My plate is very full. I do a ton of studying, writing, exercising, working, and thinking (procrastinating). Many times it feels like I simply don’t have enough time. I believe many of my peers share this same feeling. I remember being a kid and looking forward to the summer every year. Not just because I could play a lot more video games, but because it was a period to wind down. I didn’t have school for a bit, I just had lots of baseball games and ice cream. Sounds like a dream right? Funnily enough, I feel like I put even more man hours into things like work during the summer, which brings me to my main point. It’s easy to use the summer as a time to catch up on work that we missed, but what’s even more important is to take periods like a summer vacation to do just that: a vacation.
Now this vacation can be anything that will let you take a break from work, and particularly a big word, being stress. When I say “vacation” many people picture a week-long getaway to the Bahamas. This vacation can quite literally be anything. There’s nothing wrong with a stay-at-home vacation. These are personally my favorites, because I use time off to catch up on side hobbies like writing, playing video games, and reading. There are many ways to enjoy oneself during the summer, whether you’re a student, or a full-time worker.
A great way to enjoy one’s summer is to have a consistent part-time job. This, of course, is an expectation for many young students. A job can be easy to find, but finding one that is enjoyable and fulfilling is quite arduous. When I was in high school, I had more jobs than there were clouds in the sky. Did I enjoy any of them? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t regret that, because this abundance of jobs taught me what I love and hate in a potential career. I would recommend young students to work during the summer, but do not work more than you feel comfortable doing; the summer is a time to be productive, but also to enjoy some time off.
If one wants to take time off, spending time with family and loved ones is the way to go. Summertime calls for heat (if you’re in the states at least) so take a day trip to the beach with some friends. Bring food, water, towels, footballs, anything else, and have a great time for the day. Heck, day trips are a great way to spend one’s days in the summer. Weekend getaways to the beach are a prime way to soak up the sun. Don’t forget that sunscreen though! The heat can get pretty brutal, but when the sun is out, it makes diving into ice-cold water all the sweeter.
Let’s say you don’t enjoy going out that much, and you’re more introverted. Nothing wrong with that. Staying in can be just as fun as going out. Invite some friends and family over for a game night. Gather all the board games you have. Pop open some soda or (if you’re old enough) booze. Order in some pizza and wings. Darn, I’m getting hungry just thinking about potential plans. Movie nights, game nights, and dinners with friends are great ways to spend time in the summer because most people are off, and it is fun as all hell. The memories I have of spending the night with friends, and laughing over pizza and a good movie are some of my fondest.
Let’s say you’re super introverted, and need some time to recharge your batteries. You want some time by yourself, but you feel like you don’t know what to do. There are a ton of things one can do by themselves to enjoy some personal me-time. Some great hobbies to do by yourself can be going for a walk, meditating, reading, writing, journaling, watching a show or movie, exercising, and taking part in an old hobby. I love photography, and when I can, I take a nice photo, whether it’s with the camera on my phone, or my polaroid. Summer is a great time to engage in new and old hobbies alike, and at the end of all this, it should be enjoyable. That’s the main point of having time off; it should be therapeutic and relaxing to not have work, and to enjoy time with people you love, or by yourself, doing the things that you love. Try to do these things this summer, and time will fly by, like summertime always does.