To just be SO BORED in the evenings?

[Athenaena]

As title.

DH and I have just ended up going to bed every night at 9/9.30 the last couple of weeks (even on the bloody weekend!) we struggle to find things to watch on TV that we both enjoy. We’ll find a series and then binge watch because it’s something that we both actually like. Then we’re back to square one.

Honestly, I’m just so bored in the evenings now. I’m fed up of winter, at least if it was summer we could be sat out in the garden with the chimnea of an evening, or go for a nice evening walk somewhere, or if in normal times, out to dinner/ cinema/ have friends over.

I’m just so fed up of sitting in every.single.evening. It’s like Groundhog Day. We’re both fed up and by the time 9pm comes round we don’t have anything else to say to one another as neither of us are really doing anything/ seeing anyone atm, therefore going to bed just seems like the best option.

Anyone else starting to feel similar?

Totally agree, I am furloughed so not even busy during the day (no DC at home), DH is WFH. I hate admitting I am 'bored' ... I can hear my mother's voice 'only boring people are bored'. . I have a couple of volunteering opportunities which keeps me sane, endless walks with friends but that's about it ... the evenings are soooooo long. Really hard to find something both DH and I enjoy watching together, we have quite different tastes.

I am nearing retirement age but after this year am in absolutely no hurry to retire.

I try not to be bored, but the lockdown is getting really old.

No chance of being bored when the schools were closed as we spent evenings catching up with work.

I am trying to organise stuff and be ready to not be home the minute we can actually have our life back.

I also try to exercise during the day, I don't like to run when it's pitch black, I am clumsy enough I'll break an ankle. So when I take 1 hour, or even 2 lunch break, I just catch up in the evening.

Basically making the most of what little we can do.

only boring people are bored

I agree with that, but that never applied to people on house arrest, which we basically are. It IS boring.

It's also that we can't do anything during days off and weekends. So there's no pleasure about spending a rare evening home, when we are ALWAYS home.

Im.bored too. Im too bloody knackered after a manic 10 hour shift to DO anything, often too tired to read so not looking for a hobby but honestly, my life is like groundhog day

YANBU it's never ending - it's no so much "boredom" but a lack of anything to look forward that I've struggled with...

we struggle to find things to watch on TV that we both enjoy. We’ll find a series and then binge watch because it’s something that we both actually like. Then we’re back to square one.

We keep doing this. Quite often though we like to find something and then do our sewing crafting and with me reading in the same room together with TV programs on. We have YouTube, Netflick, Disney+ and Amaxon Prime and Sky but it's still been hard some evening to find something to watch.

We're in Wales - so only one of our teen back so far at school - other two get two days before Easter. We've not seen family in England of over a year now, only food shop are open locally - we've done every local walk variation there is. No one but eldest back at school has met anyone outside household since late December.

I think there's also a creeping lack of motivation for new big projects around house and garden- I'm hoping spring and spring weather helps with this.

OP, I’m sooo with you, I just can’t get motivated in the weekday evenings. After WFH and DH currently furloughed, there just isn’t a great deal to talk about - I’ve seen him throughout the day, had lunch together, etc. It would be so different if there were things to do as I’d either be at the gym, meeting friends, in the pub or going for later walks as I wouldn’t be home from work as early!

Looking at what other people have suggested:

Exercise - I walk/run 5km every evening after work just to get my legs moving!
Games - we save cards/board games/Yahtzee for the weekends
Read - I do that but can’t do it all evening, an hour or so is my limit.
Cooking - I hate it and will batch cook (hate that phrase) at the weekends.
TV - I wish I was more like these people who binge watch series after series and can spend the weekend catching up on Netflix, I’m bored after an episode (or two if I push it)

I seem to spend all week waiting for the weekend when we can crack open the wine (or anything remotely alcoholic we have in the house) and get sloshed in the kitchen.

WFH really is shit. I swear I wouldn’t be half as bored if I was out and about again.

I have a toddler who wakes at 5 so bedtime is 9pm for me....

It's been really hard trying to juggle working 8 hours a day and looking after a toddler for 13 hours a day during lockdown (husband works out of the house), but at least it hasn't given me time to get bored!

What would you usually do in on a winter's evening if you were allowed out?

@EileenGC

Oh OP, please move in with me and I’ll give you plenty to do! 9pm is when most of my daily tasks begin - batch cooking, cleaning (except hoovering which happens during social hours), ironing, I then spend about 1-2h doing emails and other work stuff... the list is endless. That’s when I’m not at work in which all of this gets pushed to 11pm Please come here, life will never be tedious again I promise.

