After a long semester at school, it’s important to reward yourself! Congratulations! You did it! Class after class, roommate drama after drama, and somehow you made it out alive. It’s almost hard to believe that a whole semester passed. Now it’s summer and you have a few choices. You can either spend the next few months “winding down” and rejuvenating. Or, you take a breather, rest up, and spend your summer working, saving up, or getting ready for the next semester—trust me, it will be here before you know it!
So how do you decide when break time is over? You survived your classes and a break is obviously in order. You need to veg out and watch a little tv, raid the fridge and see your friends. But when should you roll out of bed and get back to business? And how can you make the best of summer, combining the best of both worlds—fun and productivity?
I have a mental checklist to keep my summer moving. It keeps me honest and helps remind me that even though I would love to spend every waking hour sun bathing by the pool, it might not be the most practical thing for me!
I would recommend making a list of the different things you want to accomplish this summer—think of it as a bucket list of sorts. It will help you prioritize and highlight the areas you need to focus on this summer.
You don’t have to follow this list, but here are a few ideas.
Do something for yourself. I call this the “Pool time regime”. My guilty summer pleasure is hanging out at the pool. It gives me a chance to relax, gather my thoughts, and of course, soak up a few rays! (Don’t forget your SPF!) Your summer getaway doesn’t have to involve water, in fact, you don’t have to getaway at all! Just make sure to schedule a little time for yourself so you can regroup and recharge from the semester.
Next, get a job. It can be painting, or mowing the lawn. You can sell lemonade, or ice cream. Be a lifeguard, sell shoes. Whatever it is, just do it. Summer is a great time to relax, but no one needs THAT much time to do nothing. Dust off your resume, put on something nice and go searching. Maybe you want to do an internship, or a co-op. Or maybe you want to stay low-key—I’m not joking, a lemonade stand in the right climate has huge potential! Just make sure you don’t spend all summer trying to perfect a body imprint on your couch. A part time job will give you the freedom to make your own money, stay busy during the day, and if you’re lucky—time off at night to hang out with you friends and family! It doesn’t sound thrilling, I know, but it really shouldn’t be optional. Future employers will look at your resume—if not this summer, then soon. They will ask you about the gaps in employment and you might want to prepare a better answer than, “well I felt like the pool was more fun!”, I wanted to try that, but everyone advised me against it so I’m passing the memo on to you!
Third on your bucket list: Family Time! I don’t know about you, but I miss my family a lot during the year. I decided to go out of state for college. I only go home a few times a year. When summer rolls around I’m thrilled to see my family! It can seem boring going home—You’re in college now, obviously a “real” adult! But don’t take these brief visits for granted. Before you know it you will be a senior in college ready to move out on your own and all you’ll want is a home cooked meal and fresh laundry. It may knock you down a few pegs on the freedom ladder when you go home for summer—yes, now you have to actually let your mom know you won’t be home until 2 A.M.! But, enjoy it while you can.
The last tidbit of advice I have for you to keep your summer feeling great is to work out. Don’t let the hot weather and smaller clothes fool you. You still have to keep moving and stay active if you want to stay in shape. Make sure you are drinking water and getting enough exercise. It will make you happy and keep you feeling good. Summer tends to be a “lazy” season for some college co-eds, don’t let that be you! Play outside, take a walk, jump rope, or swim laps! Staying active will not only benefit your body, but will keep on track for when school starts up again.
Summer will come and go before you know it! Make sure you are keeping busy and doing more than just watching summer reruns. If you stay busy and make the most of your time off, you may surprise yourself with what you can accomplish!
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Prealgebra