How not to go stir-crazy stuck at home

As all of us settle into this new reality of quarantine life, it quickly becomes apparent that we’re going to need a whole lot of outlets and distractions. Self-isolation and social distancing, coupled with the relentlessly troubling news - can take its toll on your mental and physical health. Here at Kagoo we’re no different - the whole team is stuck inside, so we thought we’d help by compiling a big list of ideas to help survive the quarantine! This list will be constantly updated and expanded, so check back every now and again - stay at home, stay safe and we can beat this Coronavirus!

Watch all the Netflix ever

The government wants us to stay home, so now is the perfect time to catch up on your mountain-sized Netflix backlog! Maybe this time you can finally enjoy that Nick Cage marathon you’ve always wanted! If you’re wanting to upgrade your TV setup to better enjoy the downtime, check out our list of Best TVs for Netflix.

Try a cool project: set up a projector!

Is a television set a bit normal and standard for you? Want a bit of a challenge? Why not try switching to a projector setup in your home instead! If you’ve got a blank flat wall to project against, a projector can be a great for bringing your quarantine movie nights to the next level! Take a look at our list of the best projectors and see if any spark your interest!

Learn a new skill

Goofing off is great, but it may also be good to use this time to better yourself - like learning a new skill! The choice is up to you - think about something you’ve always wanted to do, pour yourself a big cup of coffee, and dive right in! Some suggestions to get your brain going:

Keep spirits up with cooking

Nothing helps the mood like cooking up some tasty food! Not only is a good distraction, but home cooked food is generally better and healthier, and this is the perfect time to break out some recipes you’ve always wanted to try. We’ve got a couple of tasty treats to get you started!

Meditate for calm

This is a stressful period for everyone, and we can all use a bit more calm and peace. Why not give a try at meditating? You need nothing more than a peaceful space and maybe a phone for a timer. My personal favourite is Insight Timer - I’ve been using it for about a year, and I find it very helpful. You can grab it free for iPhone or Android.

For a good practical introduction on meditation, check out Headspace’s ‘Meditation for Beginners’.

Give yourself treats while working

We’ve got to do our best to continue life as usual, and sadly that includes work. You may be working from home now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the fringe benefits of office life! We’ve got a nice article on recreating your coffee run at home - take a look!

Reading. Lots of reading.

This is definitely a perfect chance to catch up on your reading: time to finish all of Harry Potter! Attempt Gravity’s Rainbow! Become the only person to ever actually finish reading the Silmarillion! Pick a book off your shelves, or grab yourself an eBook - instant delivery and no need to go outside. And if you’re in the market for a new eBook reader, check out our list of Best eBook Readers.

Listen to calm music while you chill

Chill and calm is the cornerstone of keeping sane during this difficult period, and personally that has always meant music. So I wanted to share one of my favourite discoveries of the last few months: Lo-Fi Beats To Sleep/Chill To. A radio station of lo-fi hip hop and chillstep grooves curated by ChilledCow, it has really been keeping me sane over these last few weeks.

If that’s your jam, also check out the similar sounds of ‘1am Study Session' & ‘2am Study Session’. Guaranteed to make your tension melt away!

Games are the distraction you need right now

Sometimes you don’t want to chill - sometimes you want to make things explode. I hear you - video games are a damn good distraction in these troubled times. Whatever your flavour of gaming, boot it up and let the world fall away for a while.

If you've run out of new games to play, hit up Humble Bundle - they are currently running a COVID-19 Bundle with 46 excellent games for £25! There are some absolute stormers in there: my recommendations are ‘Into The Breach’, ‘Hollow Knight’ and ‘Superhot’!

Teach your dog tricks

You’re bored, your dog’s bored, you’re both stuck inside… why not teach him some tricks! Start simple with fetch and roll over, then move onto more complicated tricks like bringing objects on command, playing dead or recreating the famous ‘Dance of the Little Swans’ from Swan Lake.