What do furloughed people do if they have no family nearby, don't want to go to the shops.. And are sick of walking?

[ssd]

I've been off 3 months now. I'm in Scotland so the rules are a bit different.
Anyways, I've been lots of socially distanced walks, alone and with various friends. Also had the odd coffee in someone's garden. All my neighbours have family to visit or invite over. We don't.

What else is there to do, except go to the shops, which are only food shops here? I don't want to do that anyway, going once a week is enough.
My kids are grown, they don't want to hang around with me.

I'm not a hobby person either.

Any other suggestions?

I have also been on furlough for 3 months, and no family close by.
I have read a massive amount of books. My library does an app called Borrow box which allows you to borrow books. This has been a Godsend as I really can't afford to buy books.
I have done loads of baking
Too much eating
Netflix, Prime, Disney

It is hard when you have no one close by. It is really hard on my mental health the longer this goes on for.

You can drive to local stuff though, country parks etc. Or just drive a few miles and go for a walk there.

What do you normally do?

We’re gardening and doing jigsaws a bit. Getting house organised in a very low level way.

There are lots of ideas and resources for things to do here: www.marchnetwork.org/creative-isolation

Only a couple of weeks till a bit of normality in Scotland Ssd! The end is in sight .... ish

Lie in
Reading
DIY
Painting
Sketching
Running
Open water swimming
Writing
TV
Films
Classical music
Writing to friends
Phoning relatives
Cycling
Online choir
Online pilates
Gardening
Cooking

Is what I would love to do.

Thanks for all these answers, I'll be looking at my local library to see if I can get audio books need to get myself some headphones.
I know it's awful I have no hobbies, I just sort of fill my time pottering about, reading, catching up on telly meeting friends. I'm not creative at all and I'm wary if volunteering, I've got health anxiety and can't see myself mixing yet if I don't really need to. I feel embarrassed I'm not learning a language or doing a course, I don't want to

I’ve been furloughed since the end of march, I spent two months at home (going stir crazy) then eventually had enough and got myself a temp job at a supermarket. You’re allowed to work as long as it’s a different industry to your day job... is this an option for you? It’s saved my sanity!!

Are coffee places open for takeaway in Scotland yet? Coffee in a park is a surprisingly good substitute for actually sitting in a coffee shop, I've found.

Yes, some are psycho

Volunteer for a charity where you can answer calls?

Learn a new hobby?

Exercise?

Write letters?

Some good suggestions here. What about podcasts? There are some which are just like conversations around a topic and they're lovely to listen to if you're feeling a bit alone. (Full disclosure, I run one like this around creativity & small businesses, but have also found some amazing ones to listen to on the subject of my favourite fantasy series, photography, and women doing cool stuff - worth a browse!)

Ooh, and if you have ok handwriting and fancy it, there are places where you can sign up write letters, either paid as part of a marketing campaign, or voluntary to brighten care homes and similar places.

Research family tree

Gardening?
I miss chatting to my mum too op.

I was going to suggest podcasts as they are free and shorter than audio books. I've found some really interesting ones to listen to.

I know you said you aren't crafty but could you crochet? The lovely Woolly Hugs folk on here are always looking for squares for projects - you don't need to be an expert. There are lots of online tutorials for a granny square. It would occupy your time and also contribute to a really worthwhile cause.

Painting by numbers.....

Just finished this

i would've to have been furloughed

i'd have gone geocaching as suggested up thread.....i love geocaching when time allows!!

*LOVED!!

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game using a geocaching app on your phone that will be GPS enabled. You can search for caches local to you (you will be amazed at how many there are) and use the app on your phone to navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then you attempt to find the cache (container) hidden at that location . . . lots have log books inside which you can date and sign, others have little trinkets in and the etiquette is to take something and replace it with something else. Mostly it's kids stuff like figurines or small toys. Each cache within the app will have a unique name, some clues to help you find it, sometimes a photo if you're lucky and a log of others who have found it with a comment on how easy it was to spot and a date so you know if it was recent or not. It's definitely an interesting way to pass the time. It's a world wide treasure hunt, I have seen lots in a variety of countries so not just exclusive to the UK. Try it!

OP travel is ok from next Wednexday 😃😃

I think it’s fairly patronising to say you would love to be thurlowed. I’m sure the reality is very different to how it seems if you are still working.

No @RosieLemonade

Not patronising

The truth. Yes we got full at but actually ended up working harder than we’ve ever worked....to make up for the furloughed staff being off. Then they come back from furlough and complain the place is untidy....er,yes!! That would be because it was a struggle!

So I don’t really care how it seems...to you!

Have a look at FutureLearn. It's a site with lots of online courses which are free as long as you don't need a certificate of completion. I have just finished one on women's history and the quality was excellent.