12. Pick up a musical instrument
I’ve not really advocated for bettering yourself much in this list, so I guess it had to happen sooner or later. We’re about halfway through. That’s late enough.
Artistic expression has a lot of benefits outside of just taking up time. It can help with bad mental health things like anxiety and depression. It can bring you and others closer to core emotions. It also gives a feeling of creation, adding something to the world in a way no one else can. Your expression is as unique as you are, and no one else is exactly like you.
There are the typical instruments people pick up like guitar and piano, but you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself there. You can go on Facebook marketplace and find people trying to clear out instruments they don’t care for anymore sometimes. There’s no better way to get a clarinet for cheap. Or maybe a cello. I haven’t looked in a bit.
And the cool thing with the internet is that you don’t even need professional training if you don’t want it. There are tons of random people looking to help. You can find videos across YouTube for pretty much any instrument that can get you feeling at least somewhat comfortable between now and when the NBA season starts.
Once you pick your instrument, pick a goal. It can be to learn a cover or two. Or it can be to come up with an original progression or melody. Picking something to work toward makes it so you spend less time fidgeting. You don’t have to do it. Fidgeting is fine. It’s just a suggestion.