So Much Time, So Many Possibilities


Illustration by Maeghan McKenzie

We were all stuck in quarantine for almost six months, then sent back to school where we’ve been grinding 24/7 with no breaks. Now that we have six weeks off of school, what are we supposed to do with all this time off and how do we dodge the rise in cases beginning again?

Having so much free time can be a drag if you don't know what to do with it. It's time to pick up that remote, pencil or video game controller and start having fun.

Get Creative

We all have hobbies that we enjoy doing whether those are art, writing, sports or building things. What if we could take these hobbies, create something and sell them to people? Well, you can!

Having two months off gives you enough time to explore the idea and possibly start your own small business. This could be selling art prints, making jewelry or baking yummy treats. Whatever you choose, the options are truly endless! December is a great time to create gifts for friends and family as the holidays inch closer, while also saving money in the process!

Small businesses are growing in popularity whether you shop on sites like Etsy or you see people creating and showcasing their talents on TikTok. They make it look so easy, but obviously this takes time and effort to get your ideas out there for people to be interested.

Even if you don’t want to make something physical, you can be creative in other ways. If you're into video games, then try to record gameplay or take clips from rounds to put together and upload those to YouTube. You could also play live on Twitch and build a following that way as well. This can allow you to take something that you do already and be creative and share it with other people who share common interests.

How Many Movies Are Too Many?

Just think about how many movies you could watch during a six-week period. Six weeks is equal to 1,008 hours, which means that you could watch about 504 two-hour movies if you never stopped. Obviously you’re not going to watch that many movies, but the point is you can watch a lot of movies you might not have had time for.

One option could be to watch or rewatch the Marvel Cinematic Universe either in order of their release or, in my opinion, watching them in chronological order. With 23 Marvel movies to watch, you'll have plenty to consume your time by starting with "Iron Man" and working your way to "Spider-Man: Far From Home." Watching these movies allow you to be engulfed in this universe and connect with all of the characters' stories.

Even if you aren’t a Marvel fan, you can still pick your favorite genre, your favorite actor or actress and watch a bunch of their movies. You can have a movie marathon with your friends or family. Spice it up by building a fort in your living room, make a couple bags of popcorn, grab all your favorite snacks and enjoy some movies!

Maybe you aren’t a big fan of movies, so another option is binging some TV shows that you’ve been meaning to watch. You can watch something that has a lot of seasons like “Supernatural,” “Grey's Anatomy” or “Criminal Minds.”

My advice is to find a TV show that you might not have heard of or that seems interesting to you. If you have trouble finding something, it's always okay to rewatch! Rewatching TV series can reopen great memories you have and it can lead you to what the actors are doing now, which can give you more ideas of new things to watch. I know I will never get tired of rewatching “Teen Wolf”!

Keeping Track of Memories

Something more simple that you can do during your two-month break is start a journal. Journaling can be so beneficial to your mental health and it allows you to write down interesting things you did during the day and how you might be feeling. This could be as simple as writing only one sentence that sums up your day or you could write a full page.

Journaling is something that I used to do everyday before I went to bed. I fell out of doing this, but when I did it was so beneficial and I want to start back up. Even if you’re just writing one sentence a day, you can eventually go back and see what that day was like a year ago, two years ago or even five. It allows you to remember the little things, even in times when a lot isn’t going on. Journaling is beneficial for mental health because it allows you to let go of what the day had in store. The good and the bad are released on the page and it can be a good way to cope with everything going on in your head. It allows you to look back over the years to how you've dealt with situations.

If you want to be a little more creative with it, you can try bullet journaling! Bullet journaling is another take on normal journaling. You can use a dot notebook or a lined notebook and you can make it more unique. You can be as simple or as complex as you want, but it is a great way to make the journaling unique and colorful. Sometimes the best ways to start bullet journaling is looking up inspiration on Pinterest or Google.

Six weeks is a long time and there are so many possibilities on how to spend that time. Don’t forget to unwind and relax after this long semester. Use this time to take a nap or sleep in a little longer.

Even though we are still in a pandemic, make sure to still get outside and to breathe in some fresh air. Take a walk around your neighborhood — if it’s snowing then go outside and build a snowman. Try to keep your brain active, stay creative, have fun and enjoy your two-month break!