When unexpected snow days hit, people often struggle to fill their time. Instead of being productive or relaxing, people often waste the day away trying to figure out what to do. If you are an individual who often struggles with boredom, fret no longer! Here is a list of ways to spend your day when a storm rolls in.
- Binge watch movies and television shows.
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Instead of stressing about school, work and family drama, curl up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and watch your favorite flicks. If you need some recommendations, here are some enjoyable television programs:
–Comedy: Young Sheldon, Last Man Standing, and Man With a Plan
–Crime: NCIS, Rizzoli and Isles, The Rookie, 911, Leverage, and Major Crimes
–Drama: A Million Little Things, Manifest, The Fosters and Switched At Birth
–Fantasy: Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Stranger Things
–Reality: World of Dance, Brain Games, Holiday Baking Championship, Sugar Rush and Good Bones
If you need some movie recommendations, you should try the following films.
–Romantic Comedy: 10 Things I Hate About You, 13 Going on 30, Blended, Life As We Know It, 27 Dresses, She’s the Man, Yours Mine & Ours
–Drama: The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, The Fault in our Stars, A Star is Born, Hidden Figures, The Longshots, The Sandlot, Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers
–Adventure/Thriller: National Treasure, Jumanji, Ghostbusters, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Matilda, The Fantastic Four, The Day After Tomorrow, White House Down and Night at the Museum
–Christmas: The Santa Clause, The Snowglobe, Christmas Cupid, The Princess Switch, Jingle All the Way, A Cookie Cutter Christmas, A Golden Christmas, A Very Merry Mix-Up and Christmas In Handcuffs
- Enjoy a self-care day full of relaxation.
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Who said you needed to cook or be productive when the weather is frigid outside? Curl up in a nice warm bubble bath, put on the facial cleanser masks, do your nails and get in comfy clothes. Fuzzy socks are a necessity on self-care days, so make sure to throw them on too.
- Read a book that you’ve been wanting to.
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Snow days allow people to slow down and take time to themselves and their own thoughts. Reading is in fact one of the best ways for self-reflection. Just snuggle up with a cup of tea and a book. You’ll no sooner be immersed in a story. If you need any book recommendations, I suggest Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series.
- Complete an art project, doodle or complete an adult coloring book.
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Canvas paintings are one of the most versatile and fun activities to do. You could create a tape painting where you tape certain sections of the canvas and paint within the open area in order to make clear geometric patterns. Another option is Princess Diaries style balloon dart painting. Fill up water balloons with a little paint and water. Attach the balloons to the canvas through either tacks or strings.
Then, throw darts at the balloons and create an amazing splatter-effect. Please be advised that this is a slightly messy project, so do this in the garage or an open area.
There are many other fun canvas projects on Pinterest if you want inspiration. If you are feeling especially outgoing, try to learn a new creative skill like cross stitching, sewing or knitting.
- Play board games or video games.
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Bust out the old Wii Just Dance, and challenge your siblings to a battle of synchronous wrist movements and cheesy songs. Plus, with technology dominating the social scene in modern society, snow days act as the perfect opportunity to dust off the old board games. From chess and Clue to Life and Uno, many entertaining games probably sit on a shelf in your closet waiting to be reopened.
- Try a new recipe.
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One fun activity is to find a random recipe online or in a cookbook and simply make it. Spontaneous cooking ventures can teach people new cooking skills and allow them to try new foods and cuisines. You could even make your own Chopped cooking competition. Randomly select ingredients to incorporate into a dish, and see if you can make a delicious meal, unprompted, like they do on the famous television show.
- Start a puzzle and convince yourself that you’ll complete it.
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Try to be motivated and complete it, even if you can’t finish it in one day! Nowadays, digital puzzles are even a possibility if you would prefer that route.
- Go outside for some winter activities.
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Snow days are a unique opportunity to do winter physical activities like sledding, snowmen-making and snowball fights.
- Organize your closet and plan future outfit combinations.
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Planning your holiday wardrobe is one great thing about organizing your closet. You may even find clothes to donate, sell or up-cycle to meet the newest and greatest trends.
- Do a photography challenge.
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Walk around your neighborhood capturing the snow covered scenery. When it snows outside, nature becomes 100% more beautiful and magical looking. This means that there are amazing photography opportunities right outside your front door. You could even meet up with a friend (safely) and have a winter photoshoot.
- Do a home workout or go to the gym.
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Why not get some physical fitness in while stuck inside due to the snow? YouTube and many online fitness applications have video workouts available to the public.
- Do online personality quizzes and read the latest news and articles.
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Snow days are the best time to catch up on your gossip and tea. You can do online quizzes and read online articles. It is also an optimum time to catch up on Her Campus material and read any articles you may have missed.
- Try to learn a new skill.
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Through YouTube tutorials and free online courses, the options are limitless. With a little motivation and a lot of freetime, you could learn a new instrument or how to play a new song. You could learn the basics of a new language, or any other interest that you hope to learn more about. Again, if you dream it, you can learn it.
- Make a hot beverage…or two…or three!
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Just because it’s cold outside does not mean that you need to be cold too. Heat up some hot chocolate, hot tea, or hot apple cider. It will also get you into the seasonal mood.
- Finally, catch up on some sleep.
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With all the drama and anxiety produced from school, work and family life, being able to catch up on some shut eye aids one’s mental health in the long room. Do not feel ashamed to plop on your bed and fall asleep.
I hope you can freeze out the boredom now with some of these suggestions! Stay cozy, colegiettes!