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I am a twenty year old depressed college student with a short attention span. I spend most of my time in my room and end up driving myself crazy. I cannot find a hobby or any entertainment besides television and reading. Help me!
I understand where you are coming from. I used to feel just like you (sometimes I still do). I have a few suggestions that helped me. Just like you, i like television and also reading. I know some of these suggestions may sound weird, but I promise they help. I went to wal-mart and bought a 97cent coloring book (they are usually by the check outs) and a pack of crayons. i know that you said you have a short attention span. i liked coloring in these book bc i would get bored so easily. the pics were simple pics that didnt take long to complete and it helped give me a sense of being able to complete something. another thing that i did was i went online to different chat rooms (not to be sleazy, or pick anyone up). I would find different sites that were for people my own age and also ones for my favorite tv shows. i also like to go to different webisites and learn about all kinds of interesting things. hmm, i am trying to think what else i like to do.... i started rubber stamping too. i bought a few stamps off ebay and then went to a craft store and got some paper and a few sets of ink pads. i started off making different cards. i would go to different websites to get ideas and to look at different stamps. it doesnt take long to make a card and it is very relaxing too. hope this helps you. i will check back in a little and see if there are any other tips i have for you. good luck and take care!!
Excellent answer above! I do want to add that it would help us to help you the best to know what some of your other interests are. For instance: Do you like collecting things? Are you a person who does well in group settings mingling and speaking with other people? Are you interested in being involved in something that is musical?
You did mention reading. Perhaps there might be some discussion groups around in which you could become involved where there would be other people who would be interested in the same type of books that you might also be interested in.
emb,
What suzeequeue said is true, colouring is a wonderful idea.
It gives you something to focus on,choosing any colour you want you can just focus on colouring and not think of anything else.
Crafts is a good idea if you have that sort of inclination,but you need to choose your craft,there is paper craft,fabrics,eggs and so much more.
Or art crafts where you can create works using any and all materials(metal,eggshells,sand,wires,glass,food,pa int,plastic etc ).
If you are into reading maybe you could make a change in what you are reading,for example if you are reading fiction you might like to try non-fiction.
As Clough said it would help us help you,if you could give some sort of idea about your personality.
Get involved! I have a twenty-one year old son who just graduated from college, but his road wasn't an easy one, either. Lots of people go through this - and far beyond traditional the college age.
Check out sororities or fraternities. You can usually find out quite a bit about them from their web sites. Most of them have recruitment chairs - so get to know them. Volunteer for anything and everything. Is there a school newspaper? Radio station? Having someone else to whom you are accountable makes a big difference in our motivation to get up every day.
Rather than selling back books to the bookstore, sell them on eBay and put some money back in your pocket for the next round!
Go to yard sales and flea markets and auctions and buy stuff to resell on eBay. Pick something you know and love. Knowledge of your product is a good thing.
Get a part time job where you'll meet lots of people. Fast food is good - I'd say Subway is the best. Don't discouraged if you don't get the first job you apply for - there are lots of jobs for lots of people with high turnover.
There are undoubtedly clubs for your interests. Check out Facebook for those with interests similar to yours OFFLINE.
Computers are wonderful, but they're also very isolating.
It's summer. Get up, get out, enjoy the wonders of the world - one minute at a time
I always found jigsaw puzzles were very good, they can be as big or small as you like, you can pick a favourite picture which is usually on the front of the box, showing how the jigsaw looks when completed.
The beauty of it is, when you think that's enough ,you can get up ,do something else then go back to it...brilliant ...it also requires very little concentration and is considered to be very theraputic.
Something else i used to do was build churches or something similar out of matches.I'd ask everyone to save their matches, when i had a tidy pile, just enough to get going, i'd buy a decent glue, find a piece of flat cardboard or similar and off i'd go, again it doesn't require any concetration and you can leave it at any point, returning at a later stage.
This is also very theraputic and quite calming, especially on the end result you'll have a sense of achievement.
You don't always want to stay in your room,so how about going for walks, there must be some kind of group that go on walks on a regular basis, ask around or try the local libraries for information, or you could even do dog walking for people who are maybe disabled and would love for someone to walk their dog, it will keep you fit and you'll make some new friends as well.
i hope this has help or at least given you a few ideas
Physical activity, gardening maybe, or yard care, tennis, jogging, or power-walking?
Doing something helpful for others? Giving of ourselves seems to bring positive returns mentally and emotionally.
Anyway, please try to avoid hybernating, becoming a TV addict, and a food junkie, especially sweets.
Don't neglect your funny bone. Humor is good for the mood. And be cautious about alcohol and over-medication. Of course, treating street drugs like the plague goes without saying, but there, I said it anyway!
Nutrition, rest, and exercise are three keys to dealing with depression. If you get really low, hating to get up in the mornings and losing functionality, see your M.D. Either insomnia or excess sleeping can be caution flags. Counseling, along with medical care, or perhaps without it, may be useful.
These are my opinions, and they are for free. You don't have to send any money. If you or anyone else tries out any of this because I said so, that's your choice. But the risk and sole responsibility for the results are yours!
Just to elaborate a little bit on "Orphans" answer, you could post a sign at your school, and offer to pet "sit" for people. I'm sure there are always students who would appreciate someone spending time with their pet while they are in classes, or away. You could teach the dogs new tricks, and have a sense of accomplishment, while meeting new friends at the same time. You would also be earning extra money, and dogs are very therapuetic. This is assuming you can have dogs in your room.
A few more crafts that I have done, and are actually alot of fun and cheap to do, and you end up with a very pretty ornament. One of them is to buy a pkg of pretty paper napkins with a pattern of some sort. (something with a large design with different things on them work best) Find a nice shaped bottle, container, or object. Tear the napkins into large pieces. Say you have a napkin that has different types of fruit...try and tear around the fruits on some, others can be random tears. Get some Elmers glue, work in small spaces by applying the glue to the object, and adding a piece of the napkin. Overlap each piece as you go along, until the entire object is covered. I have done an odd shaped bottle, that I've filled with bubble bath, an Ostrich egg, a lrg tin can that I use to store cotton balls and things...you can pretty much use anything, and it is so easy to do. (tip...also apply the glue to the top of the napkins, and just spread it around with your fingers, once the napkin is applied to the box)
Do you eat eggs? These look really pretty when you are done, and can be used for gift boxes or to store small things like earrings etc. Save your eggshells (even ask your friends to save theirs) Break the eggshells into lrg pieces. Apply Elmers glue to the box you are using, in one small area at a time. Take a piece of eggshell, and crush it down with your fingers, onto the glue, and continue that until the box is covered. Let it dry, and then spray it with a craft spray, with your fave colour. Use sparkles too if you want before your spray is dry. Anything goes really. You can even decorate the box with some small artificial or dried flowers, or beads etc., and glue them on afterwards. I know this may sound weird, but they really do look pretty.
If you like flowers, go to your local craft store, and start with something small. Ask the staff for some tips. Buy a few inexpensive flowers, and a vase or container, and just fool around with them. You could also do this with fresh flowers from the supermarket, they usually have inexpensive bundles. You can also add things that you find in nature. Twigs, interesting looking leaf stems or grasses, pine cones, moss...so many different things, depending on where you live. They are fun to do, because if you mess up, you can always take the flowers out and start over. There is no tried and fast rule to follow, just whatever is pleasing to you.
Good luck! You have got many interesting ideas from the others also!
baseball cards, there is a link to my community for baseball cards in my signature and it is free to join. you are more than welcome to become a member and meet all of the collectors there.
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