching your goals.

2. Do Something New Everyday

We all have to eat right? Try new recipes you’ve never cooked before. Many of us have stockpiled food items while we’ve been stuck at home, such as rice and beans, since we knew we’d be shopping less. Look up new recipes for what you have at home. Don’t underestimate the difference changing one food item or using new spices could bring to your palette to make the things you’re sick of eating exciting again. 

Doing something new every day doesn’t have to be something major to feel less stuck at home. It could simply be a way to switch up the monotony. Some suggestions are:

• Read a book you’ve always wanted to read
• Set up a virtual get together and catch up with family or friends
• Research something you’ve always wanted to try such as woodwork or crafting
• Try a new activity you’ve always wondered about such as yoga or scrapbooking
• Try meditating for ten minutes
• See how long you can go without social media or using your cell phone
• Go for a run to get your blood flowing
• Have a meatless day or a day in which you skip processed food and see how you feel
• Decide to do next to nothing if you’re overworked
• Involve yourself in a cause you believe in
• Plant a garden and watch beautiful flowers bloom
• Have a “Spa Day,” where you pamper yourself with a long, luxurious bath
• Take up photography and photograph beautiful pictures of nature
• Eat something you love mindfully
• Check out this list of Free Resources for mental health and courses you can try

Commit to one new thing a day while stuck at home. However big or small, doing something new can help differentiate each day and give you more to talk about.

3. Keep Your Body Moving

Exercise helps release “happy hormones,” such as norepinephrine and dopamine. One in 10 adults in the United States struggles with depression. An increase in isolating and factors being out of your control (like, I don’t, let’s say during an unprecedented pandemic?!,) could easily result in an increased level of anxiety and/or depression. 

According to a Harvard Medical School publication, exercise causes an improvement in brain function. “In people who are depressed, neuroscientists have noticed that the hippocampus in the brain—the region that helps regulate mood—is smaller. Exercise supports nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, improving nerve cell connections, which helps relieve depression,” explains Dr. Miller.  

 As a mental health counselor, people often tell me about physical injuries that make it difficult for them to exercise.

Most of the time, I hear that people have knee pain or an arm injury that challenges them. Sorry, but this is no excuse! If you’ve convinced yourself that working out has to be long and strenuous, this simply isn’t true. This belief will deter you from doing any exercise. Got a knee injury? Take it to the floor. There are thousands of exercise videos in which you can lay out a yoga mat or towel and work out on the ground, avoiding any strain on the knee.

When looking at achieving any goal, the key is to start small. Low-intensity exercise, in which you gradually increase the amount you do over time, is best. For example, a realistic and achievable exercise goal could be: “I will do yoga for 10 minutes, 1-3 times this week.

Variety is the spice of life. So, trying different exercises such as Pilates, yoga, cardio workouts, and so on, is a good way to never get bored. If you haven’t been outside and you’re looking for a light exercise, take a leisurely walk and get some fresh air. This can do wonders for your mood by getting some sun, which increases vitamin D. Changing the scenery can be enough to uplift your mood.

When you keep your body moving it increases your mental health stability. Do this any way you can. Laying around or sitting all day is a sure-fire way to bum yourself out and increase health risks to your body such as, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

4. Use Your Hands

Keeping your hands occupied is a great way to relieve stress. 

Consider baking (kneading dough can be especially stress-relieving). 

On the other hand, some people struggle with boredom or stress eating. In this case, keep your hands busy so you can avoid food. This could be a good time for arts and crafts, puzzles, model airplanes, updating your furniture, or painting your walls. 

Crocheting is a great way to occupy your hands and master a new skill.

Buy a stress ball or silly putty to keep your hands occupied.

Learning or playing an instrument is a great way to occupy your hands.

Catch up on your house cleaning and organizing: You know you’ve been telling yourself you’ve been too busy to clean or organize the way you really want to. I have to call BS if you make this excuse during a quarantine when there is ample time to get to it!  

5. Do Something To Help Someone Else

Social distancing can be isolating and cause you to miss the ones you love. Someone out there needs some help, whether it is dropping off food and/or toiletries to an elderly or immunocompromised person’s house (everybody run and grab the toilet paper!), or things to keep them busy such as books or puzzles. 

You may decide you want to thank those who have been on the front lines of this pandemic, such as first responders, while you’ve been stuck at home. Sending them a self-care kit could be a great way to show you are thankful and they are in your thoughts.  

Many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus, so spending money is not an option right now. If this is the case for you, dropping by a loved one’s house and staying outside with your mask on is a great way to keep them company and keep them safe. If your loved one lives far away, it doesn’t cost you any extra money to call them regularly or use a video app so you can see each other.

 Since you are likely less busy these days, it is a great opportunity to catch up with people you’ve meant to stay in contact with. Take the opportunity and let them know you care and they are not alone. 

Being at home during this stressful time doesn’t have to feel like you’re stuck. Treat this like a staycation. Play an instrument, pamper yourself with a bath and a mani/pedi, bring back that childlike innocence. Whatever it takes!