Thirty Little Joys To Make You Happier At Home

It was another day in quarantine. Matthew and I were home again, binge watching Hart of Dixie on Netflix one evening when I decided to make some stove top popcorn. It had been raining all day and we were feeling just as dreary inside as it was outside. Then it started popping. It kept on popping up so high that the popcorn lifted the lid right off of the pot and kept going higher. And I couldn’t stop laughing. I hadn’t laughed that hard in weeks. One look in Matthew’s direction was all I needed to know that I was looking like a loony tune character, laughing my butt off in front of the kitchen stove. It was also the most fun I have had in a while.

Making that popcorn was just what I needed; not a trip to the movie theater, an outing with friends at the mall, or some adventure far away. I needed to embrace the simple joys of being stuck at home. -Because practicing acceptance and appreciating the present truly is the best cure.

So today I want to share that joy with you by sharing a list of fun mini activities and simple joys that you can do right at home.

 

One. Make stove top popcorn.

Two. Build a blanket tent in your living room.

Three. At home lip sync battle with your quaranteam.

Four. Bake something yummy.

Five. Watch your favorite childhood film again. Then go ahead and watch it again the next day too.

Six. Re-read your favorite book.

Seven. Research a new place or country in books or online. Plan an imaginary trip.

Eight. Play a board or card game.

Nine. Put together a puzzle.

Ten. Color in a coloring book.

Eleven. Have a tea party.

Twelve. Write a short story or children’s book.

Thirteen. Write a poem.

Fourteen. Paint something.

Fifteen. In quarantine with someone? Each of you get out a sketchbook and draw a portrait or caricature of each other.

Sixteen. Write a letter to a relative or friend. Don’t forget to mail it the next time you go grocery shopping.

Seventeen. Fold origami.

Eighteen. Look at old photo albums.

Nineteen. Face paint.

Twenty. Put on your favorite up beat album and listen to music while glancing at magazines old-school style.

Twenty-one. At home spa day: bath with bath salts, face masks, and nail painting.

Twenty-two. Have a pillow fight.

Twenty-three. Host a fancy dinner by candlelight at home.

Twenty-four. Use your special occasion glasses and dishes for regular meals and drinks at home.

Twenty-five. Host a zoom party with friends.

Twenty-six. Make a costume and wear it around your home.

Twenty-seven. Have a dance party in your living room. You can Zumba on your own or dance around with your quaranteam.

Twenty-eight. Make a collage with items found around your home.

Twenty-nine. Read one of those books that has been waiting on your shelf for far too long.

Thirty. Try a new recipe.

What little joys brighten your day? Tell me about it in the comments.