WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE DYING OF BOREDOM

My Advice:

Hi Rachel! I totally get why you’re feeling bored. It seems like you have nothing to do except count your hair strands, one by one, and attempt to give them all names.

(Brianna has probably done this, that little weirdo! She thinks her hand is her BFF. It makes TOTAL sense that she’d create a tiny village of strand people!)

But that’s the thing, though. It only SEEMS like you have very little to do.

I know it’s a lot easier to entertain yourself when you have a sibling or friend around, but there’s actually A TON of stuff you can do even if you’re flying solo!

You could:

Hang out with your friend on Skype. I know, it’s not the same as going over, but it’s better than tying two cans to a string and trying to toss one to her house across town. (That’s how old people used to talk to each other, before iPhones. Those poor old people!)

Make stuff. You could draw something, make a collage of pictures of your friends, or even cut out magazine letters to send them unique, colorful notes. I bet most creative people got that way by first being super bored! (And maybe that’s why I’m into art. I HAVE a sibling, but playing with her is less fun than watching glue dry!)

Make some cash. Life ain’t cheap! And you don’t have to be either, if you use your free time to come up with some awesome business ideas. That’s right! Even without having a college degree or a car, you can bring home some serious cash. Here are some business ideas I came up with a while back, for inspiration!

Write a book. You like to read, and clearly you know how to write. (Great job on the email you sent me!) Why not write a whole book? It could be anything…a mystery novel, a story based on the real CRAZY people in your life, or even a diary, like mine. (You could call it “Rachel Records It All.” You’re welcome!)

Ask your parents what THEY did for fun when they were 13 years old and REALLY wished they could hang out with their friends. Sure, there’s tons of stuff you could do when you’re bored, but it’s not totally unreasonable to want to hang out with your friends sometimes. You’re not a solitary animal, like a skunk, an orangutan, or a four-toed hedgehog. You NEED other people!

(And yes, I learned those animals when I was bored one time. I know, I’m such a dork! Google “solitary animals.” There’s a ton!)

What do you guys think? Do you have any advice for Rachel? Feel free to e-mail your ideas and comments to AskNikki@DorkDiaries.com. Please place “Dying of Boredom” in the title of your e-mail. I will post the best comments here!