30 + 1 Things To Do When You Are Bored

This post was co-authored with my niece, a teenager who is always bored.

Here is a list of 30 things to do when you are bored:

1. Surf the web: search for things you like, articles that spark your interest, or just read posts like this.
2. Organize your closet.
3. Tidy up your room; or your office; or your entire home.
4. Do your laundry.
5. Cook your favorite meal, or try a new recipe. In the case of my niece, it’s always souvlaki.
6. Build something. Make something creative with your hands.
7. Fix things around the house.
8. Call a friend. Go for a walk to the park, play, or plan any activity together.
9. Learn something new. A new hobby, a new skill, a new language, or even new words from the dictionary.
10. Clean up your computer.
11. Organize your photos. Create digital or printed albums.
12. Exercise. Ride your bicycle, go up and down the stairs, go jogging.
13. Practice something you already know; like playing the guitar.
14. Read a book.
15. Write a book.
16. Make a bucket list.
17. Put your favorite music on and dance.
18. Bathe your dog, clean your aquarium, or play with your cat. Take care of your pets. 
19. Take care of your plants.
20. Volunteer to help someone for the day.
21. Write and send a thank you note to someone who did something nice for you.
22. Camp out in the garden, backyard, or inside the house if there is no other option.
23. Watch a movie, preferably at an open-air cinema.
24. Take a nap.
25. Pick up any volume of the Junior Chuckwoods Guidebook. Have fun reading it and why not, try any of the ideas you will find in it.
26. Make a playlist of your favorite songs.
27. Organize a board game championship with your family.
28. Offer to babysit a toddler. You will not have time to get bored.
29. Make some bubbles. 
30. Do something awesome.
31. Write a blog post about things to do when you are bored.

18 Ways to Cheer Yourself up Instantly

1. Accept your emotions. Sadness, fear, anxiety, fatigue, a bad day … it is what it is. Give yourself the permission to be human.

2. Talk to someone you love. Whether it is a close friend, your SO, your mother, call that person who’s always there for you and let them know you could use a little cheering up.

3. Catch up with an old friend.

4. Take a walk outside, get some fresh air, haste slowly and look at your surroundings with curious eyes. 

5. Watch the Muppets, a funny movie, or just this video:

6. Put some music on to uplift your spirit. Listen to something inspiring and upbeat.

7. Cook yourself your favorite meal.

8. Write, sing, paint; do any creative work.

9. Make – and chase – some bubbles.

10. Exercise or dance. Any physical activity will do. It will get your endorphins going.

11. Cheer someone else up.

12. Hug! Hug someone, even a stranger. Hugs release endorphins too.

13. Hang out – preferably play – with kids.

14. Pamper yourself: take a long hot shower or bath, a nap, allow yourself to be lazy.

15. Make a list with everything in your life that you are grateful for, all the things you are happy about in your life.

16. Do something awesome.

17. Do a little research and blog about things to cheer yourself up.

18. Smile and remember: it’s just a bad day, not a bad life.

The Joy of Life

Do you want to see what the joy of life looks like? 
You can see it in the eyes of this inspiring 78 year old woman. 
Watch this video all the way through.

Let's Do Something Awesome Today!

Dance barefoot.  Play with a child.  Climb a mountain.  Climb a tree.  Walk barefoot in the grass or the sand.  Wander around the city.  Volunteer.  Talk to strangers.  Sit in the sun and close your eyes.  Write a poem.  Visit a museum.  Lend a helping hand.  Fly a kite.  Watch the sunrise.  Sing out loud.  Watch the stars.

Let's go chase some bubbles!

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melangeonline/5712849885/in/photostream/

Big Lessons

My little niece is doing her homework. She has to calculate how many bananas 7 little monkeys will eat if they eat 3 bananas each. There is the easy and fast way to do this: 7 monkeys x 3 bananas and there you go. That’s not my niece’s way though. To my surprise, she starts painting the seven little monkeys and below each one their three bananas. My surprise then becomes bigger when I see that she is actually very good at painting them.

Yes, there is the easy and fast way to solve a problem and get the job done. And then, there is the fun way. What if it takes longer? The result will eventually be the same yet reached in a much more creative way J

Big lesson from a little person.