This lockdown is driving me nuts - what can I do to feel less anxious?

[Lady Winter Rose]

So basically, my daily routine is to play video games, occasionally read books, write some text for fun, go for a walk, and eat and sleep and that's it. I live with my brother and mother.

I tried watching my brother Netflix, cooking, sewing, doing house choirs, but I don't find interest in movies, cooking is something I can do once a fortnight, because my mum won't let me, and sewing was pretty uneventful, and when it comes to house choirs, there's not that many house choirs to be done. I done some bad painting, but I wasn't good at it... so I quit fast.

 

I'm looking for hobby, that is "active" and can be done indoors.

What can I do, to relax and break my routine, to feel less anxious. It must be done in house, in apartment. Any exercise, home or gym, is making me extra anxious. I have mental illness, and live in small EU town, don't have a pet.

[Lady Winter Rose]

if you can't help me, can you suggest discoussion place where I can get answers?

[Mlle. Zabzie]

I am so sorry.  This is a hard time for everyone.  Is tele-health therapy (individual and/or group) available for you?  That’s probably the most actionable thing.

I personally crochet (taught myself off YouTube) but there’s an investment (yarn, hooks) required, and it takes practice and perseverance (I’m still not very good, but I’m good enough for me).  Animaguri (stuffies) are fun and usually just take learning one stitch in the round.  Knitting could also be good, but again, there is an investment in both materials and time required.

If you enjoyed painting, maybe keep it up.  You don’t need to be good at something for it to be worthwhile to you (and practice will help).  You would be making art for your own sake, not for anyone else.  Or maybe coloring?  That’s also very soothing for me.

I took myself off “traditional” social media, more or less.  That really helped with my anxiety, but it’s a pretty personal decision.  

Is there any volunteer work you could do from the house?  E.g., are there programs by you where folks check in on elderly neighbors through phone calls, etc.?  

[HoodedCrow]

Try Yoga or Tai Chi from a book or video. Find out about cognitive distortions. Phone your local crisis line. Learn how to draw.( all you need is a book, paper and pencil.) Learn how to do that and not be very self critical. I went to a drawing class and the first class was drawing a styrofoam cup still life. Fantasize. Lift small weights. It could be a milk jug. Accept your monkey mind, because everyone has this. There are resources on line. There are Coda meetings. Mental illness is a construct. Know that other people are not doing as well as they seem. We are being bombarded with lying, gaslighting, death, tragedy and very bad people. It is very stressful. I hope this helps. Teach me how to edit on a website when I can’t type properly. Good vibes from me.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

100% agree with finding a therapist virtually, or a community (i.e., sometimes therapists can recommend group meetings) to talk through your unique mental health issues.  Don’t be afraid to ask for ideas and help from your mother and brother around this, they probably know you and know resources that may help, where you are.  Tor instance, if you express to your mom that you’d like to cook more because you’d like to learn or it’s therapeutic for you, she might be open to it.

I also agree about yoga - I have been following Yoga with Kassandra on YouTube since the start of the pandemic, and for the price of $30 US, got a mat, blocks and strap, and I do it 2-3x a week to help ground me back in my body and get out of my mind.  Yin yoga is more meditative, and I like it for recovery/soreness, the other stuff is great for flexibility and fitness.

[felice]

Learn a musical instrument? If you're stuck in close quarters with people who wouldn't appreciate the noise, an electronic keyboard you can use with headphones might be the best option.

[broken one]

small town could mean dark sky. not exactly "indoors" but if you have a yard and not many lights in the neighbourhood, are interested in cosmos, you may try amateur astronomy. start with checking thematic croatian boards.

moon, planets, deep sky objects. Observing jupiter with a small, budget telescope was very soothing expererience to me (it might have been just me). Anyway, dont expect Hubble Space Telescope view

for the deep sky objects even a small binoculars will do (for a start). if you are interested in so called citizen science you may learn how to visually assess brightness of variable stars (its easy), some of them may be observed with "bare eyes", without any optical devices! you may send your visual observations to AAVSO or similar data bases for additional satisfaction.

lots of fun... if it turns out it floats your boat. you may drop it quick, but you may sink in for life.

[Lady Winter Rose]

Thank you all. I did myself better research than before and done some scrapbooking arts and crafts list and settled on collage. After doing just three scrapbook pages I feel better than moments ago. 

[Liffguard]

41 minutes ago, felice said:

Learn a musical instrument? If you're stuck in close quarters with people who wouldn't appreciate the noise, an electronic keyboard you can use with headphones might be the best option.

