By Rami Mansi
Congratulations on getting through this school year! You’ve made it out, despite many trials and tribulations, which is worthy of enjoying the long summer break.
Every summer, one might ask themselves the age-old question: “What am I gonna do this summer?” If one doesn’t want to “bedrot”–staying inside on the couch or in bed all day–then I have many ideas for fun things you can do!
With the summer comes open parks, public spaces, and beautiful weather. For those who are a fan of the outdoors and other physical sports, start with walks, jogs, runs, and all types of movement in new locations while soaking up the sun. For people wondering when the right time to start working out or get some sun is, any time you have a more relaxed schedule creates a chance for you to both kill time and create a productive environment.
When it comes to finding a productive environment, find rest spots to sit at during these long exercises. Rest spots can include third spaces, like cafes or spacious parks, to grab some fresh air. Parks, both local and large city parks, can have a huge effect on a person’s mental health. Even a simple walk can help with various aspects of one’s life, such as decreasing mood swings, controlling weight (as walking is an exercise), and even having positive impacts on your cardiovascular health, according to Better Health.
On these adventures, going solo is a great choice if decided on. But going beyond a solo adventure, try inviting friends old, new, and prospective to your activities. If you have a friend that you want to make more than a school or work friend, invite them for a nice walk with coffee. Small coffees and hangouts can be the start of amazing friendships and future relationships. Taking those chances can create a lifetime of new and exciting opportunities in both social settings and kind connections.
Talking about physical activity, mental activity is just as important from simple things like a Wordle puzzle in the morning to reading a novel front to back. Engaging the brain can be helpful, healthy, and (h)amazing to gain some enjoyment. Mental-based activities include anything that requires brain power, which can lead to creative and critical thinking opportunities.
For a personal recommendation: I suggest reading a book to work yourself up to the more complex projects. Reading is the simplest, most foundational, and debatably the most exciting activity to do during a summer break to decompress and enter your world of fantasy or formatted reality.
When building up a world that doesn’t revolve around the limiting powers of the school year, it can get stressful to fill up that time in ways that suit both your productivity and need for relaxation. When deciding on what route to take into account remember this one detail: you are setting your standard. Therefore you can start, stop, continue, and set yourself up for whatever aftereffect you’d like. With no limitation on what you can accomplish in one summer, use this opportunity to try and do everything with rapture, emotion, and, most importantly, at your own pace.
At the end of the day, you deserve to rot in bed and start your day at five in the afternoon. You need to replenish yourself after the long school year, and if you do that by sleeping in for 15 hours after doom-scrolling on TikTok, then do that to your heart’s content. For this summer, set yourself up so you give less summertime sadness Lana Del Ray and more Diet Mountain Dew Lana.
Have a great summer and see you next semester!