Teenagers: what to do when you are bored?

Unless a teenager spends all his free time lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, a certain level of boredom is not dangerous. We live in a society where children are over-scheduled and over-occupied with extracurricular activities. Doing nothing can be good for your health. However, when you are bored, it can be a bad experience. What can you do about it? 

How do you spend your free time when you are a teenager? 

Tired of sitting around the house? Not really having anything to do can be seen as a good thing. As an adult, you are constantly running out of time and you long for those quiet moments. As you are in the process of building yourself up, perhaps you should use this time to ask yourself who you are and who you want to become. 

But there's no need to sit in your room and mope. Why not get on your bike or put on your trainers, even if it's just to walk around your neighbourhood. If you're lucky, you'll run into some of your friends and you'll be able to chat. Who knows, maybe they have the same thoughts as you. Maybe you can help each other.

If you don't want to leave the house, there are other answers than screens. How about offering to cook dinner for your parents? There are simple ways to make a dish, even if you don't have much experience: there are plenty of tutorials on the internet to help you and your parents probably have a recipe book lying around. Not only will this keep you busy, but you'll be proud of what you've made for your family. Plus, it will take some of the pressure off your parents. It's a trifecta, as long as you do the dishes afterwards!

What activities should be offered to a teenager who doesn't know what to do? 

When you are a parent, a teenager's boredom can be worrying: could he be having a breakdown? This would be the case, perhaps, if he never did anything and if he made aquoibonistic speeches. In this case, it is better to talk to a professional. 

However, a teenager who goes round in circles is normal. He is looking for himself, he no longer recognises himself: it is a transitory period during which one can feel a generalized malaise, without being pathological. 

With parents, it is often a love/hate relationship that is established: still needing them but furiously wanting to get away from them and that is normal. Why not propose a common activity? 

It is not necessary to have a purpose, but to find an activity that he can repeat if he likes it every time he is bored. This could be tidying up the garage or the attic. It may seem boring. But for someone who oscillates between the past (the child) and the future (the adult he is becoming), it can speak to him to put a little order. Especially as these places are full of objects that can lead to discussions: old toys, old clothes, holiday things?

Many teenagers are familiar with social networks and certain software. Why not use this talent, when it is needed, perhaps for work? Any teenager will feel valued (even if they grumble) if they are asked for training; even if it means paying them as pocket money. Highlighting his skills, highlighting his weaknesses (it is important to show him that parents are not overpowering and that you have to ask for help when you don't know how to do something), a moment of sharing: there is really everything to gain on both sides. 

Finally, of course, sporting activities are an excellent way to get your teen out of boredom, without joining a club. Bike rides, rollerblade races, picnics in the forest, walks, are all possibilities. And this does not prevent them from talking about their life, in small details, or even talking about themselves and their difficulties at the same time, putting the difficulties they have encountered into perspective. 


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