Ways to beat boredom: A homeworker’s guide to keeping sane

With work and home living becoming an indistinguishable blend, it can be easy to think that you’re being kept under house arrest. During normal times our lunchbreak would have been used to socialise, grab a bite to eat and take a walk outside – before returning to the office to start your second half of the day, then finishing work, heading home and kicking your feet up. But what do you do when your office and home are one and the same? This article will outline just a few ways to break up your day by utilising breaks, lunches and evenings to keep yourself entertained through the homeworker experience.

1) Let’s get active

Exercise is an enormous part of staying healthy, both physically and mentally, so it’s no wonder that activities such as running have seen huge surges in people taking them up. Daily exercise such as running is proven to boost serotonin (which helps us sleep properly), as well as overall cardiovascular health. Start with a slow jog in the morning, at lunch or after work for 10-15 minutes, and you’ll be sweating off your daily stresses. If you take a liking to it, consider longer or faster runs – the sky is the limit.

2) Add a bit of Zen

If the high-intensity stuff isn’t for you, there are plenty of calmer options to keep your body active. Consider taking up yoga, or meditation – tutorials of which can be found for free on YouTube. These activities focus on breathing and practicing consciousness of your own thoughts and worries – they allow us to feel relaxed and reflect on a day’s work.

3) Walk it off

Another great way of keeping active is simply by going for a walk, take advantage of the good weather and give your body a chance to stretch out after being sat down for a while. Walking keeps you active, lets you remove yourself from the work environment and also allows you to get some much needed vitamin D.

4) Gardening-frenzy

Home gardening has also surged in popularity, with people spending more time at home than ever, people have rekindled their green side by tending to their gardens. If you don’t have a garden, then purchase some small planters to keep around the house, try cultivating some flowers, or something more exotic like a bonsai tree to keep on your desk. Gardening is great for mental health, and many people find that it reminds them that all things, such as lockdown, are temporary.