Since the beginning of the pandemic everyone has been wrapping their heads around things to do. You probably saw the title of this and thought, “ I have literally done everything there is to do at home, why are you making another list” and you are probably right. 

The amount of things there is to do at home is quite small and you have probably already exhausted all the basic things that we were told to do at the beginning of the pandemic, exercise, read, cook more, pick up a new hobby (and there is only so many hobbies you can pick up). 

I hear you, I’m with you, and I’m here to tell you that there may not be much else we can do except broaden our specific quarantine hobby and master the techniques within it.

I think right now, while we are all dealing with the same mundane routine day in and out that creating new and exciting experiences for yourself is extremely challenging if not impossible, but yet, so necessary to do. We might not be able to hike up Machu Picchu or swim with dolphins right now, but we can try to make ourselves feel joy in putting ourselves and the hobbies we created in the forefront of our priorities. We can still have new experiences at home even if you have stretched all your quarantine hobbies to the max. 

So for this list I’m compiling some ideas of ways to rethink general quarantine hobbies we have all done at one point or another. 

Cooking: If you have already cooked every meal you could think of, have mastered the art of bread making and now are meal prepping each week, well first off that’s amazing you organized guru, but I have some new ideas to spice up the art of preparing food. 

Try some ethnic recipes and get creative, this is a good way to get others involved and expand your repertoire for good home cooked meals. Get into it, and I mean get really into it, make homemade sushi or try a Vietnamese or Indian curry, most of these amazing foods require love and attention and is a good way to get a couple hours to go past, they also expand your palate without expanding your wallet as much if you were to go out for dinner. 

If you are too tight on your budget to get a bunch of ingredients you may never use again  or are a more picky eater, a great compromise is Italian food. Italian ingredients are super cheap and you probably already have the majority of them in your fridge. Italians are masters of finding ways to use up food and trying not to create waste. 

Something you could try (that is still on my personal COVID bucket list) is making homemade pasta, basic recipes are usually flour and eggs and rolling them into any shape you want.  All the tutorials I have watched have blown my mind with how easy it is and the results seem fool proof.  

Get (or make your own) pasta sauce, some garlic bread and you have made a decadent and cheap meal. 

Another way you can expand your culinary skills is to dive into the art of baking, there is a different process to baking then cooking, with baking every measurement has to be precise in order to create something amazing, it can challenge your free flowing cooking skills and instead of something savoury you end up with something sweet and decadent.

Netflixing: Watched every show and movie you can think of on Netflix and are sick of watching reruns of The Office because you can’t find anything else you’re interested in?  Then same, but there are other ways to engage with your love of movies and television and it can be as simple as picking a new genre. Maybe mushy Rom-coms aren’t usually your thing or you stay away from the thriller genre because they can freak you out, well here is to trying something new. Research ones that are less scary, or more critically acclaimed and give them a chance, you may come out of it pleasantly surprised and find a new favourite movie. 

Another new way to experience your favourite shows is to read the book versions of them. A lot of Netflix produced content is based on books, such as To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Lupin, The Queen’s Gambit and The Umbrella Academy and they are filled with colourful details and language to get your mind flowing. 

If you are a hard core movie watcher and truly believe you have seen everything made, another way to experience new movies is to try out foreign films, a lot of them are significantly underrated. 

Start with the Oscar winning Parasite, or try another like In The Mood For Love, which are both beautifully shot and critically acclaimed. A lot are readily available on Netflix. 

Exercising: One of the big things that was pushed on us during peak quarantine was to exercise, it helps to keep endorphins up and makes us get off the couch, it was one of the only reasons we were allowed outside, going outside to exercise is important. So if you are one of the (few) motivated ones out there that are still keeping up there workout regiment then honestly good for you!

 But maybe you are looking for a change up and a simple way is to (this may be obvious) change what kind of work out your doing. There is not just cardio and weight lifting at the gym, there are plenty of classes you can join online through a local fitness studio or just look stuff up on Youtube. You can try dance routines, yoga or get a new playlist going to change it up. Or if you prefer running on the treadmill try going outside on a trail, you’ll be feeling more refreshed and it’ll be a nice change of scenery. 

Hopefully these sparked an interest in you to expand the things you’re enjoying in quarantine,I’ll be trying that homemade pasta one of these days!