• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Adventures to have when you're stuck at home

One of the effects of being mostly homebound is that I have fewer adventures. Adventures were a big part of my life. I miss them.

So I'm compiling a list of adventures to have when you're stuck at home. I invite you to tell me your ideas, and I will add them to this list. Please comment on this post or message me.

I'm defining adventure as discovering of what is new/unusual to me, especially when it can make me excited. Being a bit daring somehow is also an adventure - there's got to be an element of risk involved. Adventuring for me used to centre around new places, but this looser definition might allow for more adventures at home.

  1. Exploring with Google Earth (Google Earth Voyager has cool adventures, or you can just roll the dice and have the app deliver you to a random place on earth!).
  2. Exploring the night sky through virtual telescopes.
  3. Taking a free online course (from Harvard, no less!).
  4. Virtually volunteering to help blind people navigate the world around them.
  5. Digitizing old records (things like census or immigration records) so they can be searched online (I classify this as an 'adventure' because I like to imagine the lives of the people whose names I'm typing).
  6. Learning a new language.
  7. Joining an online book club.
  8. Donating your voice (don't worry-unlike the Little Mermaid you get to keep your voice!).
  9. Helping scientists with research projects.
  10. Observing how the flowers grow in the garden over time (this is a new interest to me).
  11. Re-discovering possessions I haven't looked at in a long time.
  12. Cooking to a new recipe - the internet is full of recipes you've never tried.
  13. Sexual exploration.
  14. Trying a new yoga move - changing my body through building muscle is new to me.
  15. Reading The Artist's Way - lots of mini adventure ideas in that book.
  16. Drawing with a new medium.
  17. Podcasts - I'm listening to In Sickness + In Health, someone with ME recommended it to me; I've also listened to an episode each of the Food Medic and My Dad Wrote A Porno which I enjoyed. Podcasts are new to me.
  18. Dressing up - I dress as a drag queen at home for Ru Paul drag race finales and get the others to dress up too.
  19. Painting my lips dark blue, purple, or almost black when I go out - it's daring!
  20. Writing something true about yourself, then sharing it with other(s) who may find it challenging (hopefully in a useful way).
  21. Youtube surfing - learning about things that are totally new to you. Try nature videos - this one is about Radiolarians.
  22. Plant seeds from fruit you have eaten, and help them grow.
  23. Take a photo every day from the same angle, then make it into a time-lapse and share on social media. Great for showing how things change over time.
  24. Make a collage of a place you want to be. One couple cut out flowers and dogs from magazines and made a colourful garden on the refrigerator door.
  25. Subscribe to online audio books.
  26. Knit for charity.
  27. Do something different with your hair or clothing or style.
  28. Make changes in your space, your room, your bed covering, or your place.
  29. Search for a new website to enjoy - try Discuvver or URL Roulette for random links to websites.
  30. Create a map from satellite images of Tanzania to help end Female Genital Mutilation. Project info here and mapping tool here.
  31. Draw: take part in Inktober every October.
  32. Write poems: take part in August POetry POstcard Fest.
  33. Watch a live stream of somewhere else in the world - eg Molde Live.
  34. Watch a live stream of cats (or click through that link to also see african wildlife, owls, etc.... lots of animals on live stream!)
  35. Watch a live stream from space! The NASA space cam

Many of these things I can't do very often, but doing it a bit when I can still makes a difference.

Some of the things on this list are new/unusual TO ME but might not be new to you. For it to be an adventure, you have to try something new, or not do it very often, or push your boundaries somehow.


Credits
#1-9 @RebeccaRe
#10-20 @lior
#21 @Wolfcub
#22-26 @Hufsamor
#27-29 @Shoshana
#30-31 @lior
#32 @Raven Mom
#33 @Howard
#34-35 @lior

Comments

I just love this @lior
It's really strong and interesting and positive. There is always something to explore within the possibilities of one's energy levels.
The other day I discovered some tiny creatures I didn't know existed, via the internet. They are called "Radiolarians" and have the most beautiful silica skeletons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=tl_onFMjJWA

I have lived 65 years and never knew they existed. I only found out because I was youtube surfing because I hadn't the energy to do anything else.

There is always some adventure to be found!
 
Thank you for putting these together in one place. I also define adventure as what happens when we are learning something. Which you did include many of those opportunities! How about , doing something different with your own hair or clothing or style, or making some change in your space, your room, your bed covering, or your place. Just brainstorming, here. Excellent topic ! How about searching for a new website to enjoy?
 
@lior, this wouldn't work for everyone but in the sense that every person is a world, every universe represented in each miniscule part/ grain of sand, etc, communicating thoughts of the moment without pre-editing (this can be harrowing, exhilarating, certainly an opportunity for growth~*~*) is the premise of this annual event: https://www.paulenelson.com/august-poetry-postcard-fest/ it's fairly forgiving of the wayward few who can't complete the 31 cards in 31{56]days and hugely rewarding. this was the first in five years I didn't deem myself up to the adventure but will return to it next summer unless truly impossible. just today I made an illustration for the daughter of one of last year's participants, though, and hope the poem will arise before too long-- the girl is a toddler and was fascinated by the cards her mom was receiving so a few people were choosing to compose/mail her a few of her own. I don't know it personally but think there's a prose-based pen-pal site that exists. I'd love to see one to kids in hospital or elders or....chronically ill folk who don't get enough variety of contact in their everyday. let me know if anyone knows of such a thing (beyond the secret-santa at a year-round, as inspiration strikes sort of thing...)! Love your post.
 
I like your list. An interesting way to explore our unusual world is Atlas Obscura: www.atlasobscura.com
 
Love it! thanks for the ideas!
When I was super sick I couldn't do anything but watch the birds at the feeder. Maybe go outside and sit in the sun if I was lucky.
Now as I get better, Activities of Daily Living pretty much suck up whatever energy is available.
Inktober though, never heard of that, that sounds really fun. And Poetry Postcard fest! Much more accessible than Write a Novel in a Month (I know, there's a cute acronym for that.)

When I was really sick I mostly spent time on the internet looking for help- and thus found this site. Which is a huge positive, but it took me awhile to realize that screen time is taxing and should be limited. I was so hungry for answers, for connection... I think podcasts are healthier on our eyes and brains as far as the connection part goes.
 

Blog entry information

Author
PracticingAcceptance
Read time
3 min read
Views
1,527
Comments
5
Last update

More entries in User Blogs

More entries from PracticingAcceptance