How to entertain yourself

8 Ways to Entertain Yourself and Stay Connected While At Home

Staying at home doesn’t have to mean being bored and isolated

Across the globe, the day-to-day routines of billions of people have come to a halt. With physical distancing measures being enforced in almost every major country on the planet, many of us are spending our days inside our homes unable to be with our loved ones.

Most restaurants, cafes, gyms, and malls are temporarily closed, and keeping yourself occupied and socially active may be a struggle, particularly for those of us who are accustomed to busy lives outside the home. Being stuck inside doesn’t have to be boring, however, and just because we’ve been asked to physically distance ourselves from family and friends, doesn’t mean we have to be bored or socially isolate ourselves. Here are eight ways to keep yourself entertained and engaged with your loved ones while physically distancing at home:

Stay physically active

Let’s face it, we’re living through a very uncertain and emotionally stressful time. During a period of high anxiety, we seek comfort and that often comes through decreased mobility and increased comfort foods. For many of us, our instinctual reaction is to sit on the couch and watch mindless television for hours on end and limit our physical activity to short trips to and from the kitchen for snacks.

While remaining inactive may be a natural response, research has shown that staying active helps to drastically reduce stress and anxiety and helps to keep us focused. While gyms might be closed, there are plenty of ways to stay active while practising physical distancing. If you have old workout equipment around the house, time to dust them off and get to work. Don’t worry if you don’t have any equipment handy, use whatever is handy.

If you have no idea where to start, YouTube has a vast collection of workout routines to watch. Additionally, many gyms and personal trainers are offering free virtual classes on social media like Facebook Live and Instagram.

Staying active is a great way to not only burn off a few extra calories, but also help to keep your anxiety levels down during these trying times.

Get outside

While many governments are encouraging, or legally enforcing, stay-at-home measures, many jurisdictions allow people to leave the house for exercise. You can still go outdoors while physically distancing yourself from others. For many us, this is the time of year we start getting outdoors more as the warmer weather returns. So, don’t ignore that urge, just be sensible.

If you have a backyard, common area, or balcony, head outside and pull up a comfy chair. Read a book, call friends and family, listen to some music, or do some yard work. Just getting outdoors and soaking up a little sunshine is a positive mood enhancer.

If you feel safe doing so, go for a walk or a jog. Just remember to keep your distance from others and if you’re living in an area that requires you to do so— or you feel more secure by putting one on— don’t forget to wear a mask; masks have become the fashion accessory of 2020.

Put on your chef’s hat

For many of us, the kitchen is the heart of our homes. With reduced options available, many people are dusting off old recipe books or looking for food ideas online. If you’re an amateur chef, now is a great time to experiment and play around with your favourite dishes. If the microwave and frozen dinners are your normal go-to, why not start to learn the basics? You’ve got the time.

Since many of us are going to the grocery store less frequently, pantry cooking is currently the ‘in thing.’ It’s time to get creative and see what you can do with all that dried pasta, cans of tuna, and frozen peas you’ve had for ages. Don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry, many celebrity chefs like Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, Jamie Oliver, and Gordon Ramsay are all posting daily recipe ideas that just may help to inspire you.

Get reading

Many of us have the stack of books on our nightstand that always seems to be growing taller. Well, good news, you’ve got the time now, so start reading. Get comfortable and give yourself a little ‘me time’ by getting lost in a good book. Research has shown that reading is more mentally stimulating than watching TV as it engages both your language and imagination skills.

Also, you can use reading as a social activity. Get your friends involved and start a book club. Read the same book together and have regular discussions about it. Don’t know what to read? Well, most book retailers and libraries have you covered with book club selections. Most bookstores are still delivering orders, and while many libraries are closed, their digital collections, including eBooks, are still available for borrowing.

Throw a Netflix party

Going out to the movies has long been a popular social activity. What do you do when all the cinemas are closed and you can’t be with your friends? Throw a Netflix party, of course.

Chrome has added a new extension to its browsers that allows you and your friends to watch the same content at the same time. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. While you might not be sitting next to your friends in a theatre enjoying the latest blockbuster, it’s a fun alternative. So, grab some popcorn, make a few cocktails, and have a fun movie night with your friends.

Virtual coffee chats

Catching up with friends over a cup of coffee at a local café is something of a tradition for many of us. Many of us have regular coffee dates with our best friends, but with the current situation as it is, these social outings are on hold. However, this doesn’t mean they have to stop! Thanks to Facetime, Zoom, and other video chat apps, there is no reason why coffee catch-ups need to be re-booked.

If you and your friends have a regular date and time you usually meet for coffee, keep them. Brew a nice pot or cup, find a comfy corner of your house, and get caught up. While the gossip might be a little more limited these days, it’ll still be nice to hear your friends’ voices and share a few good laughs.

