I am bored. I don’t think I’ve ever been this bored in my entire life. I don’t have any school work to do and no set plan for the day. I keep telling my mom how bored I am and how I can’t watch another episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I have been so fully occupied for the past year that I forgot what it is like to have no readings or assignments to do for any class, what it is like to sit in my room by myself, and how annoying it is to have to actually make a plan and get in a car in order to see my friends.

Being surrounded by my peers 24/7 always gave me something to do. There was always someone to go eat a meal with, to walk to class with, to sit with and watch a movie, or to just listen to me ramble. No extra effort was needed to find something to do; it was all right in front of me.

Because I don’t think I can lay in my bed one more day, I decided to find ways to cure my own boredom. Boredom being defined as, “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest or the state of being bored.”

I know I am not the only one feeling the effects of boredom after completing my freshman year of college. We’ve all grown so used to having no downtime, that when we do have time to ourselves we don’t know how to use it or, as in my case, we grow tired of lying in bed and watching movies.

After a full week of this post-freshman year malaise I think I finally found the answer, the cure to boredom. Now that I finally have no responsibilities, it is the perfect time to take up a new hobby, something that I have always wanted to do but never had the time to. Whether it be drawing, knitting, or playing a new sport, there is always room to learn a new skill and technique.

I can also help out around the house and clean out my room (something my Mom will appreciate), find ways to earn money (something my Dad will appreciate), volunteer, take a road trip, try new restaurants, or read a book. The list is endless.

If we really want to cure our own boredom, we have to put in the extra effort to do so. Summer is the best time to explore ourselves and the world around us. It is the time to take interests in things, places, and people that we don’t have time to pursue during the busy school year. Boredom can be cured; we just have to open our minds and motivate.