So said every WSU student…
The light of the phone lights up your face as you check it again. “0 new messages” it says, the same as it said 5 minutes ago. You now have become familiar with every square inch of your dorm room as you pace back and forth, walking the 15 feet from the door to the window like an Olympic swimmer doing laps in the pool. You have memorized the number of dots on the ceiling, every millimeter of the crack that lies above your bed and every unique pattern of the ice crystals that have formed outside of your window. Hours pass, and after the 12th Netflix re-run episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” the panic begins to set in. The cold grip of winter has trapped you in your room for far too long, and now, it’s time to make some radical decisions!
Now let me stop you before you resort to cutting your arm off because we have all been there. With the recent stretch of -30º days, going outside isn’t much of an option. It is easy to feel trapped inside with no place to go. On a normal summer day, you can just go outside and find an endless world of entertainment, but in your 15×20 foot dorm room, your options are a little more limited. Some creativity is required to keep that boredom at bay.
Those of you who are the creative type, now is the time to get out of here and use that good ole imagination to your advantage. But for you left-brained people out there, worry not because I have your favorite thing in the world, A LIST! All it takes is one good idea to ward off the boredom and here are some ideas that can get you started when you are feeling a little stir crazy in your room (aside from homework. That would be ridiculous 🙂 )
- Rearrange your room. A little change can be a good thing once in a while, and changing your room layout can get your mind working and revitalize your living space.
- Watch a documentary. Instead of watching another episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” you’ve seen 20 times (I know it’s the episode where McDreamy takes his shirt off, but hear me out), why not use Netflix to get your mind working with a documentary? I highly recommend Blackfish or I Am.
- Clean out some of your junk drawers. Think you never go anywhere now? Just wait until you find that old Pokemon game in your drawer.
- Work out. Just kidding– could you imagine!?! But for real, working out in your dorm can be an option with YouTube workout videos.
- Get involved in your Residence Hall. Your RA is always putting on fun events in your residence hall. Take advantage of them! You can beat the winter boredom, become involved in your community and make new friends.
- Learn a new skill. The internet can do more than tell you who from your high school is pregnant or married. Think about the one thing that you have always wanted to learn to do and do it! You can learn just about anything on the internet.
Given the past couple days, I know that being trapped under a boulder in the Utah desert seems like a better deal than being trapped in your dorm. However with this list and some imagination, you don’t have to feel trapped in your room anymore.
Good luck everyone and stay warm!
