The gloomy, stormy weather outside can be a real dampener. But rainy days don’t have to be all bad and canceled plans. In fact, monsoon days are the perfect excuse to cozy up indoors and spend some much-needed downtime with your family, kids, or just by yourself.
Keep this list handy for the next drizzly afternoon – it has a host of ideas and inspiration, from relaxing self-care ideas to spending quality family time. We promise rainy days won’t be all doom and gloom anymore.
1. Create a Special Dining Experience at Home
Meal prep time involving your entire family can be a great bonding experience when you’re cooped up at home. Ask your family members/flatmates what meals they want to eat for the days to come and come up with creative names for each dish. Put them down on paper, adding fun designs and food illustrations to invoke your artistic side! Bonus points for any child who helps out in the kitchen operations too.
2. Camp In the Great Indoors
While camping might not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of all the things you can do inside, it can be a great back-up to keep your spirits up when your weekend camping plans have been foiled by the downpour. If you have a pop-up tent, make it extra comfortable with lots of pillows and sleeping bags. Follow it up with an indoor picnic inside your tent, and of course, don’t forget the indoor s’mores!
3. Deep Condition Your Hair
What better time than when you’re stuck indoors on a rainy day to pamper yourself! Have you been wanting to give your hair a deep treatment but haven’t been able to get to doing it? Walk over to your fridge and find the best DIY hair mask possible: mayonnaise. Start at the scalp, coat each strand, and leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
4. Enjoy A Movie Marathon
One of the most fun things to do indoors is to queue up an afternoon of classics, old and new. You can even mix it up a little by adding in a few episodes of your latest Netflix binge and have your own marathon film festival. Keep a cozy throw blanket on hand to snuggle under, a big bowl of popcorn, hot cocoa and settle right in.
5. Pamper Yourself with a Skin-softening Scrub
Do a little spa therapy the next time you need a soothing, rainy-day activity. Whip up a homemade scrub by grinding two cups of oatmeal; a natural skin soother and add in a handful of coffee and brown sugar. Then, stir in some skin-nourishing honey and ginger. It smells lovely and is super gentle on the skin, especially when it feels especially dry.
6. Practice Mindfulness
Now’s the perfect time to begin the meditation practice you’ve been meaning to start. It doesn’t need to be an elaborate 20-30-minute-long session, even 5-minutes can make a huge difference. If meditation sounds daunting to you, start with these simple 1-minute mindfulness exercises that can ease you into the practice.
7. Host A Games Day
Get together with some friends and enjoy an afternoon or evening of board or card games. Make the occasion more fun, and enjoy some delicious, healthy snacks while you play. There’s nothing like a healthy competition between friends or family and some lively company to keep your day interesting.
8. Read A Delightful Book
It is a known fact that reading is mentally stimulating and helps reduce stress. Keep a stack of your favourite books on hand or grab a book from the library when you know the forecast for the week ahead looks gloomy. Get your family or friends involved, and organize a book exchange, where you each lend a book to the other to read.
TRM recommends: The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down – How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim
9. Take A Nap
Grey skies naturally make us sleepy, so there’s no shame in taking a little nap. In fact, naps reduce stress, mental as well as physical fatigue, and increase alertness and focus. So, feel absolutely no remorse if you want to get under a warm blanket and switch off for a quick slumber.
10. Listen To Monsoon Songs
Since rain signifies love and joy, it has been a favourite of artists over the years to write and sing about. Listen to songs like, “I Love a Rainy Night,” “Fire and Rain,” and “Purple Rain” to let the symphony and the rain transport you to another world.
Read more: Soothe Your Fears With These 4 Mindfulness Strategies To Retrain Your Mind
Like & Follow ThinkRight.me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram to stay connected.