Don’t forget ‘me time’

If you’re living with a partner, roommate, or family let’s be honest, being with them 24/7 for days on end can be trying even if you get along fine. In normal circumstances, living together doesn’t equal being together all the time. Most of us have jobs and other social commitments that get us out of the house and surround us with different people daily. When you’re stuck at home with the same person, or people, for weeks at a time, it can get tense.

Give yourself some space. Find activities that provide all of you with the opportunity to be alone and recharge. If you live in a small space, this can be a challenge, but why not read outside, or go for a ride in the car, or even lock yourself in the bathroom and take a luxurious bath. Even if you adore who you live with, their constant presence can get under your skin. It’s okay, and healthy, to admit that you need a little space and time to yourself.

Get romantic

If you live with a partner, staying at home together presents the opportunity to rekindle the spark. Even tiny little gestures like making a special meal together, or cuddling on the couch while watching a romantic comedy, is a great way to spend some quality time together. And since most of us aren’t coming home exhausted from a day at the office, why not use some of that energy in the bedroom?

If you’re dating someone but not living together, don’t let physical distancing hinder your socializing. Communicate regularly, have virtual dates through video chat apps, and get creative with ways you can interact with each other. While it may be frustrating, stay positive. Not being able to see each other physically may actually solidify your relationship. It will help to build emotional intimacy and excitement for the next time you see each other in person. And while you might not be able to ‘Netflix and chill’ now is a great time to brush up on your sexting skills.

Finally, if you’re single, don’t let the current situation damper your ability to meet new people. Dating apps and sites like Tinder and OkCupid are still open. You can meet someone, chat for a while, and by the time you meet, you’ll have already established a strong connection.

For some people, physical distancing may result in increased sexual frustration. Well, many adult sites are offering free access to their extensive collections of ‘mature videos’ to help alleviate some of your tension.

As we continue to face this situation, remember that we may be physically apart, but we’re all in this together. Staying at home and away from loved ones doesn’t mean you need to be bored or disconnected.

Take this opportunity and do things that you don’t always have the time for. Find new hobbies and interests. Who knows, when this is all over, you may find that some of your priorities have shifted in ways you didn’t think possible just a few short weeks ago.

How to entertain yourself when social distancing: A stay-at-home guide to mobile apps

David Hartery, Senior Content Marketing Editor, Adjust, Apr 28, 2020.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic forces mobile users to stay home on a global scale, app usage has significantly changed. A recent study by Sensor Tower reveals a surge in online grocery shopping and a steep decline in new users for ridesharing and taxi apps. Entertainment and productivity apps are understandably being used more, with streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+ and Twitch growing by 28% month-over-month in March. With an abundance of apps to choose from, it can be difficult to identify which ones will be most beneficial to you while staying at home. Organized by app vertical, this post shares the best apps to entertain yourself while staying at home and how they are adapting their service to help users throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education apps

A great way to stay productive while at home is to learn a new skill. Fortunately there are several apps that can help you achieve your goals, as well as others that can help with homeschooling.

Duolingo

Busuu

Busuu is a language app designed to help you learn a language with 10 minutes of practice per day. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Busuu has launched a new initiative, Keep Kids Learning, to support children and their families while homeschooling. The initiative provides free language classes taught by qualified teachers for different age groups. The Busuu team has also compiled this list of language learning tips for kids staying at home.

Babbel

Babbel is also helping students throughout the coronavirus crisis. The Berlin-based paid language learning app has made its service free to access for all K-12 and college students. Babbel CEO U.S. Julie Hansen explained the company’s initiative to TechCrunch, saying “As students are being forced to stay at home, Babbel is in a position to help right now and that is exactly what we want to do. At this time of global concern, we are reminded of the similarities we have with other people around the world, rather than that which divides us.” This includes courses for Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Dutch, Turkish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Indonesian and English – making it one of the best language learning apps available.

Blinkist

Sport apps

With no access to local gyms and outdoor sporting activities, people are looking to mobile apps for a greater portion of their exercise routines. In March, fitness and health apps saw 46 percent more downloads than February and 25 percent more than January (a month that typically sees a rise in fitness app usage). Here are two of the best fitness apps that will help you stay fit and healthy while staying at home.

Strava

Strava is a fitness app where you can track your performance and complete challenges. The app is community-driven with social elements for friendly competition. The company recently gave users advice on how to optimize their Strava experience while exercising at home, including how to upload a heart rate only workout and how to crosstrain using Strava’s partner apps. Runnersworld also created a comprehensive guide to Strava earlier this year.

Runtastic

Runtastic is the fitness app from Adidas with more than 180+ videos designed to help you achieve your fitness goals. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Runtastic is currently offering a free three-month premium trial. This includes all features available in adidas Training and adidas Running.

