Bored and depressed - what does everyone do to get thro the day

[Springcatkin]

Only been furloughed for 3 days and already I can't cope. I feel so depressed and useless, have no contact with the rest of my team who are still working from home and now doing my work on top of theirs. Feel so isolated and BORED.
What do people do to get thro the days?
I haven't even managed to summon up enough energy to even go for a walk.
Cannot imagine how I will cope with a month of this
I live with teenage ds who spends most of his time in his room / online schoolwork / chatting to his mates so altho I am not completely alone I have no adult company.

I find that writing a to do list helps with the feeling of achievement. Mine had things from clean x, try to cook y (eg ravioli), read a book, planted plants in garden and I also bought a bird watching book so that even lazing about looking out the window feels useful. However it depends on what you like. I need to have something to tick off a list and it works

If you find out let me know.

Sounds dramatic without context but I honestly feel like I'm dying.

Well I have 3 children at home at the moment but if I didn’t I would:-
do more gardening (have done some with the children)
House DIY , touching up woodwork and paintwork
Learn to knit
I did some Colour by Numbers initially
Netflix binge watch
Face masks
Dye my hair with a box - certainly very grey and usually go to a professional so scared to do it myself
Body pump on You Tube - bought the weights and did it in Feb then got distracted by Cv

DH, me DS16 and DS14.
Baking, cleaning, painting, upcycling, gardening, scrabble, frustration, Netflix, movie afternoons.
I insist on family time with DS's but actually it is easy enough to prise them off the XBox as I think they're even bored with that.

I’m a single parent with 2 kids at home. Get up, have coffee and get ready ect but without rushing. Usually read by 9ish. Might pop to the shop.
Start school work at 10 for 45 mins then have a half hour break where I’ll put some washing on or something. Then another half hour or so of school work until lunch time. After lunch we do another short bit of school work and play a game or something g and go for a short walk.
Then from around 2-3:30 I’ll do some more tidying up and other bits or just watch tv for a bit then start preparing dinner. By the time dinner is done, eaten, kitchen cleaned ect it’s time for kids bath and bed.
Then my usual pre quarantine evening of sitting in front of the tv.

I second a to do list.

Put every little thing you think of on it, make an effort to tick off something (or things) every day.

I’m another o e who’s going to say write a list! I’ve been suffering with a lack of motivation for the last week. Decide the night before what you would like to do. Write it down, I get a sen e of satisfaction from crossing it off. Don’t expect too much from yourself, add things like, have a shower, that you might do anyway! It works for me

I'm constantly busy or I'd go mad. I help the teens with their school work (getting them to teach me stuff is a good way for them to revise), tidy house/spring clean/sort cupboards etc, lots of gardening, I have a allotment which is a good place to escape, exercise - either walks or yoga or davina dvd, reading, started trying to make clothes, loads of DIY bits in the house to get done. Definitely make a to do list - I'll bet if you walk around your house you'll find lots of little jobs to do. Being productive should make you feel much better.

Definitely a list! 3 mornings a week I get up at 7.30 for a 7 mile walk. No one around then. The other mornings I read in bed till 9ish with a cuppa..then exercise for an hour using an app.
I walk on those days about 12ish but only 3 miles.
Supermarket once a week...I cook one new recipe a week.
I don't do loads of housework... I keep 3 bathrooms clean and that's about it.
Dh works and enjoys doing the rest of the housework.
I read a lot and we watch Netflix in the evening.
I don't do too much in one day...no point.

I agree with @EasyPeasyHappyCheesy and @crunchymum I have a list app on my phone. I make one massive to-do list then put days against a few tasks so I don't feel too overwhelmed. Somethings roll on over a few days (am currently wiping down all the UPVC outside, it's shockingly dirty so is very time consuming and gets me out in the fresh air) some of it takes no time, like empty the dryer water tank and clean the filter for example... I need a list and a plan to get motivated otherwise I spend a lot of time online worrying about the news! Am also keeping a list of things I've learnt / achieved while in lockdown so that I can look back at this time and know it was productive. I'm a shocking cook, and a lot of that list is that I've learnt how to do stuff I should already know how to cook in my late 30s. ☺️Never too late to try! I know it's not the same for everyone but I'm much happier when I have a project. It makes the days disappear.

Sorry OP, never had a problem with the lockdown.

The weather has been fantastic, which is a great bonus. You find your happiness where you can. Count your blessings and they will never be from your Team either.

Why not be lazy and enjoy the lack of timetables and commuting and all the rest of it.

Some people come across as far too motivational or something. Might be a personality type.

I’m self employed, unable to work, at home with DD 14,22, DS19 and 4 dogs.
I’ve a quite long to do list and try and do a few things each day though I’ve had a few days off in the garden.
I volunteer twice a week at the foodbank, walk the dogs, bake, I do try and keep to a routine, don’t lie in too much.

You need a project! Something you can get stuck into for a few hours a day.

I need routine, so mine has been roughly; walk and projects (designing websites for my business and cleaning the kitchen) until mid afternoon, then fun stuff like cooking, coaxing the teens to engage and keeping up with my friends. Then tv in the evening.

Hope you can keep it together

Long walks, read, knit, watch films/tv, learn a new language. I do have adult (and teenage) company, but doing those things still keeps me going.

You need to tap into your inner lazy person. Honestly try to channel your greyhound if you have ever had one. 23hrs resting and one short walkies. We just spent the morning rewatching Modern Family, it was great. Remember you are saving lives. Take it steady on the snacking if you take this approach though, you need to maintain that Greyhound physique.

Long walks, home improvements, cooking and baking but mostly drinking wine

I’d add don’t worry about doing lots in one day. I’ve slowed down and find a couple of tasks a day is fine. I do need to do something to feel purposeful but don’t need to do it ‘all’ every day. Today I had a phone call and a FaceTime call for work. I’ve also been for a run and fiddled with a few paragraphs of something I’m writing (related to my work). Lists are definitely good too.

Look on Pinterest. There’s loads of ideas there.

Learn to crochet or knit.

Netflix/YouTube etc.

The Sims.

Decorate a room.

The Corporate World has told us we must be on our toes all the time. Feck that.

Please try and enjoy the listlessness of doing dam all.

We are not used to idleness. Get with the lazy program! There are no rules anymore.

If you're going really bonkers could you ask your work to do a rotating furlough?

I'm bonkers busy at the moment but I also go bonkers when I'm not busy. Can you do stuff like sort the house out, maybe see if your local library does eAudiobooks to listen to? And then think of some learning to do? Open university does some free courses on OpenLearn.

What do you do on holiday or on Bank Holidays? Because it's only been 3 days, do you never have a long weekend at home or anything? I have very young dc but if I didn't there'd be so much I'd do: reading (I would love to be able to read leisurely in the day time right now!), writing to friends, playing music, making things (clothes, toys for the kids etc), learning something new (I'm learning a new language but v slowly in the evenings after the dc are in bed!), cooking/baking, painting/drawing, cycling, listening to podcasts and discovering new music etc.

I'm a bit of a hermit anyway though, I imagine it's much harder if you're more of a people person?

I’ve a quite long to do list and try and do a few things each day though I’ve had a few days off in the garden

This 100%^^
Whenever the weather is nice I down tools and spend the day in the garden.

Read The Idler!