Make some fun or seven things to do when you’re home alone

When home alone, two things are likely to happen. Feelings of loneliness or enjoyment in the freedom that comes with solitude. Sometimes people love being alone. Imagine that your family are a taking a two-week vacation, but you choose not to go with them. What’s the best way to cope with spending time alone for 14 days? 

For some, being away from loved ones is often a recipe for depressive thoughts. This is best avoided because of increase in fear and anxiety. For others, being all alone at home is a dream come true. It allows for self reflection and time to discover yourself through thoughtless awareness (meditation). To reconcile the two possibilities, figure out fun things to do when home alone. This post goes through fun activities to do when spending time alone.

Watch movies

The comedy movie ‘Home Alone’ produced in the ‘90s always comes to mind when the rest of the family are away. However, it’s probably not the best film to watch alone. Psychologists argue that watching movies has a way of relieving depressive thoughts and replacing loneliness with the excitement hormone, oxytocin. When home alone, it feels more like a solo movie night rather than being alone in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, making most of being alone boils down to carefully choosing the best movie. Consider these movie recommendations such as Trainwreck produced in 2013, Sweet Home Alabama-2002, or Cinderella Story-2004. 

Read books

When all alone at home, reading about loneliness isn’t the best idea. Books can provide a healthy escape from the reality of loneliness, therefore, a good reading list is necessary. Grab a few copies of your favourite summer novels and jump into some exciting adventures. Reading a good book makes one feel like a protagonist which can make it an exciting form of escape.

Share these stories with loved ones when they return. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, reading has become the best way of detaching one’s thoughts from the reality of a pandemic that has widened social distances.

Chat with friends

In this social media age, most people find it hard to keep away from social media and chat apps. To a great extent, chatting with friends, families, and relatives through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram makes physical boundaries and distance seem less daunting. It is among the many ways of spending time alone yet still feeling connected to family and friends. 

Chatting drives away loneliness, especially to an extroverted person who loves being around others, staying connected through chatting is undeniably crucial when home alone. 

Play online or video games

Video games can be very addictive. It’s hard to feel lonely playing a good game on your phone or personal computer. However, not every video game is an ideal recommendation for someone who will be alone at home for two weeks or a few days. Playing some games alone would only feel like staring into oblivion, so try and figure out the best one for solo playing. Well, there are many exciting games you can play online. For a start, consider playing online bingo games in South Africa. It is an effective way of overcoming loneliness while potentially earning some money in the process. There are many other video games you can play online when home alone.

Sleep

Sleeping does not sound like the perfect way to drive away boredom when home alone. However, getting a few hours of sleep will help overcome loneliness. When waking up to the reality of being home alone, doing any of the above activities in between will drive away boredom. At the end of every movie or music playlist, get some quality sleep to bridge the loneliness gap.

Cook

For cooking enthusiasts, this is definitely one of the best ways of spending time alone at home. However, for those less skilled chefs it might not be your first thought when trying to think of a distraction.

Admittedly, the kitchen may not be everyone’s favourite place. But being home alone, cooking becomes a necessity. It is a survival skill everyone should learn. Even more importantly, learning how to bake your favourite cake from a recipe book is both fun and fulfilling. Cooking provides a sense of accomplishment that you can’t get from staring at the ceiling endlessly. Moreover, cooking is productive way to spend time alone. 

Listen to music or podcasts

Music is food to the human soul, there is no better way to spend a day at home alone than listening to your favourite country music or soft rock hits. Tastes in music vary a lot and even one’s mood and time of the day play significance in choosing a good tune. It is an easy escape from reality. Additionally, when home alone, good music helps you learn and appreciate different cultures. However, steer clear of music that might lead to sadness, as this will potentially increase lonely feelings.

Conclusion

While not everyone fancies spending time alone at home, it is a wish for others. However, loneliness can have serious harmful effects on mental health. The danger of depressive thoughts are more so for those who don’t like being alone. Thus, performing any of the activities explored in this post should help decrease feelings of loneliness. 

The editorial unit