Music apps

When looking for the best apps to entertain yourself while staying at home, music apps can be a great way to share your creativity. This vertical has seen less growth than other types of entertainment apps, downloads were up by 13 percent compared to February, however, there are still ways in which music apps are helping their users through the coronavirus crisis.

Soundcloud

Lifestyle apps

Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, apps such as meditation platforms have grown more popular than ever. In 2019, 52 million users downloaded the top 10 meditation apps and the total searches for yoga and meditation has increased 65% year-over-year. With the psychological strain of staying indoors for long periods of time lifestyle apps offer ways in which you can find several benefits.

Headspace

Another useful app for meditation and sleep is Calm. This app has over 50 million downloads and over also aims to make work life less stressful with Calm Business. As a response to the COVID-19 crisis, the company has handpicked some of their favorite content. This includes meditations, sleep stories, movement exercises, journals, and music – all free of charge.

Food apps

From ordering your groceries online to supporting local businesses via delivery apps, food apps remain an important part of daily lives during the coronavirus crisis. Here’s how food apps are adapting to the current situation around the world.

Takeaway.com / Lieferando

Europe’s biggest online food ordering and delivery company, Just Eat Takeaway (JET), announced last month that its Takeaway.com subsidiary will implement a ‘no-touch’ delivery. This means that delivery workers will keep a safe distance as your food will be left at your door. You can learn more about contactless delivery and how this process works on Takeaway’s official website. This also applies to Lieferando, operated by JET, for those residing in Germany.

FoodBoss

Foodboss is an aggregator tool that compares food delivery options in your area. FoodBoss compares offerings from apps such as Postmates, Uber Eats and Delivery.com in over 50 cities. Recent FoodBoss data reveals that, as expected, there is a rising demand for contactless delivery. Michael DiBenedetto, CEO and founder of FoodBoss, also gave insight into the price of food delivery since the coronavirus crisis began: «There was some surge pricing last week, but that has dramatically shifted to fees that are more reasonable across the board. From March 12 to March 18, we saw food delivery fees were 16.3% higher compared to the first week of February.»

Dating apps

Just because you can’t date in person doesn’t mean you need to stop dating entirely. Many of the best dating apps have responded to the coronavirus crisis in their own unique way. Here are a few key examples of how people are dating without contact.

Tinder

Tinder is a globally successful dating app with 30 million matches made each day. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tinder has issued an in-app card that encourages users to stay at home and avoid social meet-ups. The app also has plans to make Tinder Passport available for free to all users.

How to Entertain Yourself While Staying at Homeпјџ

‍95% of Americans are currently under a lockdown or are under some sort of stay-at-home order. As we all work together to flatten the curve and reduce the strain on the country’s healthcare workers as the coronavirus spreads throughout the nation, we’re finding ourselves in a state we only thought existed in movies: quarantine.

And, as we all navigate the uncharted waters of what quarantine life is like, we’re finding ourselves more bored than ever. Whether you’re trying to work from home or have been furloughed and have a schedule that’s entirely freed up, we’d be willing to bet that strict orders to stay home and do nothing have got you feeling a bit stir crazy.

Are we right or are we right? We feel you. That’s why we wanted to round up lots of great resources on how to entertain yourself while staying home. Some of these are practical and enriching and others are just fun, because, hey, we all could use a little lighthearted fun right about now.

Try Out New Recipes

If you’ve always loved cooking but have never had the time to really commit to it then quarantine is the perfect time to do so. You’ve got a pantry full of non-perishable goods, likely a few helpers around the house, and the desire to fill your home with the fresh smell of homemade food.

So, take time while staying at home or social distancing to try out new recipes. We’ve got you covered with a few great mac and cheese recipes or even a few great canned food recipes. But, restaurants and world-class chefs are also getting in on the free coronavirus classes trend as well.В

Recently, celebrity chef Tyler Florence launched a new YouTube channel called Wolf It Down where they post weekly cooking demonstrations for you to enjoy. The New York Times’ cooking channel on YouTube is another great place to learn how to cook during the lockdown.В

Get Some Exercise

Astronauts who’ve been in isolation out in space have stressed the importance of physical activity during quarantine and stay-at-home periods. You should aim for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day along with a few days of added strength training on top of that.В

Seeing as the gyms are closed, you might be wondering how to exercise while self-isolating. And, you’re in luck. Companies are opening up free workout classes online during the coronavirus crisis.В

Peloton is offering new users a 90-day trial on its app. And, their workouts are varied and don’t require you to own a Peloton-branded treadmill or bike. As well, Beachbody is offering many of their fitness programs free for 14 days. This includes the P90X series, Insanity, and PiYo. These are a great option for those looking for something that’s more high-intensity but might not have the at-home equipment that some other programs require.

