10 Ways to Keep Yourself Busy after a Breakup
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You have a lot more time on your hands. We all know what it used to be filled with, but what could it be filled with now? It's time to get off that couch, out of those pajamas, and into a more becoming state of mind.
- Take a continuing education course. Most community colleges and even some high schools offer continuing education courses for adults and teenagers. They can be anything from basic Excel classes to ceramics. Pick something that you feel would further your career, or something you've always wanted to explore. Now is a time for growth and renewal. Having people expect you to be somewhere will help you to overcome feelings of lethargy.
- Move in with a single friend. Whether you were living with your significant other or on your own, moving in with a friend will not only provide a shoulder and instant companionship, but the person you are moving in with is already living the single life, and I'm sure will be happy to show you the ropes (it's always great to have a wingman!). Plus, it will be easier for you to see when he or she is free to go to that movie you've been eyeing.
- Frequent farmer's markets and garage sales. Farmer's markets and garage sales are great places to find inspiration for projects. Whether you discover some tomatoes that inspire you to cook that three hour pasta your Mama taught you to make back in the day, or a trash-to-treasure side table that needs your special touch with a paintbrush, you will have spent a (hopefully) sunny day outside enjoying the hunt.
- Start a garden. If you have a lawn or a windowsill, you have a place for a garden. Buy some seeds and some pots, follow the directions (or don't!), and see if you can make something grow. Mix up the pots so you forget what should be growing where for that extra surprise. Or, do it right by reading one of the books linked to the right.
- Write in a journal. Take some time right before bed, or when you wake up with that first cup of coffee to write something. It doesn't have to be about what you're feeling. It can simply be a list of things that make you smile, or a poem for your dog Ralfie. Just putting pen to paper can be therapeutic as you're putting something tangible out into the ether. Plus, you're thinking all of the time anyway, right? Why not have a log?
- Write to old (or new) friends to catch up. Remember your roommate from freshman year or your cousin in the Peace Corps? Wouldn't it just make their day to hear from fabulous you? Or, get a pen pal: http://www.penpalparty.com/
- Read a book every two weeks. Set a reading goal for yourself or join a book club. Back in school you used to have to read at least a book every few weeks. You can do that now too. You could make your way through The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the century! http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html\ Go on http://www.goodreads.com/ to see what your friends are reading and to keep track of your own books.
- Read the newspaper. For cents a day you could get a newspaper subscription. Paper newspapers are quickly becoming a thing of the past, but going to your favorite coffee shop, newspaper in hand beats scrolling the internet any day. But no matter how you get the information, being up-to-date on everything from politics to that new eatery down the street will give you plenty of things to talk to your new pen pal about.
- Support local bands. These souls are making music for people like you. They want you to come play with them. They want you to hear what they have to say. You like music. You might like their music. But you won't know if you do until you try. And you can probably get a beer and take your new roommie, so why not?
- Revive your old hobby. Remember how you were the best drawer in your fifth grade class? Or how you wrote that play your senior year that had all of your friends in tears? That was what you loved doing then and it can be what you love doing now. Don't look at is as a waste of time because you're never going to be able to make money from it. Do it because at one time holding that paint brush made you feel like you were talented and worth something. Which you are.
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haydenhunters says:
6 weeks ago
great ideas, love the "supporting my local band"