How to deal with the holiday blues

Joy Attmore, 18th Jul 2019
Tags: Life Blog Adventure Challenges Summer

I love the summer time. It’s always been a favourite season for me full of freedom, creativity, and the opportunity to break out of the box of the mundane and have FUN! 

It always starts so optimistically. Time is stretched out before me on an empty canvas that I can’t wait to fill with the vibrant colours of my imagination. 

Image Credit: Giphy

Then two weeks in I find myself staring at the still-blank tarp, bored and uninspired. 

So what are the keys to preventing you from hitting that white wall of boredom, or to break through it, in case you’re already staring it straight in the face? 

Get Out 

Yesterday, I was having a bored-to-the-bones kind of day. I didn’t have anyone to hang out with so I was left to my own devices, and I did nothing to utilise them. The result was a day that felt wasted by the end of it.

Image Credit: Giphy

So, in order not to repeat myself, I needed to make a plan of action and get out of the house! Changing your physical environment, even if it’s simply walking down to the local park or coffee shop, will immediately open up your perspective and improve your mental health. 

Connect 

Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, we all need human connection. 

I’m extroverted, which means I feel like I’m dying if I haven’t seen anyone for a couple of hours!

Image Credit: Giphy

We can often think that people are way more busy and preoccupied than they actually are.

I dare you to reach out to some folks today and see who’s free to hang out. It may be that there are some acquaintances who are only one message away from becoming a good, new friend. 

And if there’s no one available to spend time with, the next best option is being in a public place where you’re forced to interact with others. Coffee shops are always wonderful places for this. 

Try New Things 

I love learning a new skill or getting better at an old craft, and engaging with our creativity is one of the most energising things we can do.

There are so many local venues that offer classes in everything from painting to writing or nutrition, and what a fun activity to invite someone along to!

Image Credit: Giphy

Groupon can be a great resource for this, and you get to snag a good deal in the process. And if sports is more your jam, check out your local gym and see what summer activities they are offering, you may just discover a talent you never knew you had. 

Write About It

The time and space that summer offers can be the perfect moment to write those short stories, start that journal, or begin that blog that you’ve been talking about for ages. Maybe there’s a novel in you that needs to come out. 

Carve out a couple of hours each day and challenge yourself to begin getting those words out of your heart and onto paper/your screen. I promise you, you won’t regret it!

So, this is a little insight into what I do when I’m all alone and have too much time on my hands. But what do you do?

Feel free to take my list and add to it, give yourself the creative freedom to be you, and discover what brings you life when the confines of school, work, and timelines have been removed. 

You may just be surprised by what you find!