Participate in Pop Culture

Not interested in doing something that requires any physical or mental effort? Okay, this one actually might require a bit of physical effort. But, you can participate in pop culture and download TikTok to get a bit of a fun workout in. This is an especially great option for families with little ones at home. They’ll love being able to participate in TikTok challenges, you’ll learn something new, and everybody will be able to disengage from social media and the news.

Another great way to connect with others if you’re bored during this self-isolation period is to download House Party. It’s a social networking app that allows you to video chat with up to eight different users (i.e. computers or phones, so you can chat with more people if some of your friends are quarantining with others or their partner). Chat with your friends or play games such as Chips and Guac, which is a Cards Against Humanity-style game.

Explore the World at Home

If you’re experiencing an especially strong bout of cabin fever, try exploring the world from the comfort of your own home. No, you can’t leave, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still immerse yourself in other cultures and places.

Most of the major museums around the world are offering free virtual tours to encourage participation in the exploration of arts and culture. The Louvre, The Vatican Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are all amongst some of the world’s most popular museums that are offering free virtual tours at the moment.

Exploring the world can also look like learning a new language. Download Duolingo or make a point to find a language teacher online in the country you’re hoping to travel to. For example, if you’re interested in learning French, you can find a native French teacher in Lyon and schedule Skype classes. Not only are you learning a new skill but you’re also connecting with someone else on the other side of the world during such a unique time. Here are Top 9 Web Apps you might need to stay connected during a pandemic.

Focus On Your Savings

Once you’ve exhausted all other options in terms of entertaining yourself while staying at home, why not use the free time in order to focus on your savings? Now is a great time, whether you’ve been laid off or not, to take a look at your budget and make plans for the rest of the year.

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How to entertain yourself at home when everything is canceled due to coronavirus

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Halfway through a recent staff planning meeting, someone asked the looming question: “What do we do if all the events we’re writing about get canceled?”

We could not have predicted that most of the places and organizations we cover weekly would be forced to close temporarily or postpone their events due to the spreading coronavirus.

It’s unprecedented. But that’s where we are.

It felt like someone turned on the faucet about a week ago, as a widespread national response to major events and large gatherings started and then didn’t stop. Broadway went dark, all shows canceled for a month. Disneyland in California shut down, then hours later, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando followed suit.

The local response swiftly followed. Huge events once set to happen this week around Tampa Bay are no longer taking place: the Valspar Golf Championship, the Reggae Rise Up festival, Cher at Amalie Arena. The Florida Orchestra has canceled its next handful of shows; the Straz Center for the Performing Arts is closed until mid-April. Busch Gardens is closed for the month.

Whether all of your weekend plans are now kaput, you’re just cautious about stepping foot in a public place, or you or your loved ones are actually quarantined, COVID-19 is forcing us to live our lives differently — mainly in our homes, away from large groups of people.

That’s why we have come up with creative ways you can entertain yourself at home. From streaming music documentaries to learning how to sew, our team offers some creative ideas to keep the spirit of this section going in the midst of all this social distancing.

Not every local event has been canceled. But things are changing fast. For the most up-to-date information, check our constantly updating, searchable list of event cancellations.

Fun And Exciting Ways To Entertain Yourself At Home

Not every concept of fun begins with burning out money and stepping outside your house.

For movie buffs, it could be marathons. For lottery enthusiasts, well, they can see how to play the lottery online. For bookworms, it is yet another book series rerun. And for foodies, it’s just another day to lay your hands on a brand-new cuisine.

If you’re searching for some amazing entertainment options at home, choose any of the following activities to drive yourself nuts, or amp your adrenaline, or extend yourself a sense of comfort. Here’s everything you can do at home, with a minimal budget and lots of fun.

If you are into gambling: See how to play the lottery online

To all the lottery enthusiasts out there who have to deal with state and legal constraints for a simple fun game of lottery, the online lottery is your biggest win.

It’s just your same old beloved game of lottery but with a digital twist. Here you can book tickets online without any long queues, without any legalities, and play under significant bets.

Go green: Tackle your gardening skills

A beautiful garden with blooming plants is the best reaping reward. It can be fun and productive at the same time. And you might not be the one with green fingers, but you must be aware of the fact that «Gardening season never ends.«

Learn that instrument that you kept putting off for years

Let’s face it, nothing screams’ talented’ and ‘happiness’ more than a self-proclaimed set of chords.

Rerun your favorite book or TV series

It’s natural for you all to question this one. Perhaps, your mind goes to an instant response like: Why should I repeat a series if I have so much more to see?

Conclusion

Staying at home could be fun; all you need to do is look around and observe the best possible resources that can charm your time at home. Be it your comfort food, your favorite book, a Netflix marathon, or an urge to see how to play the lottery online.