Re-decorate your room: Your bedroom is your haven; a place where you can be yourself. If it has been a while since it had a makeover, maybe it is time you give it one. The first step is to get rid of unnecessary items and choose a theme for your room. “Websites like Pinterest and Tumblr offer great ideas to do up your room. You shouldn’t feel limited by resources or the size of your room,” says Kavya Khashnobish, a 19 year-old fashion blogger who is also keen on interior designing.
There are DIY craft kits available in craft stores or you can look up videos on Youtube to learn some new craft techniques. You can look up Internet for ideas. “Good furniture, wall hangings, matching curtains and lighting are important aspects to keep in mind while decorating your room. Don’t be afraid to experiment” she adds. Your bedroom should be a reflection of your personality, a place that you look forward to go to after a long, tiring day.
Learn cooking: A valuable skill, cooking is also a great stress-buster. Cook books by Indian culinary experts Tarla Dalal and Sanjeev Kapoor are available easily. Shreya Arora, a BHM student from Christ University who runs a food truck with her mother called Desi Adda, says, “Cooking is an art that everybody must learn as it makes you independent. For me, it is more of a therapeutic process.” Online recipes and cooking tutorials are a new way to learn cooking. She adds, “Today, there are various recipes and videos online which make cooking so easy. Not just basic cooking but also specialization in different cuisines, baking, food decoration, etc. There’s no end to what you can do with food.”
Bring back board games: Board games are fun and they are not just for kids. Even though online gaming is getting popular at a fast pace, classic games such as chess and monopoly are back in trend.
Harsh Sharma, an IT professional feels, “Board games are an engaging social experience for the whole family. We usually play a round of scrabble or checkers in the evening. They involve face- to-face interaction among the family which has considerably decreased in this smart phone era.” Game-nights and board gamer groups are popular in Bangalore with youngsters demanding more of a challenging experience rather than the age-old board games.
Challenge yourself: A very unique way getting popular with people who want to have fun while staying indoors is 30 day challenges. They are also great motivators and help you stay focussed. Surabhi Sharma, a 23 year- old law student recently completed a book reading challenge. She says, “Taking up any of these challenges requires a lot of discipline. It helped increase my knowledge and reading different books everyday was an adventure.” These challenges are all about self-improvement. Aashica Pai, a mass communication student took up a movie challenge, who said, “Even though I couldn’t successfully complete the challenge I learned that there are so many brilliant movies out there that we haven’t heard of. I tried to get the essence of the movie by keeping my phone aside and ventured into different genres and languages.”
Here are a few interesting 30 day challenges you could take up - Draw or paint a picture a day, Give up a bad habit for 30 days, 30 days abs or squats challenge, give a compliment a day, Reclaim an hour for yourself every day, Do something that scares you, talk to one stranger each day.
Start a balcony garden: You love nature and you can have a bit of it by having your own balcony garden. The first step is to get the sunlight right. You need to buy seeds depending on whether you want low maintenance plants or are willing to put in full commitment. The best flowers to grow during rainy season are the Indian Cassia, Hibiscus, Gulmohar and Cape jasmine.
“Small, indoor plants like Aloe Vera, Asparagus Fern, Rubber plant, Chinese money plant are easy to maintain and require less sunlight and water. Clay pots, metal containers, old paint cans or wooden barrels can be used to plant the seeds. Bonsai plants are also a good option to give your garden an elegant touch,” says Dolly Rajawat, a Bonsai expert in Mumbai.
