Activities for the idle

[JustPeachy]

Hi!

I am a 19 y/o who has just enrolled in a Diploma of counselling starting after May (which I am very excited about). However, I have absolutely nothing to do until then and historically me having nothing to do and nowhere to be everyday hasn't been good for my mental health in terms of anxiety and depression. I have only 1 friend at the moment and she is extremely busy so I have been trying to find some things I can do on my own to occupy myself, but I have been struggling. I have been looking at job ads daily and applying to whatever I can find but there doesn't seem to be much going around in my area for an unskilled worker at the moment. I have also looked into some short courses in pottery and some other areas, just for fun and it seems that most are either booked up or run too late at night for me to feel safe travelling home on public transport for upwards of 1 1/2 hours. I have also looked into volunteering in my area and most are either not of interest to me or require me to have some sort of qualification. SO, would any of you lovely people have any ideas of things I can do that will get me out the house and meeting people my age? I don't mind if it costs some money. I know it seems like I'm being picky but I really want it to be something that I'd enjoy regardless of whether I end up making a friend there or not. Thankyou in advance!

[Hanna3]

Hi JustPeachy,

Welcome! Great that you're doing to do the course in counselling!

Before we can help, can you let us know if you live in a small town, a big town, or a city? Just to give some idea of how much might be available in your area? Also any particular interests you might have if you wanted to do volunteering, eg. aged care visiting, or meals on wheels, or a local museum, or whatever. Do you like sports or reading or craft or history or what kind of interests do you have?

This would help with ideas for what might suit you to meet others in your age group.

I'm sure with a bit more information people can come up with some ideas for you!

My intitial thought are - dance group? Gym membership? Swim club? Is there a local youth group at a church? Computer club? Do you play any sports? What about a musical instrument - is there a local band/orchestra for young people? Nightclub? Do you like animals? Local WIRES group or dog walking for the RSPCA? Ok over to you if you can give a bit more info about what might be available where you live? Cheers!

[JustPeachy]

Hi! Thankyou for your response!

I live in a small town however I can access larger towns and a city via public transport. It is important to me that I find an activity that will provide opportunities to make friends my own age. I enjoy music but don't play an instrument, I have a cat that I love to bits and I cook alot. I don't really enjoy sports or computers but I am open to most things in the creative field although I have no skill in that area. I should clarify that I am just coming out of a 2-year-long low period where I lost interest in everything and am now finding that I no longer like the things that used to interest me. As a result, I don't have many interests that can easily be made social. As for volunteering, in an ideal world I would do something like help with events or something behind the scenes.

Let me know if you need any further information 🙂

[Guest_4643]

Hey there JustPeachy. I'm Tayla and I'm 20, nice to see someone pretty much my age.

Good on you for enrolling in a Diploma, that's a huge achievement and I wish you the best in all of that. I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with boredom, no friends, etc. I'm in the same position as you, apart from the fact that I can't study because I can't afford it. The free courses you need qualifications that I don't have and would've had to have done a course before hand for anything which I haven't. I can't get a job and volunteer where I live too and nowhere will take me in for groups, I've tried every thing.

Pottery sounds fun, I'd like to do that myself some day. I'm not really sure what you could do, maybe try your hands at some art or something? Painting, drawing, sketching, tracing stuff, throwing paint at a canvas, writing, colouring in? Anything that you like. I know this isn't that helpful and I'm so sorry. I feel so bad because I don't know what to suggest.

Please know that I do care and I would love to support you, I'm just not really sure because I'm in sort of the same position as you are and I can't do anything myself, but it's probably better for you where you live. I'm in a small country town. Not that easy to move. The bird life and walking tracks are nice (I walk a few times daily) and whatnot and its quiet but thats all I like really. And our house is nice I suppose without trying to brag. But I still feel like I have nothing, you know? No friends in person or online, no other family other than my parents (never met my Dad's parents as they passed away before I was born, but my Mum's Mum passed away in 2013, and my Mum's Dad passed away in 2015, aswell as some old pets we had, 2 dogs and a bird). I miss them so much everyday, they were the only family I had besides my parents. But enough about me.

