Summer break time! Finally the semester has come to a close and you can breathe after the immense amount of work put into the last two semesters. You made it, congratulations! College students can finally say goodbye to lectures and exams, and say hello to adventures with friends, vacations, and a temporary escape from academic responsibilities, woohoo!
For many, it's a time of freedom, exploration, and relaxation but oftentimes, navigating the shift to summer break and the significant change from your usual routine can feel daunting. This often leaves you uncertain about maximizing your time away from campus. Remember these feelings are normal and expected and there are ways to combat this. In this blog, we'll dive into various tips and strategies to navigate summer break successfully. I will help you aim for enjoyment, productivity, and self-improvement.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
Developing New Interests and Hobbies this Summer
Summer break offers a prime opportunity to explore passions and interests outside of your studies. Summer break provides the time and freedom to indulge in new hobbies or even get back into old ones that you did not have the time to do while in school. Exploring new outlets not only enriches one's personal life but also fosters creativity, self-discovery, and a sense of fulfillment.
Some examples of new hobbies to do this summer can include:
Cooking/baking
Playing an instrument
Trying new sport or exercise class
Painting/drawing
Hiking
Gardening
Reading/writing
Seek Out A Summer Job or Internship Opportunity
For those eager to gain work experience, summer break is the perfect time to seek out employment or internship opportunities to build upon your resume. Whether it's a part-time job in retail, hospitality, or a summer internship in your field of study that interests you, this is the time to do so. Additionally, summer employment provides an opportunity to earn extra income to support yourself or save.
Volunteering is another great resume builder and often a nice way to fill your new free time and feel good about yourself for giving back.
Some places you can volunteer at this summer who are usually looking for volunteers:
Animal shelters
Soup kitchens
Homeless shelters
If you are experiencing stress over finding a summer internship, check out our blog, “Surviving Summer Internship Application Stress: Strategies For Stevens Institute Students in Hoboken”.
Travel and Explore New Places
Summer break presents an ideal opportunity to explore new destinations. You could do a cross-country road trip with friends, backpack through Europe, or volunteer abroad. Traveling during summer break offers a chance to broaden one's horizons, immerse oneself in different cultures, and create awesome memories. If you don’t have a travel buddy, solo travel can be very fulfilling. You can also find groups of people to travel with through different websites and guided trips.
Even if traveling far isn't possible, exploring nearby towns, parks, and attractions can provide a refreshing change of scenery and new experiences. This could look like taking a different route home or walking in a different part of town. Also this is a great time to visit your college friends who probably live in different cities than you and spend some time in their hometown!
Prioritize Self-Care and Mental Health
Amidst the excitement and busyness of summer break, it's important to prioritize self-care and well-being. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, nutritious eating, and quality sleep is essential for physical and mental health.
Additionally, practicing mindfulness, relaxation techniques, and seeking support from friends, family, or mental health professionals can help manage stress and promote overall well-being. This can set a healthy foundation for the upcoming school year and enforce healthy habits that may have fallen by the wayside.
Checking in with yourself from time to time throughout the summer and taking inventory of how you are feeling is important. This is a great time to get back into therapy with your extra free time to help alleviate any mental health challenges that arise or have arisen over the past few months.
Invest in Personal Development and Learning
Summer break doesn't have to be a hiatus from learning and personal growth. You can use this time to invest in self-improvement by enrolling in online courses, attending workshops or seminars, or pursuing other skills. Whether it's learning a new language, mastering coding skills or other topics of personal interest, summer break offers ample opportunities for intellectual self-care which is important for development and can make you feel empowered!
Enhance Your Meaningful Relationships
Summer break provides a chance for you to nurture and strengthen relationships with friends and family, especially those who you were away from during the school year. Whether it's reconnecting with hometown friends, spending quality time with family members, or reaching out to mentors for guidance and support, improving meaningful connections is essential for your well being.
Additionally, summer break offers opportunities to meet new people, form new friendships, and expand one's social or professional network. If you are feeling isolated, there are ways to meet friends through apps such as “BumbleFriend”, “MeetUp” or checking your local facebook groups.
Set Future Goals
As summer break draws to a close you can take advantage of this time to reflect on your experiences, accomplishments, and aspirations. Reflecting on the past academic year, identifying areas for growth, and setting goals for the future can help you approach the upcoming semester with intention and motivation. Setting achievable goals provides direction and focus for the months ahead.
A great way to do this is to journal and do some visualization exercises to see what you want the next few months or year to look like. When setting goals, get specific in short term and long term goals. Next answer, how will you achieve these goals? Anytime you are goal setting, break them down into smaller attainable goals to set yourself up for success.
Another way to create goals is to use the S.M.A.R.T. model, which stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound.
Don’t forget to relax and enjoy!
Summer break is a cherished time to unwind, explore, and grow outside the confines of the classroom. You don’t always have to be busy or have something to do, relaxing and having days where you don’t do much is completely acceptable and even encouraged after all your hard work this school year!. By embracing a balance of leisure and productivity, exploring new interests, seeking out opportunities for personal and professional development, prioritizing self-care, and nurturing meaningful relationships, you can navigate summer break with purpose and intentionality.
Rebecca Bischoff, LCSW
is a psychotherapist at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. Rebecca sees children, teens, and adults in-person in Hoboken and residents of NJ and FL for online therapy.
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