Hi everyone! Welcome or welcome back to The Teen Safe Zone, where it's safe for teens to be themselves! I know it's been a while since I last talked to you all, and I am truly sorry for the unexpected leave. However, on the bright side, I've been focusing a lot more on my new YouTube channel and being consistent over there! This summer, I am hoping to be consistent on both my blog and YouTube channel, but it will take a while to get used to.
It's the beginning of summer and us teenagers need something to do to keep us occupied while school is out. So, I decided to make a list of 10 activities teenagers can do over the summer that do not include endlessly scrolling on social media.
1. Go on a road trip; whether that's with friends or by yourself, road trips are always fun to go on. Create a Spotify playlist with all of your favorite songs or make themed playlists (ex. "Summer of 2017 Vibes" or "Songs To Scream In The Car").
2. Go bike riding around your neighborhood; If you are unable to go on a road trip (whether that's because of expensive gas prices or no transportation options), you can always go bike riding around town and see what your town or neighboring towns have to offer! It's good exercise too! Just like a road trip, you can make a Spotify playlist and jam to it while biking! I would recommend only having one ear piece in so you can be aware of your surroundings and sounds around you!
3. Step out of your comfort zone and try to meet new people; Go to the park or the mall and try to start conversations with people who might be around your age. You never know when you'll meet your lifelong best friend! Us teenagers should start learning how to interact with people face-to-face and not by simply sending someone a friend request on social media.
4. Self Care Day; Take at least one day a week, if possible, to focus solely on yourself! I've been doing a lot more "self care days" recently, and it completely changes my mood for the day! Start changing your mindset this summer by realizing that it's OK to treat yourself because you deserve it! Note: you don't need to purchase fancy, expensive products that you see on social media to have a self-care day. Just work with the products you have. A self-care day is successful as long as you are happy. :)
5. Practice new or old skills; You'll never know if you're talented at something until you try it! Try something you've never done before. Whether that be learning an instrument, a new language, drawing, etc. If you're constantly scrolling on social media 24/7, how will you ever find out who you are and what you're talented at?
6. Experiment with your style; Is there a certain "aesthetic" you love on social media? Well, this summer, instead of watching the style on other people, why don't you try it on yourself? Try clothing styles you've never done before. Or try experimenting with new hairstyles and hair colors if possible. This summer is the perfect time to become the version of yourself that you're satisfied with. No more making excuses on why you "can't" do something. It's time that you stop being your worst critic.
7. Learn to accept yourself; Out of all of the activities on this list, I feel that this one is the most important. It's time to learn how to accept yourself. In your teen years, you should be focused on how to improve yourself, your mindset, etc. for the better. It all starts with learning your worth. This summer, start learning to accept every imperfection that you have.
8. Start journaling; Try journaling your thoughts down in a journal. I made a full blog post full of ideas for teenagers to journal about! CLICK HERE for the blog post!
9. Read books; I know to some of you this might sound "lame," but surprisingly, books can be really interesting! You just have to find genres that you're interested in. I know for some of you, when you think about books, you typically think about those boring books you were forced to read in school lol. However, not every book is boring. As mentioned before, find books that you are interested in. One tip I would recommend to you all is to try reading genres that you like to watch on TV. If you like to watch mystery shows or movies, try reading a mystery book, and so forth. There are so many genres to choose from!
10. Redo your room; I am currently in the process of getting my dream furniture and creating my room to be my "dream" room! There's no more glamourizing Pinterest rooms and not doing anything to make your room something you're satisfied with. This summer, try creating your dream room, or at least make it close enough. You don't need to buy brand new furniture to be satisfied with your room. You can do something as simple as rearranging your room and trying a new style! You can also go to thrift stores in an attempt to find cute, affordable furniture! The process is hard, but it'll be well worth it!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed today's post! If you want to contact me about anything, please visit the "Contact Us" page on this blog where we can privately talk! NEW POSTS EVERY SUNDAY! - Lexi
I've been trying to get back into the habit of reading books for FUN and not just for school too! I agree, there's a whole world of books out there and they get MUCH more exciting than the books you read in school XD
I'm so happy you're back! I love these ideas and I'll definitely try some of them this year!
I'm so happy to be back! I have tons of ideas for this summer and I can't wait to share them!