I'm so sorry you're struggling and I hope I and others can support you.

Much love and big hugs, take care.

Tayla xxx

[JustPeachy]

Hi Tayla!

Nice to hear from someone in the same boat. I'm sorry to hear about your circumstances though, it's rough when you're stuck without people your own age to relate to and little to do as a distraction. I have some family but unfortunately I have a parent who makes life difficult at home and also pushes away extended family. Which is part of why getting out of the house is so important to me.

Before finding the course that I am doing, I was going to a government subsidized course. I live in South Australia so it was through the Work Ready initiative but if money is a issue in finding a course to do maybe that'd be worth looking into? And since you are in a rural part of Australia you could do something online? My diploma is going to be online so that I don't have to travel so far everyday to get to a campus (it also helps with the anxiety side of things too).

This website tells you what courses are covered in each state and how to apply for them: https://www.courses.com.au/government-funding

May be worth looking at? It doesn't really help with the in-person friends but may help with online friends and provide something to focus on.

Thankyou for your support regardless, I know it's kind of difficult to suggest things when you don't really know someone or what might be available to them.

I appreciate hearing from you. I hope you find something that works for you soon. Take care 🙂

[Hanna3]

Ok hi again Peachy! That helps a lot, now we know you're in a small town but with access to a bigger one/city.

Creative things sound great. That could include anything from mosaic work, pottery, painting, weaving, sketching, sculpting... to writing or cinema or amateur theatre. Could you look out for any places or things that offer anything like this? In the (large town) where I am now living, art shops offer art classes for example. There is a group at the local university campus here that offers painting and sculpture groups. When I lived in a smaller coastal town there were monthly markets where people displayed all sorts of creative things like mosaics or did spinning etc and you could ask them where they went to learn it - there was always a local group somewhere that they could tell you about. Scrapbooking was popular. A local art group run through the local art shop used to have regular days out to paint in the open, but mostly they went for the social get-together - and there were plenty of young people in that!

I joined an amateur theatre company - I didn't do any acting but they welcomed me to be an usher, serve refreshments to the actors and audience at interval, help with props, costumes, setting up the stage, and there were heaps of people around your age (as well as others) and the opening night and closing night parties were great! I'm pretty introvert but we all had the same thing in common - we enjoyed the fun of putting the show together!

What about a walking group, say bushwalking? I did that about your age and met heaps of people that way. Yoga classes or a gym class are always good for young people. Toastmasters clubs if you like to learn public speaking.

My advice would be check out local shops that offer any kind of creative outlet you might like. Check out art galleries etc. Local theatre groups. Cooking classes would be good - most towns have somewhere that offers a cooking course of some kind. I did a course in Italian cooking when I was living in the city and it was great fun as we cooked together and then sat down together to enjoy the meal. Photography clubs/groups and meetup groups are good and you can find them online.

You can Google "ways to meet young people" and there are sites that come up with lots of ideas.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope you can find something that you like. Sometimes you just have to try things out until you find the right one. Good luck!

[Guest_4643]

hey again JustPeachy.

it'a nice to hear from you too, thank you for your suggestions and kind words and support, it means a lot. I'm so sorry that your family member makes it hard for you and the other stuff you mentioned. but you sound like a lovely positive person and I admire that, so good on you, and that's great that you're doing something good for yourself like studying and looking into other things.

i'll have a look at that think, I don't think I can get anything though. I did apply for Centrelink for mental health stuff before Christmas but I'm waiting to hear back from them, it was the only option I have. I couldn't apply for anything else because of rules and I as told to apply for this, the disability one for mental health. I hope I get it, I haven't heard anything from them. I'd contact them but what's the point.

take care also and thanks again, big hugs and much love. always here if you need to chat, like everyone on these forums xx

Tayla xxx