Three Activities to Relieve Boredom While Waiting in MHS Parking Lot

Waiting behind the steering wheel, only moving a few inches at a time, is an everyday occurrence when trying to escape the MHS parking lot traffic. After the last bell rings, a herd of students stampede to the parking lot, scurrying to unlock their cars and leave the parking lot. Everyone, however, does not have the fair opportunity to reach their car at the same time based on their parking spot or location of the last class. 

Whatever the circumstance, the parking lot is a hectic place where your patience is tested and boredom is developed. Here are three activities you can do to relieve that boredom while waiting:

1. Keep miniature toys that serve as brain teasers in your car. Toys such as a Rubik’s Cube or Perplexus stimulate your mind. Turning the cubes until the colors match or navigating through the maze by tilting in various directions are not easy tasks to accomplish. Podium School reports that puzzles like Rubik’s Cube develop patience as well as an active mind. Concentration is necessary to solve brain teasing toys; therefore, your attention will be diverted on techniques to solve the puzzle, taking away from the frustration that comes from the crowded parking lot.
2. Create a personalized playlist of music. According to the National Library of Medicine, music evokes emotion into humans resulting in a certain degree of engagement while listening to certain tunes. Spotify or Apple Music have pre-made playlists specially for traffic jams and long car rides. Music of your own taste will keep you entertained whether that be singing the lyrics out loud or in your head.
3. Listen to a storytelling podcast or audiobook. The Department of Psychology at University of Waterloo found that listening to stories being read allows the mind to wonder and take interest in the story being told. Several minutes in the parking lot can be spent listening to recording books or a person sharing an experience. Your mind will be occupied by the story rather than focused on the long line of cars in front of you.