Being a teenager, specifically a high schooler, it is often rare to have time off. However, when you do, it is often an awkward break where you may not know what to do or honestly just feel bored. So here are some ideas.

Organize Your Closet

I know you may not want to hear this, but you have to do it at some point! Get to your closet, sort out your clothes, donate old clothes that don’t fit you anymore or that you don’t wear, or get rid of them. Figure out a more functional system that can help you avoid the clutter for next time.

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Write Letters to People You Love

In the digital age, we’ve all forgotten the heart-warming feeling of receiving a letter from someone you love, filled with memories, nostalgia, and all the feelings (you could also include photos or little trinkets).

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This could also be a way to reconnect with people who you’ve maybe not contacted in a while or address things you may not want to do in person. These could also be something you write just for yourself and never really send out to deal with your own emotions much like LJ Song Covey!

Listen to a Podcast

Podcasts are the sweet spot between all other media. It can be whatever you need, just a few girls talking about their lives, learning about history, listening to stories, or a quick update on ongoing events. They are accessible and easy to consume, popping in your earbuds on your daily commute or listening while doing your skincare before you sleep.

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Some of my favorite podcasts are:

The NYT Daily - gives you a quick rundown of the headlines every morning.

Call Her Daddy - follows Alexandra Cooper as she talks about various topics and interviews celebrities and personalities.

Something Scary - hosts discuss horror stories, urban legends, and folktales from around the world.

Borrasca - a gripping psychological thriller following Sam the summer his sister disappeared starring Cole Sprouse and Sam Walker.

Cook/Bake

As someone who loves to cook, whenever I have the time, I look forward to cooking or baking. I am less about making meals because I love trying out new things.

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Some interesting activities could be blind baking (baking without a recipe), cooking your favorite dish that your mom makes, trying to make a fusion food between two cultures, or just learning simple, comfort foods that you like.

Journal

Journaling is an extremely fruitful habit for you to express yourself creatively or just document your life. The act of just physically writing on paper can be extremely inspiring and can help you unleash creative ideas and practice your writing skills.

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To get started, you may want to follow journaling prompts or use prompts to write stories or poems. Journaling can be something that is very personal to you or anything you want it to be. You can put pictures in your journal, try scrapbooking, daily logs, document observations, or any other ideas you may have!

Sing/Karaoke

This is often associated with being a group activity, but try it out for yourself. Go to a karaoke bar, book a room, and just have fun by yourself, or stay at home and practice an instrument. You can just spend time relaxing, listening to your favorite songs.

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Tryout a New Activity/Skill

Learning a new instrument, taking a painting class, learning digital design, or anything you may be interested in. This could be something you learn for yourself or something to enrich your resume. Who knows? You may find your new favorite passion!

Read Books (Of Course!)

Becoming a reader is possibly the best thing you can do to cure boredom because there will never be a time in your life when you’ve read all the books in the world. It is just a surreal experience when you find the right book and you can’t put it down. You become completely immersed in an entirely different world.

Some recommendations for beginners would be to just do some research into topics you are interested in, and usually, contemporary books are easier to get started with than classics, along with relatively shorter books.

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Book series recommendations:

Harry Potter - if you’ve read the books, they are really easy to read but they are written for a younger audience.

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A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder - the perfect murder mystery series that only gets better.

The Inheritance Games - the most engaging page-turner of all time!

You can also check out some Penguin recommendations!

Pick genres based on your liking

Best books of 2024

Start Watching a New TV Show

Of course, these days Netflix and chill are constants in most of our lives. However, if you’re bored anyway, here are some fun and easy-to-watch recommendations.

Show recommendations:

Stranger Things - throw yourself into an immersive sci-fi world about the eerie events that take place in the town of Hawkins.

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Gossip Girl - follows the scandalous lives of prestigious prep school kids in Manhattan as an anonymous internet persona reveals their deepest secrets.

Suits - watch as an unbelievably intelligent college dropout, Mike Ross, out manages to get hired by one of the top law firms in New York City.

Other underrated show recommendations:

The Gentlemen - the death of the Duke of Halstead leaves his title, house, grounds, and everything else to his second son.

Geek Girl - Harriet, an awkward teen who never seems to fit in, gets discovered by a London model agency and finds out how some people are too unique to fit in.

Julie and the Phantoms - Julie finds her passion for music while she helps the Phantoms, a trio of ghostly guys, and forms the most unexpected band.

Work Out

While it seems boring, working out is often the best thing to do when you’re bored. The feeling after you work out is completely unbeatable. It is a productive way to spend your time and has practically no downsides. You can spend some time moving your body which also helps take your mind off things.

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Additionally, workouts can be extremely fun too. Maybe try going to a Pilates class, learn new dances, go for a run in the nearby park or beach, or even try to relax and do a yoga routine at home.

Conclusion

Being bored is both a blessing and a curse, so change your mindset and use the time to consume new things or develop skills that can bring you some joy, happiness, or any other value. Hope these tips help you out! Comment below what you do when you’re bored!