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A rainy day can make you want to go back to bed and stay there until the next morning. On the other hand, it can be an opportunity to have a fun day in. Here are 5 things to do to make sure you get up and make the most of your rainy day while still staying inside.
1. Try out a new recipe
If you have all the ingredients in your cupboard, why not try something new? It’s a fun way to pass the time and you get a (hopefully) delicious reward after. Whether you try another cookie recipe or make a complicated meal for supper, something amazing might come of it. If you’re lucky enough to live with your good friends, or you live close enough to brave the rain, spending a couple hours in the kitchen trying to make something good enough to eat will come with laughs, inside jokes and a life-long memory.
If you’re in the mood for sugar cookies try this recipe from Epicurious. You and your friends can have a cookie decorating competition with themes like St. Patrick’s Day, the 2000s, or music artists and see who could come up with the most outrageous cookie.
2. Take some time to relax
March can be one of the busiest months for university students. A rain storm could be your chance to take a day for yourself. Don’t feel bad about going back to bed. Rainy days have no rules! You can stay in bed all day if you really want to. Take the time for you, whether that’s binge watching a show on Netflix or reading something other than a textbook for once.
If you’re looking for a new book try Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. The book covers the good and bad of the narrator’s first year of university. Another fun book to read on your day off is Before You Leap – a self help book by Kermit the Frog. This book covers romance, finding your career, and taking care of your finances.
3. Pull the plug on social media
A stormy day is the perfect time to take some “me” time and take a social media detox. This can be one of the healthiest boundaries you set for yourself. It’s a refreshing way to remind yourself that social media is a highlight reel and doesn’t show the pitfalls in people’s lives. Everyone has something to stress about in real life but our generation has found a way to trick each other into thinking that everything is amazing all the time. A 24 hour detox will help you reconnect with yourself and help you come back stronger.
Instead of spending the day scrolling through Instagram and Twitter, have fun playing games in real life. Games like Monopoly (I promise your friendship won’t be ruined by the end of the day), Settlers of Catan, and Clue are always fun with a group of friends. If you would rather buy a card game, I would recommend Red Flags, What Do You Meme or Cards Against Humanity.
4. Take up a new skill or hobby
A day with no plans is a perfect situation for you to learn a skill you have always wanted to try. Finally take up Spanish or French, write a short story, learn some new dance moves or try your hand at yoga. Who knows, maybe you’re amazing at origami, but you’ll never know unless you try it yourself. You could spend the day trying to master one skill, or try out multiple to keep your mind off of the storm outside.
5. Find some new music
I personally like to make a music playlist every two months on Spotify. This helps you have enough time to appreciate the lyrics without getting annoyed by playing the songs on repeat for an extended period of time. Towards the middle of the second month, I’ll start to play playlists on Spotify like Today’s Top Hits, your Daily Mix, Discover Weekly, Singled Out and the radio playlists of some of my favourite artists. The radio playlists are my favourite since they are made of artists and songs similar to an artist that you love.
If you’re in the mood to watch music videos, I recommend putting on a music video of one of your favourite artists and letting YouTube automatically pick the next music video to play. This will also expose you to similar artists and songs that you may not have heard before.
However you spend your rainy day, try and make it count! You never know how long it will last for.