Over winter break, I often find myself and my friends talking about how boring breaks can be. We go home, and it's fun for a few days, then we find ourselves scratching our heads thinking about what to do next with our free time. It is at this point where I know I typically start thinking "I wish I could go back to school now". This happens almost every year. But this break, I have started to think that this is the wrong mindset to have, and here's why.
Every year, school gets busier and time seems to fly by faster. I mean, think about your winter/summer breaks in high school vs. college. In high school, breaks actually felt like breaks. They dragged on and on and when we finally got back to school we felt like we haven't been there for years.
But for college breaks, there are typically more things to think about; whether that's applying for jobs in the summer or study abroad programs, or even just preparing for the next semester. When we go back to college after break, it hardly feels like we had one, because we never feel like we can get enough rest for the amount of work we have to put in all the time when we are at school. And when people ask each other "how was your break?" people typically respond with "too short".
But even though breaks fly by, myself and others still find ourselves bored at times.
But even if your break isn't too eventful, and you find yourself "bored" often, is this necessarily a bad thing?
When people say "I'm bored", it has a negative connotation. But if you think about it, these may be some of the last times that we find ourselves sitting around the house with nothing to do.
As I get older, I find that I have more and more responsibilities to think about, and breaks feel less and less like breaks because you always have certain incomplete tasks and responsibilities lingering in the back of your mind. (Side note: Is this what this whole "adulting" thing is like? Because if so, I have a lot of adjusting to do.)
So, because we are all getting older, becoming more independent, and taking on more responsibilities, feeling "bored" at times should no longer feel like such a bad thing. Embrace your boredom.
Take it in. Relax. Take a nap. And if you really don't want to sit around and be lazy, use your boredom to find a new hobby, or go on a walk, or actually hang out with that friend that you always say you need to catch up with but never do.
When you're bored, in that moment, your world is your oyster if you want it to be. So appreciate these moments instead of complain about them. Find something to do, or don't. Boredom is only a bad thing if you make it one.
