When summer arrives and the semester ends, every college student breathes a sigh of relief because textbooks and exam notes are put away in exchange for having fun during the warm, sunny days!  However, aside from kicking back and relaxing in the summertime, college students can also take additional action to recharge and rejuvenate themselves before the new school year.

Evaluate and accomplish goals

Set aside a moment to reflect on the past school year and re-evaluate your goals. It’s important to maintain awareness of them to ensure they are still important to you! Once you have a clear path and list of actions to take, set out to accomplish as many goals as possible. Summer vacation gives you all the time in the world to get ahead with personal and professional goals; it also propels you to sustain a mindset of success.

Never stop learning

Learning should never stop once you leave the classroom! Regardless, of whether you choose to learn a new skill or educate yourself on an unfamiliar subject, doing so prevents mental stagnation, strengthens cognitive function, and protects the brain from early deterioration. Once you start the new semester, it will be a piece of cake to get back into the momentum of learning.

Establish a self-care routine

If you don’t have a self-care routine, you should establish one immediately! Self-care includes eating three proper meals a day, getting an adequate amount of sleep, and maintaining personal hygiene and grooming habits. But the most crucial act of self-care is utilizing the right coping mechanisms when experiencing stress. For example, you need to be conscious of your college drinking habits in the summertime. Drinking is expected at parties and get-togethers, but alcohol should never be used as an outlet to cope with stress. Abusing substances makes stress worse and encourages harmful behavior. Rather than numbing stress with a substance, choose to implement coping mechanisms that are both healthy and beneficial for you, such as exercising, meditating, or journaling. These methods help us both decompress from stress and approach it with a rational and calm mindset.

Devote time to a beloved hobby

When you need to disconnect from personal obligations and work, devote time to a beloved hobby or passion. They’re activities that exist solely for the sake of improving a skill for sheer joy and fulfillment. Food for thought: has there been an activity that has been peaking your interest for a while? Try out that new hobby and get out of your comfort zone; it may become your new favorite pastime!

Take a fun trip

Last but not least, take a fun trip this summer! Experiencing a new place is enriching and mind-opening and reminds you of the bigger picture: there’s always more to life than school and work. To make a trip even better, travel with friends. Most likely, you may not have seen much of each other during the school year, but now that summer’s here, it’s the perfect time to reconnect!

###
June 29, 2018