occupy oneself

occupy (oneself)

To keep oneself busy or distracted (by doing something). A: "It might take a while for this to finish up." B: "Don't worry about me, I can occupy myself." The children like to occupy themselves by reading.
See also: occupy
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

occupy oneself (by something)

to keep busy by doing something. Don't worry. I can occupy myself by knitting or sewing. While waiting, I occupied myself by knitting a scarf.
See also: occupy
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • keep (someone or something) in sight
  • keep in sight
  • keep sight of
  • keep sight of (someone or something)
  • keep sight of somebody/something
  • wash hands of
  • wash one's hands of
  • wash your hands of
  • wash your hands of somebody/something
  • wash your hands of something/someone
References in periodicals archive
The ability to appropriately and safely occupy oneself during free time affects not only the adaptation to residential settings, but also success in work settings (Van Bourgondien & Woods, 1992).
Intervention for adults with autism