After the busy application season and the holidays, the relative quiet of early spring is a welcome change. This kind of lull can be particularly useful for teenagers: although many, particularly students at high-achieving schools, can feel as though they need to fill their time with a wide range of activities, there are benefits to having down time, and even experiencing boredom.

As highlighted by Talk Education, boredom can foster positive qualities like creativity, imagination, planning, time management, self-discipline, self-reliance, and the ability to make the best of a situation. When the brain stops being bombarded with school, sports, and social media, a kind of mental ‘whitespace’ is created. This allows students to discover and explore what their minds are naturally drawn to, rather than just reacting to the next notification.

An article from The Spark and Stitch Institute, linked here, tells us the interesting reason why boredom can lead to creativity and reflection. According to the article, the brain has two modes: looking outward and looking inward. It is only when constant outer stimulation is removed that we can truly become familiar with our own thoughts. Therefore, what many of us call boredom is simply a lack of demands on our outward attention: work, sport, family, responsibilities, the next email or video on our smartphones. In the digital age, we rarely endure pauses with nothing to occupy our attention, but such lacunae are fertile ground for exploring interior worlds, and can help us avoid burnout from constant stimulation.

Reflection and the application process

Reflection is an important skill for everyone, but particularly adolescents. Adolescence is a time when people formulate their own passions, interests, and values; reflection is key to this. Such awareness is not only important to personal growth, but also a really helpful skill for US university applications. Having a strong sense of values and interests will enable students to be confident about what they are looking for from a university. It will also allow them to narrow the massive field of just under 4,000 accredited US universities to find options that will be a good match.

US admissions are often referred to as ‘holistic’: admissions officers in the US are interested in who applicants are outside the classroom as much as in their grades. Applications reflect this, assessing things like letters of recommendations, activity lists, and essays alongside grades. US universities view themselves as communities, and want to be able to envision how a student will fit in, academically and otherwise.

US applicants are asked to write a personal essay, as well as supplemental essays for the individual colleges to which they apply. These essays are much more personal than UCAS statements, asking about things like values, skills/talents, challenges, background, and life experiences. A successful US-style essay will contain self-awareness, not just story-telling. A student with the ability to reflect on who they are, how they became that person, and what they value and why will be well-equipped to write a successful application.

Additionally, skills of reflection and a strong sense of values are excellent for personal growth and character. Adolescents are faced with peer pressure and a barrage of information from a range of digital sources; being able to stand in the face of this knowing who they are and how to reflect deeply on a topic – rather than simply taking a second to ‘like’ it– can be very grounding. If someone is constantly using the outward-looking mental mode mentioned in the Spark and Stitch Institute article, moving from one thing to the next without pause, it is very difficult to build these skills. But by building rest and activities that facilitate a free-flowing inward mental state into their routines, adolescents can experience a different mindspace that fosters reflection and self-growth, and that sets them up for successful US applications and a positive experience at university.

How to find downtime

In our productivity-focused culture, it can be easy to think more is better when it comes to activities. If students (and their families) feel they might be missing out by taking downtime, it can be helpful to keep in mind that US admissions officers are not looking for a jam-packed schedule of unrelated activities. Instead, they prefer sustained, meaningful involvement in a few areas of genuine passion. By being intentional about activities and taking time to reflect on them, students actually set themselves up for greater success.

Here are some great ways to build downtime into busy schedules (these suggestions can be as helpful for parents and teachers, as for students!):

·      Use hikes, runs, cycles, or swims to clear the mind without the distraction of a podcast or a phone call.

·      Spend five minutes with a hot drink and a journal to set an intention for the day.

·      When commuting or queuing, resist the urge to turn to a smartphone. Let your mind wander and see where it lands.

·      Try meditation: use apps or simple breathing exercises to help the mind disengage from daily stressors.

At Guidewell Global, our counsellors value the personal connection they have with students, and can help them find their values and develop a sense of self-awareness. To find out more about our counselling services, click here. For a complimentary consultation, go to our link here.