10 stress-relieving activities you can do on your veranda
Owning a veranda is one of life's precious treasures. Especially in the city, where everywhere you go is crowded. As a result, most verandas are often used for menial tasks, if anything at all, as they're often small and restricted. But don't think that a small veranda is useless, though. With some creative planning, you can turn it into something to help ease your stress-filled life. Here are 10 ideas to turn your veranda into a stress-relieving environment:
Reading
An excellent way to relieve stress is to read books. Something about flipping through the pages and imagining the story play out in your head feels very soothing, and an excellent way to go about it is to read outside on the veranda.
Yoga
All you need for this is a yoga mat, and you can do your morning yoga in the midst of fresh air and that early morning sunlight to begin your day. The yoga routine combined with a calm relaxing environment is a good energy booster as well.
Exercise
If you want to take it up a notch and you've got a veranda on the bigger side, consider turning it into a small gym, perhaps. Now you might not be able to bring in a treadmill and an elliptical, but small weights and a multipurpose bench can do wonders for your body and mind.
Board Games
If you have a good collection of board games lying around, consider trying them out once in a while on the veranda, and who knows, it might be an enjoyable experience, especially at night time on a cool, windy evening. This gets exponentially more fun with family members and friends joining you.
Gardening
For those seeking a slower-paced but equally therapeutic activity, gardening may be the way to go. Plant some flowers in a pot or some small herb trees, which have the additional advantage of having herbs on demand to cook. Plus, it makes your veranda pop out among the mundane unused ones!
Decorating
No matter which rooms your veranda is connected to, you can always decorate it to give it extra use. Some furniture to enjoy your afternoon tea, snacks, or a swing set can set the mood for maximum relaxation. The options are endless; just let your creativity go wild.
Painting
For the more artsy folks, painting can be a significant mood-alleviating ritual. A setup with a canvas and some paint can go a long way, and you can really spend hours just waving all that stress adios!
Makeshift workstation
If you hate working from home but can't get out either, your veranda can help you tremendously. COVID showed us how boring it could be, and good stress relief is setting up a small workstation and enjoying the views and sounds, which eases your work.
Outdoor cooking zone
If cooking is your thing, turning your veranda into a patio can be super effective for stress relief. Plus, it makes a good conversation piece when you're hosting guests at your place, and you whip them up something delicious to munch on.
Keeping pets
Having pets in itself is a great stress reliever, but most people do not have enough space indoors — that's where your veranda can come in handy. Now bigger pets might be a hassle as they might need a lot of room to move about, but something like birds or a fish tank can be fun and relaxing to gaze at while having some me-time.