Winter Activities for the Average College Student

Lately, the weather has been all over the place here in Austin, Texas. One day the sun is beating down, causing us to feel like ants under a magnifying glass.

The next day the wind chill is so frigid that it makes us question the importance of going to class, making us never want to leave the warm embrace of our comforter and fuzzy blankets.

However, some of the worst days are those where the air is bleak and grim, and the rain begins to coat the streets.

Here are a few suggestions of activities that you can enjoy, even when the weather outside is far from enjoyable.

Movie night for the win!

One of the best feelings when it is cold outside is being able to cozy up with blankets and comforters while watching good old, trustworthy Netflix.

Hosting a movie day/night and inviting friends over is a great way to spend your time inside. Choose a couple of good movies you’ve been wanting to watch and get the popcorn ready.

Create a bed consisting of blankets and pillows on your living room or dorm room floor and let the watching begin!

Game Night

If movies aren’t your thing, game night may be a good alternative.

Hang out with those close to you by inviting a group over and encouraging everyone to bring along their favorite board or card game.

While friendships may be lost due to extreme competitiveness, nothing trumps the joy of coming out on top in a game, defeating the weaklings among you.

Spring cleaning

While this may not necessarily sound “fun” to many people, starting your spring cleaning early is a great way to spend a day inside. You won’t have to worry about the dusting or organizing during the beautiful spring season.

It is also good to donate things you don’t need or use anymore such as clothes, shoes, old DVDs or CDs that you know will never get played thanks to the increase in the overwhelming popularity of streaming services available to us today.

Marie Kondo your dorm, apartment or house, and I guarantee you will finish feeling like a new man/woman. I also highly suggest you watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix to get the best out of your spring cleaning experience.

Call/FaceTime your parents or a long-distance friend

We all know how hard it can be for college students to adjust to being away from home. However, most students get used to it early on and sometimes forget about those back home while enjoying their college experience.

While spending a chilly day inside, take the time to phone your parents and check in on them. They are adjusting to you living away from home just as you had to adjust to going to college and being on your own.

Ask them how they are doing and take the time to tell them about your new experiences; they probably want to hear every little detail.

Benefits of calling your folks include hearing interesting stories about how the neighborhood cat took out the bird feeder AGAIN, what they might be cooking for dinner that night, reasons why they can’t fall asleep at night, or a funny story about the family pet.

Checking up on friends is just as important as keeping in touch with your parents. Just because you might not be attending the same university as them does not mean that you cannot keep that friendship alive and well. FaceTime or call a friend to meet up or hang out (if possible).

Catch up on homework

Now that the blustery winds have kept you inside for the rest of the day, you can spend it catching up or getting ahead on homework, extra credit, papers, etc. By staying ahead of the game and finishing all the work that needs to be done, you can feel relieved.

Gone are the sleepless nights filled with worry about when you will start your next project or when you will finally think of the groundbreaking thesis for that history paper.

Taking time out of your day to focus on academics may sound a bit dull, but it will leave you feeling at ease.

Hopefully the next coming weeks will present warmer and sunnier weather to enjoy. Although some dread the winter, there are some benefits, such as enjoying the activities listed above.

I am looking forward to an early spring, just as Punxsutawney Phil predicted for 2019!