Being a college student right now has been insanely stressful. In a pandemic with restrictions and so many new ways of having to learn, college life just isn’t the same. Aside from the academics, there is a key aspect of the college experience that many lowerclassmen aren’t able to enjoy –– the social life. Yes, parties (if you participated) are a fun way to get outside and out of your head. But simply just being able to meet new people and hang around campus or walk around my college town, holds the best memories. After speaking with many lowerclassmen, many of them feel like they are literally stuck. Stuck in their dorms, stuck online, stuck in the same headspace for months without the chance to begin to explore themselves.
As much as I wish I could tell you to go out and just live how you want, unfortunately, that’ll have to wait. Right now all we can do is be patient and safe. But to help the little cases of loneliness and boredom, here are just a few simple ways to get outside of your head and into a more creative headspace.
Collages
Okay, this probably sounds dumb, but there’s more to it. Whether you like to be more digital or physical, collages allow you to put your own taste and spin on anything. Something that I usually do is make myself a new wallpaper for my laptop or phone every month or so. It acts as a sort of mood or vision board and showcases my personal style. Go as crazy or minimalistic as you like and you’ll see how fun and satisfying it is. Playing with different shapes, effects, and color schemes is just another creative way to take a break from school. Sometimes these little creative breaks can prove to actually help you out in school. You’re not overwhelming yourself and allow your brain to process all of that information.
Upgrade Your Music Playlists
Going off of all that collaging you’re doing, take some of those designs and design yourself some playlist covers. Spotify allows you to insert your own photo as well as including a description of the playlist. My personal preference is having all of my playlists use the same font and style, but each photo depends on the style of music in each playlist. And honestly having a consistent style is so aesthetically pleasing to me (lol).
Black Out Poetry
Admit it, we all have books we know we are never going to read but we still tell ourselves we will. Or, there are some people who have read the same book a million times and have finally reached the point in which they can close that chapter. That being said, no matter what category you reside in, this is for you. Simply take any book, fiction or not, and take a fat black Sharpie. All you do is black outlines in the pages while leaving just a few words untouched. When you’re finished it should look like the FBI had a field day with it, but once you read what you’ve strung together, it’ll be beautiful and sentimental.
Learn a New Skill
Learning something new can obviously be applied to anything, but it all depends on you and what you want to learn. Personally, I have been more into customizing my clothes. Going from just being able to hand-sew to eventually moving on to a sewing machine is the goal. You can find so many kits to learn how to do embroidery on Etsy with so many styles, plus you’re supporting someone else’s small business. Make whatever skill you want to learn a fun activity and make it fun with friends. If you can’t see them in person, make it a zoom crafting party because literally everyone could be invited!
Breathing and Meditation
I’m sure that everyone has heard the simple phrase “just breathe.” It sounds incredibly cliche, but the theory works. Different breathing patterns and techniques have been proven to slow down your heart bear and lower stress levels. Sometimes it just takes less than ten minutes. Take that time to just be one with yourself and to forget the world for just a few moments. Whether you can just once a day or multiple times a day, I highly recommend you to do it.
No one can know when things are supposed to get back to “normal,” but I do know that you cannot just put your life on hold. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that life is short and precious. As important as it is to be able to reach out to the ones you love the most, the most important person is YOU.