If you’re like me, your screen time significantly increases over holiday breaks. Even after making elaborate plans to clean, reorganize, and get my life together so I can come back to campus a brand new and improved person, I find myself spending most of my time lying around on my phone. I’m committing this year, with our extended break, to not only cut down my screen time but also to try to make the most of my time at home.
Here are five things you can try over break instead of scrolling endlessly through social media:
- The classic thrift and flip
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One of my favorite things to do when I’m home is thrifting, but sometimes it’s just as fun to pick items I haven’t worn in years and try to make something creative out of them. Currently, I’m taking an old suede jacket I don’t wear anymore and sewing fringe trim on the back and the arms to make a fringe jacket. A classic thrift flip that is easy to try at home is upcycling a pair of jeans- whether that be taking in a pair of jeans that are too big, adding patches, or even painting them.
- Make some extra cash
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As college students, it’s hard to find a part-time job when we’re only home for a limited amount of time, so my favorite options are delivery driving through Doordash or Uber Eats and selling my old clothes. The holiday season is the perfect time to purge your closet and it’s even better if you can get a little gift money on top of that!
- Learn important life skills you haven’t made time for before
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There always seems to be little life skills I didn’t bother to learn in high school that come back to bite me later. Personally, my biggest gap in knowledge concerns cars. Pretty much everything about cars baffles me, and I hate going to the dealership or the mechanic and having everything man-splained to me. So, one of my goals is to come back in the spring with significantly more car knowledge than before.
- Pick up a “mystery woman skill”
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I saw a TikTok a while back that talked about how every woman should have her “mystery woman skills,” which is an unpredictable and cryptic set of skills. These are especially fun to pull out in social situations, and they never fail as conversation starters or the dreaded “interesting facts about you” segment in a new class. Some of my friends’ mystery woman skills include chess, ping pong, playing harmonica, and the saltine challenge. My favorite one to pull out is being deceptively good at playing pool.
- Do something good for others
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This holiday season is different for everyone, and with all of the negativity in the world currently, it’s important to help others who are not as fortunate as you. Volunteering is a great way to help, and with COVID-19 restrictions this could mean sewing masks, putting together a food drive, or seeing a need in your community and coming up with a creative solution to solve it.
You can also get political! Make a change by writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper on issues you are passionate about, lobbying your representatives, and sparking conversation about important issues on social media.
This winter break will truly be like no other, and it’s incredibly tempting to spend most of it glued to your phone, but with these ideas, you can make the best of your situation and hopefully grow a little from it too!