Summer is the time of year to spend time outdoors, laying in the sun, swimming, exercising, and more. It’s easy to feel that if you’re not spending time outdoors in the heat and sunshine, you’re wasting the summer. Realistically, not every single summer day can be sunny with a temperature over 75 degrees and not one cloud in the sky. Here are 11 ways to keep busy when the weather doesn’t allow for fun in the sun.
1. Get a job
Let’s face it, you should probably have locked down a summer job long before July. That being said, let’s hope you have a job that keeps you indoors on the rainy days.
2. Binge a random show on Netflix
Find a hidden treasure on Netflix, maybe even a show you can binge the entirety of in a day. ("Freaks and Geeks" or "Firefly", anyone? At one season each, it’s super simple to finish these on a gloomy day.)
3. Get crafty
With the impending doom of the school year starting, spend some time making canvases or decorations for your dorm room.
4. Clean your bedroom
You’ll have a more comfortable living space, and you’ll make your mom really happy if you have a clean bedroom.
5. Watch a movie
Or two, or three, or four movies.
6. Practice a new beauty routine
Have you wanted to wear your hair a different way or try a new makeup look? A rainy day is the perfect day to practice, since if it goes awry, the bad weather will keep you from going out in public.
7. Learn a new recipe
Practice making a new meal or baked good to take back to school with you so you spend more time cooking and spend less money on pre-made food.
8. Go to the gym
On a rainy day, being stuck inside means there’s no excuse to not go to the gym (that is, if you’re like me and like to make excuses for reasons to not go to the gym).
9. Play a board game
Do people play board games anymore? Well, they should. Use the rainy day to break out the old Monopoly board or cards.
10. Read a book
There’s nothing like curling up on the couch, listening to the rain pelt against the windows, and cracking open a good summer read.
11. Take a nap
Likewise, the best way to fall asleep is to the sound of rain. Take the rainy day as an opportunity to relax and let yourself nap.
Although a summer filled with steamy days and sunshine is ideal, it’s inevitable that the clouds will come and the rain will fall. When the storms roll in, remember that staying indoors can be just as entertaining as spending the day in the sun, and it is in no way a waste of the summer.
