- Solve puzzles. Puzzles activate the same areas of the brain being activated by challenges in real life- and for some people, it can be a much more effective way to feel accomplished than playing video games alone (or maybe not at all). There are puzzle books or online sites that host lots of both male- and female oriented puzzles suitable for elementary school children through adults.
- Learn to paint with acrylics or oils or watercolors in a well lit room where there is plenty of space around you on the floor for easels, canvases, and other equipment (even if you have just purchased these items). Getting into an activity will help release pent up energy and engage your sense of accomplishment – plus give a safe outlet for a little bit of stress.
- Develop your own webcomic or build a website about things you enjoy doing, whether it’s solving puzzles, making art, writing stories, cooking healthy foods with certain ingredients that can be found at the supermarket, or anything else that is positive and constructive. Websites are great because they host lots of different kinds of media related to your interests – even if they’re not completely original! There is space for collaboration on these sites and websites typically allow people to comment on each others’ work which makes them more interactive than other forms of solo entertainment like reading books by yourself (or watching TV alone). You can use websites like Tumblr and DeviantArt for this purpose (although make sure you build your own by searching for a free site hosting service; self-hosting will be more professional and give you greater freedom of expression).
- Practice singing, dancing (but only if you like dancing, otherwise this might make you feel extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed!), or playing an instrument (especially if you enjoy all three of these things!). If you cannot afford lessons, YouTube is full of tutorials on how to do all of these activities for free! You can also find free online music in genres that are interesting to you – look up radio stations in your area via TuneIn radio to see what kinds of tracks are being played in the area.
- Play jigsaw puzzles with friends or family members – it will help improve communication among loved ones if everyone can put away their smartphones or tablets and focus on working together to finish a puzzle.
- Do ceramic painting, woodworking, sewing, lamp-working (making glass beads), play an instrument with others who are also interested in learning it for the first time, do yoga/taichi/qigong/etc. at home, build your own treehouse or tree fort out of scrap wood you find around your house – anything that gets you outdoors doing things! Old school fun is always fun! Even playing cards at home can be interesting because there are so many ways you can play card games – if playing cards is too clichéd for you; try using tarot cards instead (or your own deck). You could even try 3D street painting or chalk art.
- Organize a party with your friends! You can also plan parties for people you don’t know, but make sure that they are actually interested in the topics you’re proposing (e.g., organizing a diverse group of individuals to come together and listen to music genres different from their own). These activities are more inclusive than some other kinds of gatherings because there’s no obligation to be had – it’s all about having fun.
- If you find yourself feeling bored often, use this opportunity to learn more about yourself by journaling about what makes you feel hopeless, helpless, disinterested, confused, etc., then brainstorm ways that you could overcome these feelings or give yourself greater satisfaction in life. You could also use these times to read books and study your favorite subject more in depth – it may give you new ideas about where you might want to head in life!
- Learn how to cook with online recipes, cooking tutorials on YouTube or other video sharing websites, and cookbooks at the local library so that you can save money by not always ordering food from a restaurant when hunger strikes. Even if you do get takeout/delivery sometimes, it’s nice to be able to make something else for yourself every once in a while. Cooking is relaxing because there are lots of different processes involved rather than just one specific action ; cooking forces you to multi-task within the many steps it takes to prepare a dish whereas playing video games is usually high-paced and repetitive.
- Make your own website or blog – this can be used to show off your artistic abilities, write about whatever you want, post tutorials on how to do things (including blogging itself!), share recipes/DIYs/informational videos, etc., play interactive games with other people in your area who are interested in the same topics as you are, meet new interesting individuals who share similar interests via comments/message boards/etc., build up a fan base before putting any work out into the world so that when you are ready to have it published , it will already have an established group of fans who want to read what you’ve written or look at your artwork , sell items that way, etc.
- Do volunteer work at the local hospital, library, animal shelter/rescue organization, school, or elder care center to get out of your house and meet new people while also helping others – it’s a win-win situation! The satisfaction you derive from helping others will give you more motivation to do other things that are positive for yourself in turn. Volunteering is an excellent way to show gratitude for what you have by giving back to society . You can sign up online to find these kinds of events near your area.
- Get out of your house and explore nature! There are hundreds of hiking trails in most parts of the US, so all you really have to do is pick one that interests you and go for it. If hiking isn’t your thing, try exploring a city or town by walking around and seeing what you discover. There are likely many things within walking distance of your house that would be fun to check out – this could include local events , interesting buildings/plaques/statues , the beach (I’m biased because I live in California), etc., plus there’s always something new when you haven’t seen it before (which makes traveling worth it).