You try to change your vaping habits and you realize that time management is a challenge for you. Here are a few tips that have helped young people like you reach their goals.

Do you find that time drags during breaks or lunch periods at school?

Here are a few ideas to fill your time:

• Talk to the person at your school responsible for recreation to learn about activities offered to students. Whether it is watching a movie in the auditorium, participating in a chess tournament, or even a yoga practice, don’t hesitate to try something new.
• Take advantage of it to prepare a list of activities that you would like to participate in over the next few days or weeks. You can also use it to try something new, which will give you the chance to identify your strengths.

PS. If you feel like it, you can suggest new activities and even help organize them. Taking part in school life can be an excellent way of showing leadership and above all of occupying your time.

• Go to your school library and look for a book that grabs your interest. Here is a great platform for discovering what kind of books catch your eye and inspire you for future reading. agol.ca
• Get some things to occupy your hands, like a little ball, a pencil, elastic bands, paperclips, etc.
• Get some things to keep your mouth busy, like raw vegetables (pieces of carrot or celery as a snack), gum or unsweetened mints (Tic Tac).
• Bring along a deck of cards and play some of the classic games like War or Hearts with your friends.

Do you know how to play Cheat?

Number of players: two or more

Goal of the game: to discard all your cards as fast as possible.

Shuffle the cards and deal out seven to each player.

The first player puts down the first card face up and announces its suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades). The next player puts a card on top of the previous one, but this time face down, and announces the same suit. Taking turns, the players place a card face down on the pile in the centre and announces the same suit.

When one player thinks that the suit announced by the player who has just put down a card is wrong, this player must say “cheat” out loud. The person who had played the last card must turn it over and show it:

• If the suit is wrong, the “Cheater” picks up all the cards piled in the centre of the table.
• If the suit is the right one, the person who did the accusing collects all the cards.
• Note: Once a card has been covered by another, it is too late to accuse the player who put it down of “cheating.”

• A good old sketch book and pencil can also allow you to scribble during your breaks, doodle, draw caricatures or even draw the avatars of your favourite video games. Some people also like to colour in mandalas which demand concentration, a good way to ignore vaping for a while.
• Allow yourself to be guided by your favourite playlists and dive into the universe of your favourite singers. You may want to write a few lines inspired by the songs that you like.

Try this little exercise to stimulate your creativity.

Constellation exercise

Choose a word. Then, quickly write down 8 other words that are unrelated.
Last, write a short piece or a poem that uses these 9 words.

Example
Word chosen: sun
Unrelated words: moon, blue, star, truck, school, notebook and cookie.

Text written: Tonight, there is a full moon. Sitting in my grandfather’s truck, I look at the sky and focus on a star that is brighter than the others. It shines so brightly that I think that it can even cast a shadow on the sun. I share this thought with my grandfather who looks at me with a sweet smile and offers me a cookie. My grandmother made them for us. Back home, I hurry to write it all down in my blue notebook, the one that allows me to record these memories and precious moments of my day. I also confess to writing down my disappointments and my sorrows, especially when my day at school has been more difficult. Happily, writing this all down allows me to free myself from my sadness and I always feel better after writing in my notebook.

Your turn to play now! Rise to the challenge starting with the word “passion.”

• Use the time to go watch the “Respire” campaign videos to have a good laugh. Changing your thoughts and laughing with your friends also lets you have fun. In addition, the action of laughing increases the happiness hormones secreted by your brain.

It is important to not be afraid of boredom because it is a great ally for increasing your creativity. Fill your free time by getting inspired by your passions. And if you don’t know what you are passionate about, it’s a great opportunity to discover new areas of interest. Everything is possible!