I was expecting a little bit more. I was expecting fun and a little bit of socialization with friends, maybe even a vacation outside of New York. Nope, I utilized my entire 4-day weekend (essentially Spring Break, since I was off from my job at University) a little bored and a little lonely.

Before my vacation, I spent nearly the entire week prior binge-watching Netflix and HBO Go, namely “The Unbreakable Kimm Schmidt” (funny, very reminiscent of “30 Rock”) and “The Jinx” (no shit, he did it). Although I’ve been meaning to watch these shows, it distracted me from the sheer fact that I was by myself and for whatever reason, none of my friends were willing to do anything during the work week. I was simply hoping that this upcoming, well-deserved break from work would surmount to something more worthwhile: a vacation, a day trip, seeing anybody. However, the majority of my close friends were out of town, and the ones that remained seemed too preoccupied with their own stuff to compromise their schedules with mine. I felt alone for nearly the past week and a half.

Still, it did get me thinking on how to cope with loneliness: I distracted myself by being active. I worked out. I cleaned. I cooked. I made things and made plans. If I found myself sitting down with my own depressive thoughts or vegging out on television, I made myself wash the dishes or sweep or do something productive. Sure, these are undoubtedly distractions and escape mechanisms for what is a larger issue, but at least I’m doing something that’s beneficial rather than negative or complacent.

So how do you fight loneliness and boredom? Do something that will help you either in the long run or in the short term. Or, you can listen to Wilco’s “How To Fight Loneliness”: