Ever since my dance season ended about a month ago, I have found myself with an overwhelming amount of time that I don’t know what to do with. Usually people find comfort in having all the time in the world, but I have found myself in a state of complete panic. Switching from a schedule that is so busy to having nothing after school, there seems to be more anxiety in wanting to fill the time than trying to complete a million tasks. In order to not lose my sanity, I have made a list of new things I would like to try in order to fill this time I have been gifted.
- Get a gym membership
I have always been hesitant about joining a gym. Dance team usually took care of all of the conditioning and strength training that I needed to perform my best. Now that my time on the team is over, it is up to me to train myself. I usually like to do my own thing, and the idea of a gym and everyone staring at me has never sat right. But I also realized that without the extreme amount of exercise these past weeks, my focus and energy levels have gone down. I think it is in my best interest to join a local gym so I can continue to feel my best and keep training so I am prepared for college dance team tryouts.
2. Learn ASL
Unfortunately, I did not have room in my schedule to take ASL here at North, but I have always been so interested in learning it. Every week I work with students at Prairie who rely on some ASL terms to communicate efficiently, and I think it is super important for me to learn more so I can better understand the students I am working with. I am happy to report that I already know quite a few words like the colors of the rainbow, the alphabet, “thank you”, “help”, and “stop”.
3. Sleep
I am definitely not the best at going to bed at a reasonable time. In Intro to Psychology we are learning about how important sleep is, and it really made me realize that my current sleep habits were not in my best interest to continue. I only get about 7 hours a night, where teenagers actually need about 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Now that I have actual time after school to do my homework, I need to work on putting down the screens and just immediately getting some shut eye.
4. Make money
I love my job as a lifeguard in the summer, but in the winter months when the pool isn’t open I have no way of income. It was super hard to find a job during the dance season, probably since I always had some type of practice or competition. Now that I have some free time, I am looking to find something that can get me some cash! I have already been babysitting for 3 families at least once every weekend, and I hope one of these gigs can turn into a nannying job over the summer!
5. Walk my dog
I love my dog with all my entire heart, and I definitely don’t take care of him as much as I should. Yes I let him sleep in my bed and I sneak him some extra treats, but those treats tend to catch up to him in the winter months. Now that it is getting warmer outside, I want to start to walk my dog a little bit to improve not only his health, but also mine.
6. Start a new show
Although I am currently making my way through the 3rd season of my favorite series, Outer Banks, I am going to be looking for a new show to watch while I wait for a possible 4th season. Watching TV definitely is not the best use of my time, but I would really like a show to watch while I’m cleaning my room or just need to pass some time. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
7. Start journaling
I have done some research into the benefits of journaling, and it turns out that it can really help you put your life into perspective and straighten out your priorities. No, I won’t be writing a journal to keep a record of all my secrets, but I think it would be good for me to write down my thoughts so I can process them easier. I also want to start journaling to keep track of these last few months of high school, so one day I can look back and remember the things that I did!
Now as I reflect on my goals for myself as we finish out this last semester, I am noticing a pattern of wanting to keep myself healthy, happy, and active. Even if you aren’t nearing the end of a sports season, I think it is super important for us seniors to take care of ourselves every once in a while, especially since we’ll be doing it all on our own next year!
Hi Tess! I loved your blog and how you are creating goals for after dance season. Truthfully when swim season ended I was simply looking forward to going home after school and laying in bed. For your first goal – getting a gym membership – I think it’s a great idea. I have a membership at LA Fitness because I do not want to run into people at LifeTime. Sleep is also something I have been missing out on especially because of airband practice everyday, which has been so much more work than I thought it would be. Your number four goal describes my situation perfectly. I caddie in the summer and so I never have money in the winter, let’s just say it’s not my parents’ favorite thing. Okay number six is what I have been waiting for. I can give you so many show recommendations: Outer Banks, All American, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, Never Have I Ever, On My Block, Gilmore Girls, Cobra Kai…I will just stop there. Finally, journaling is always something I thought I would like because I love to write everything down, but somehow I could not get myself to do it regularly. Overall great work and good luck on these goals!
Hi Tess.
Funnily enough, the new thing I’m trying this week is commenting on your blog. I think the fact that ‘sleep’ is on your list of new things to try is a little concerning, but I can’t judge. Last semester, with everything going on, I probably averaged around four hours a night. Which explains my constant irritability and general sadness. This semester has been much better so far (though the trade off has been schoolwork). I was also able to empathize with your concerns about getting a gym membership. I got one earlier this year, and I remember feeling so awkward the first couple of weeks. But like most things, I got a lot more comfortable as I kept going. Now, going is part of my daily routine, so I’d definitely recommend going for it despite any worries or fears you may have. As for TV, I’m not sure that our tastes would match, but I’d highly recommend the show Atlanta. Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) created, wrote, and produced it. I’d compare it to Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone, but I think it’s much better than both (it’s probably my number one show of all time). I finished it a while ago so, like you, I’m on the lookout for a new one to start. Let me know if you watch it at all!
Hi Tess! If there was one word to describe your blog that word would be, RELATABLE! Just like you, I have hit the end of basketball season. For the past four years after the end of the school season, I would go right into playing for my AAU team. This would mean that I wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with my free time because I simply didn’t have any. And this was the case literally all year round (maybe a nice two week break in August). I loved reading about some of your goals though. Most of these goals are ones I have even started to try out! I haven’t had much luck in a gm membership yet because the one I thought I was going to get is now closing and I also don’t have a job yet that would cover all the monthly costs. Don’t get me wrong, there is money in my account but watching the sum of money go down every month without having money going in would stress me out. Also, I love how you mentioned you need to get more sleep because once again this is sso relatable. I find myself able to finish my homework in a timely order but I am unable to actually fall asleep at a good time. That surely needs to be fixed in the upcoming weeks. And lastly, please feel free to share with me some of the tv show recommendations you get because I am struggling to find any that I am captivated by!
Hey Tess. Although I don’t have a whole lot of free time right now being smack dab in the middle of track season, I can definitely relate to having a sudden void in your schedule. After my soccer season ended this past fall, I had a couple of months in the winter with nothing really to take up that chunk of time after school everyday. Staying physically active was definitely something that I knew I needed to do. I did start going to the gym more often, but I think that the thing that helped the most was just finding little ways to move around, like taking my dog for a walk or walking on the treadmill in my basement while I watched the NFL. Not having time to work much during the school year is also an experience that I can relate to, and I find myself having to be extra cautious with how I’m spending my money until summer comes and I can work more. I have also thought about starting to journal. I think I remember trying to do it a while ago, but I could never be consistent with it. Having a log of all of your high school memories to look back on though is certainly a huge added benefit to it in my opinion.