[CHAT] Holiday boredom. It's a thing??
We’ve all experienced it at some point in our school lives. We get on the home stretch for the year and absolutely crave being on holidays. Next thing we know, we’ve been on holidays for five weeks and have achieved absolutely nothing. Sound familiar? Yep, thought so. You’re experiencing holiday boredom!
It’s understandable too. The summer holidays are really long. For years 11s, 12s and uni students, holidays started over a month ago. The holidays are also often spent with the people you live with working part or full time.
For me, the boredom really sets in after New Years. I work in retail, so December is always very busy and my hours triple. In about the second week of January, I notice that I tend to be a bit lazy. I wake up later than usual, I mope around watching tv, eating whatever and whenever I feel like. Sure, this can be great for a day or two, but after a while you start to think ‘I am really wasting my time.’ Because before you know it, school or uni starts again, and you feel like those three months were a missed opportunity. Don't get me wrong though - doing nothing can be a great use of time if you're purposeful and mindful about it.
I remember the end of year 6 and end of year 7 holidays were actually not good for me. I was incredibly bored and in turn felt really low. I overate, didn’t exercise and spent all day every day on the internet. I basically wasted all my time, just waiting for the next school year to start. My Dad ended up taking me on a trip to Melbourne near the end of one of the holidays, just so that I had done something during the 10 week period.
I know that myself and my friends sometimes go through phases during the long summer holidays. One summer holidays I got really into photography and editing, another I got into running and getting super fit. I think it’s really great when this happens. To actually find an interest during the holidays gives you purpose, which gives you motivation to get up and do things!
The summer holidays are a wonderful time to explore our interests and have fun, let’s not waste this precious time by being bored! Join us on December 15th from 8pm to talk about how we can combat holiday boredom, and really make the most of our free time.
Definitely @kittycat23
Again, such an insightful answer!
My brother just finished year 11 and is on exams, and he is SO bored. I see that he is bored and I keep trying to encourage him to do SOMETHING. For the first few weeks I just figured he was being lazy, but I realised that he quite socially isolated being home alone all day and it's really getting him down.
Why don’t people like to be bored? Some people find it really hard to deal with boredom
I agree with @EloiseRose
I think the older you get, the more pressure you feel to always earn the free time you get. If you're having too much spare time, you feel like you're not achieving anything and it affects your self-confidence.
Yeh i think thats from my mum saying to me " oh i wish i could be bored, i wish i had enough time and less things to do"
So i think i felt a bit guilty for being bored when others are soon busy
So if holidays are filled with all this down time and time off, whats so good about ‘empty’ time or time when you have nothing to do? Why might being bored be a good sign?
Someone people think being bored is 'the worst' and something that must be avoided!!
But like you @florenceforever i crave boredom sometimes. tumble weeds in my brain hahah.
sooo next q guys
So if holidays are filled with all this down time and time off, whats so good about ‘empty’ time or time when you have nothing to do? Why might being bored be a good sign?
So if holidays are filled with all this down time and time off, whats so good about ‘empty’ time or time when you have nothing to do? Why might being bored be a good sign?
Because you're giving yourself a rest!!! Your brain can't funtion on 100% forever & you can't rush around doing everything forever (believe me, I've tried!). Down time gives you a chance to catch on sleep, slow down, maybe even give you some time to think through issues that you haven't yet had the headspace to think about until now.
Why might boredom be a good sign? Maybe it means that your brain is recovered & is able to take on some things again?
Definitely @kittycat23!
Everyone needs a rest once in a while. Sometimes you literally just need to stop everything in order to rest and recover so that you can keep going.
So if holidays are filled with all this down time and time off, whats so good about ‘empty’ time or time when you have nothing to do? Why might being bored be a good sign?
Well it's time when you don't have to stress about meeting a deadline, getting that assignment done etc. etc. That's definitely a good sign! It also gives you time to relax (as previously mentioned!) and time to plan what you would like to do 🙂
@delicatedreamer
Yes I also like this planning idea whilst bored 🙂 I often find myself writing out my 'to-do' lists when I'm bored
So if holidays are filled with all this down time and time off, whats so good about ‘empty’ time or time when you have nothing to do? Why might being bored be a good sign?
You have the freedom to think about things you want/are missing from your life. This can help you find more fulfilment as opposed to having too much to do and trying to keep up with all your commitments that may not necessarily make you happy.
That's an awesome answer @Student94
Being bored actually gives you time to stop and think!
I made a life changing decision a few months back whilst I was sitting on my couch INCREDIBLY bored
that sounds heavy and kind of exciting in relation to boredom haha
Haha yep, it was pretty life changing @EloiseRose!
It makes sense though. I was doing all the things we've previously mentioned: I used my boredom to think about my life and plan for the future. And those 15 minutes changed everything!
We've just covered some pro's about being bored, now what about the cons?
Why don’t people like to be bored? Some people find it really hard to deal with boredom
Why don’t people like to be bored? Some people find it really hard to deal with boredom
I personally don't like to be bored because sometimes I find that being bored causes me to dwell on negative thoughts and feelings can make me more anxious. The Christmas period is often really hard for me because of this.
I'm sorry to hear that @delicatedreamer
Christmas can be a really tough time of year. I've definitely noticed that I too often dwell on unhelpful thoughts and memories when I'm bored. It's really not a very nice feeling!
I agree. For me christmas is the same. i go from volunteering at two places and full time masters degree... to nothing!!
haha
@florenceforever Thanks 🙂 Yeah it's not very nice. I just try to keep busy as much as I can.
Good idea @delicatedreamer
I'll be on the forums on Christmas day if you want to hang out in the games/hanging out sections 😉
Haha ditto @delicatedreamer!
We could have a brain storming session and come up with some new excited threads 😉
Or go back to the oldest threads in the hanging out section and bring them back to life!
How do you know when you’re starting to get bored? Or is it one minute you’re not bored next minute you are?
I think when I start spending a lot of time aimlessly searching the net or playing games on my phone then I'm starting to get bored. Or if I start lying on the couch or my bed with nothing to do. Those are warning signs for me.
Definitely @delicatedreamer!
I find myself on trashy magazine websites - or literally just pressing the 'refresh' button on Facebook every minute all so... HUGE warning signs that I'm bored!