I strongly second this. I took up a new instrument to give me something to focus on during lockdown (and to get through a break-up) and it's been a god-send. I've started doing some basic recordings and putting them online, and considering joining a band when restrictions start easing. If you're stuck indoors and need something to take your mind away from stress, anxiety and boredom, then learning music is ideal.

[DaveSumm]

For me and my SO, personally, we have no clue what we’d do with our days if it weren’t for board gaming. The hobby has been quietly getting better and better while everyone outside of it keeps being sold different versions of Monopoly, and we’re in a golden age right now. There thousands upon thousands of games to choose from, there’s a thread on this forum which will contain a bunch of good options. Or there’s boardgamegeek.com.

I guess it would depend on whether your household are interested too, but solo gaming is certainly a thing if not.

[JGP]

2 minutes ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

I personally balance my checkbook to relax

wtf lol

 

[A True Kaniggit]

4 minutes ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Awesome!!!!

I personally balance my checkbook to relax, and I also find doing my taxes to be quite soothing, so those are my current activities to keep me occupied. Taxes are only once a year, but I plan withholdings and check my e-trade balances and shuffle things around in my portfolio for a good time.

Jeez, I’m quite dull 

I also left traditional social media - I’ve never been on Instagram, Twitter, etc, but I was a Facebook addict for a bit. 

Ha. I help people develop budgets. 
 

What is wrong with us? 

[Buckwheat]

I agree that if you don't feel you are good at painting, but you still want to do something similar that won't make you feel inadequate, try colouring. It is very calming and creative and an exercise in patience and being detail-oriented. You can be as detailed or as "undetailed" (is that a word? I forgot the word for ... the opposite. Sloppy maybe?) as you want.

Good luck! Many people have similar trouble these days.

[HoodedCrow]

Oh yes, zentagling is fun, and I’ve used them later for collage. Collage is interesting too and doesn’t have any pressure to draw. The adult coloring books are relaxing,  d you can used an array of color materials.

[rotting sea cow]

As other say, think on something that you always wanted to do or learn and never had the opportunity, lack of time, more interest in other things. It can be for fun, it can be to enhance your career perspectives, it can be skills useful in life, it can be the three things combined. But keeping ourselves busy is a key in these treading times.

and turn off the television.

 

[baxus]

During last spring's lockdown I was working from home, taking my daughter to and from her nanny, doing grocery and other shopping for my parents and my aunt and uncle. Days were pretty filled and stressful, so I needed something to blow off some steam. Luckily, coach from my crossfit gym was publishing workouts suitable to home environment so I did those, and it really helped me out. Never underestimate the positive effect 30-60 minutes of elevated heart-rate and sweating can have on your mind.  

Current lockdown is much more relaxed here, so we are seeing our families regularly and even fit in seeing some of our friends once in a while.

Thankfully, the vaccination started so once it gets well on its way situation might return to normal. Or at least normal-ish.

[Derfel Cadarn]

Between working from home and lookinng after toddler (when not at nursery), I’ve been writing when I can. I’ve one novel (97k words) at the polishing stage, and another’s first draft almost finished. And I really want to start on the threequel to my first and third published books.

My wife’s at work a lot (nurse) so during the week I’m usually alone except for our two rabbits, until time to collect daughter. All in all can’t really complain as we’re very fortunate to both be key workers.

[Werthead]

At the start of the lockdown I got into model-making and built a quite big Star Destroyer, which was cool. I still have a T-34 tank and a Babylon 5 Starfury to get to. My only problem is that I can't paint to save my life, so I can only build them for the time being and then pass them off to a friend to paint once lockdown ends.

I also caught up on a whole ton of video games, articles and writing. I must admit that initial burst of energy and motivation during the first 3-4 months kind of evaporated by Christmas and it's been more difficult since then. I have tried to get out more for exercise but it's tough because I live in a crowded area where very, very few people seem to be taking the pandemic seriously (very few people wear masks, most don't bother socially distancing and neighbours are having friends over on a near-daily basis and house parties every couple of weeks, despite us being in lockdown), so that tends to be more nerve-wracking than relaxing, although I have found that getting out really early helps.

Exercise can be a good thing. I have some gym equipment at home, which makes that easier. I don't get as much done as I could, but I do generally feel better after a session on the running machine.

[Lady Winter Rose]

4 hours ago, HoodedCrow said:

Oh yes, zentagling is fun, and I’ve used them later for collage

will try! I think I doodled zentang-ly by instinct in high school

[Filippa Eilhart]

meditation app? also second/third? colouring