That sounds incredibly tedious

It’s taken one entire year but I’ve run out of things to talk about! I’m so quiet it’s unnatural

What would you usually do in on a winter's evening if you were allowed out?

Don't know about OP but I would be doing similar but I wouldn't have spend all day in same building with teens and preteen and DH for last three months - we'd have gone out at least one day most weekends or had family over and couple of evening I'd be runing the kids round and they might be possiblity of late night out or a quick drink somewhere.

I do remember first lock down was hard - school weren't setting work we had problem getting food and I was also trying to support from afar elderly rleatives struggling with food, medicines, medical care, sorting WFH. Summer and early aumtum we had plans and projects and kept the kids on track. January and early February we were okay - and we making plans going forward.

I think it's end of winter, lack of things to look forward to and a lack of conversation from anyone that's making me feel so bored.

I think for me it's not that I don't have things I enjoy at home but just I'd rather not only do those things! I love a good box set or film but I don't want that to be my life!

Equally I enjoy crafting, cooking, DIY, games reading, family tree research etc. But actually after a year they seem a bit dull. Sorry I don't know what to suggest!

What would you usually do in on a winter's evening if you were allowed out?

I'd be working, I travel a bit for work, meeting DH in town instead of going straight home, going out with friends, going to the gym, sports club, late night shopping.

I don't think DH and I are home together in the evening more than once a twice a week in normal times! And only because one of us needs to be there for the kids.

Even if only staying in central London until 8pm, which is not late, that's home by 9:30. Not much time to be bored.

I love WFH when it frees time to have a life, not when I am on house arrest and stuck home for months on end.

I am furloughed so I understand that my 'boredom' is different to people who are WFH/have young children/home educating etc but in 'normal times' I would get in from work around 6ish, usual chores of hanging out a wash, prepping dinner, dealing with post/admin etc & then most evenings I might have a committee meeting (yes, I admit I even miss committee meetings !!), or meet friends, go to the cinema, go out with my DH ... or DH would be out so at least I'd have the house to myself and choose my own tv programme to watch. But when you are home most of the day all the normal tasks have been done, plenty of time to watch tv / read etc .... go for the obligatory walk ... which makes the evenings so much longer.

I hate complaining as I know I have got it easy compared to many ... but yes, I am bored.

@PattyPan

Yabu, tv is not the only thing to do. Get a hobby, read a book, play a game, learn a language/skill etc. We have no tv and aren’t bored! We read, play instruments, do exercise, I’m doing an online course, we zoom friends etc.

Is being smug one of your hobbies? Go you! Well done on being so great 👏

Don't forget... in normal life you would also spend time preparing parties, or shopping before parties (birthdays, weddings, christenings, diner parties)
Preparing for friends to visit, sometimes stay over

preparing for holidays, unpacking from holidays..

Kids have sports competition, have school things (meaning you catch up with work in the evening)

Just a lot of things that are a chore when you are already working full time, but frankly take away any chance to get "bored".

Oh yes I feel flat out of the time and am bored out of my skull no matter what I do - work, TV, podcasts, playing my instrument. Sick to death of the lot.

• flat all of the time

BBC sounds app is good to catch up on drama.
I often hear bits and pieces of something they air across the week.
I find radio more relaxing than TV if I've been at a screen all day, and as others have commented, for no obvious reason I'm finding it hard to focus on a book.

I think there are quite a lot of replies which lack empathy. Tbh I'm knackered by the end of the day. For many people they don't have the energy to read or do constructive things in the evening. The mental energy needed when life is so draining right now is often too much.

Also it's a bit smog to talk about how busy you are with family life knowing full well that many people find this exhausting or are not in that situation.

So eh yeah a bit more empathy would be nice.

& the clocks go forward in a couple of weeks - lighter evenings 🌞

YABU. But I'm not a people person there's nothing worse than dealing with people when I'm tired and just want to relax in the evenings.
I'd rather read with the company of my cats.

I am finding myself thinking oh 5pm, must watch The Chase, 6pm, must watch the news and have turned into an old woman!!
Can't wait for lighter and warmer evenings.

Only boring people get bored. Unless you're stuck on a desert island, but you clearly have the Internet so it can't be that bad!

For many people they don't have the energy to read or do constructive things in the evening. The mental energy needed when life is so draining right now is often too much

best advice is to try to exercise to be honest.

It was already the best advice when people had full days at work, the worst thing you can do is slob in front of the sofa watching tv.

Unless you have a disability, reading is not exactly taxing! Not enough actually, you're better off being active