Ever have those moments when you sit in front of your computer, in front of your textbook after you have (maybe) finished your homework, and wondered: what do I do now? In those instances, I used to grab my phone and aimlessly scroll. Now, I’ve adapted to doing a variety of these activities when I am bored. Stay tuned.
I know that this might seem a little unproductive, but doing this on a semi-regular basis helps you reflect on yourself. Don’t bring headphones, don’t go with another person all the time, and just think and look around at the world. From my experience, once I started this habit, my head has never been clearer. I believe that you need to find where you are in order to discover the rest. Not where you, your body, is in the universe. No. I am discussing the question of if you are perceived as a product of circumstance. What makes up what we define as you. That can come from, for instance, reasoning. It is really hard to reason when you don’t reflect enough on your experiences.
Engage in any activity that you can express yourself with. This can range from writing, playing music, singing, taking pictures, filming, and the list goes on. Even when you feel like you don’t need to creatively express yourself, you always can benefit from doing so. The best way to do motivate yourself to do something creative is to trick yourself. For example, when I don’t feel like writing, I usually tell myself “I’m just going to write a few sentences” and then the rest comes once I break that awkward barrier with myself. You never know what you can get from the experience of pushing yourself to do something uncomfortable, even something that might seem to come naturally.
Go for a run. Do some yoga. Join a sport. Go kayaking. Go skydiving. Do something that gets your adrenaline rushing, your blood flowing. This might seem cliche, but there are so many benefits to getting up and active at least once a day. It doesn’t have to be hardcore–do it at your own expense. The main gist is, when you do something physical, it makes you focus easier, and you remember things better. You become more actively engaged in other things in your life, whether they be your homework, your job, or your relationships. It gives you more motivation to do other things that you’ve been putting off for awhile –yes, I mean that grocery shopping, or that paper due next week. Do it now, because what better time than the present?
In my opinion, playlists are kinda underrated now. People usually find a Spotify playlist that was already made, or they select certain songs to listen to. I have found that the coolest thing to do is create playlists on my varying moods–I have a walking to class playlist, a studying playlist, a workout playlist, and a struggle playlist, for instance. They help set me into the mood I want, or help finish that mood off. It is very satisfying to have ready-made playlists for my varying moods, and searching for songs to put in each playlist is a fun time. Also, when you have the playlist started, if you think of a song, it is very satisfying to add it to that pre-made playlist.
There are moments where we all forget to keep up on ourselves. This can vary from forgetting to floss to just stuffing your face. In our fast-moving technological world, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself. So, take that moment to do a face mask, or to lotion your feet, or to eat something that lifts you up. Take that pleasure moment of buying the more expensive coffee, get that pair of jeans that you need because the other ones are old, and let yourself be a human being. Know your worth. Treat yourself how you would treat a loved one. It’s very rewarding, I promise.