Are you drowning in finals right now? Or studying for a test? Or even finished with finals and now seeking relaxation after a stressful school year?

With end-of-the-year finals coming to an end, a season of relaxation and rejuvenation is to follow. Here are 6 ways you can utilize your Summer break from school to take care of yourself after end-of-the-year stress.

Start the summer by creating a summer bucket list, this will help you create goals for the months off. Making the list can be fun and detoxing in itself. Get glitter glue, posters, colored pens, and any of your favorite crafting supplies and begin a cute summer list.

1. Sun

First, to state the obvious, sun! Being in the sun is the perfect way to take care of yourself this summer while still having a good time.

According to UCLA health, “Researchers found that each additional hour spent outside in natural light was linked to a corresponding decrease in the risk of developing long-term depression (Doctors, 2022).”

Grab your favorite sunscreen, a towel, and a good summer book (The Summer I Turned Pretty books are a good summer read) and layout in the sun. This could be in your yard, at a local park, by a pool, lake, or beach. Go find the sun as a perfect post-test detox for relaxation, you could even bring some friends.

Photo by Yan Liu on Unsplash

2. Hobbies

For me at least, the school year is consumed by work, studying, and extracurriculars and when I do have free time I want to rest. The summer vacation is the perfect time to revisit or begin a new hobby or passion that was pushed off during the school months.

For example, I love to write and paint during the summer. Another fun hobby I would recommend is making collages. This is a simple craft that you can do with a few materials, grab some old magazines, or pictures, and begin crafting! You could also hike, swim, bike the list goes on!

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3. Sleep

Drowning in tests and school work, you may have lost your sleep schedule. This is relatable and happens to many of us during the school year and finals week.

Take the summer to rest and get on a better sleep schedule. Maybe you develop a bedtime routine that you love and find a habit to take into next year. Everyone's bedtime routine could be different. Avoiding caffeine before bedtime can be a good way to start. For some, the perfect bedtime routine starts with a bath and others take comfort in a glass of tea or a good book. Find what works best for you and begin practicing it!

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4. Journaling

You might think journaling isn't for you. Sometimes you just haven't found how you like to journal.

Everyone is different. Use the summer to give it a try. Some find it easier to journal with a prompt. If that is you, you could look up online journaling prompts or you could get a specific journal that comes with prompts in it. Others don't like to be confined to prompts, and that is okay too.

For me, a challenge with journaling has always been time so I am going to try to dedicate time every day for journaling. Be realistic with this though, I am probably going to tell myself to journal for 5 minutes a day, to keep it doable and not feel like a chore. I also tend to just journal in my notes app on my phone, which is fine but I am going to try and stick to a paper and pen this summer to get the screen break free of distractions.

Photo by Ashlyn Ciara on Unsplash

5. Go back to your childhood

Being a teenager, some of my favorite childhood activities have been lost. I used to love jump roping, coloring books, making friendship bracelets, and sidewalk chalk, and going to the park.

Now, with school, it's hard to find the time for some of our favorite things from our youth. With summer upon us, take the time to do the things you used to love. I will write my favorite childhood pastimes on the bucket list and try to dedicate time to do all of them as a way to relax and relieve stress.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

6. Gratitude

Gratitude is a great practice to start this summer to stay grounded and reflect each day. For me, a gratitude jar has always been my favorite way to do this. Get a jar and decorate it, then each day on a scrap of paper write one gratitude for the day. When you need a reminder of gratitude on a hard day you can look back at past gratitudes.

For many of us school is a stressful time. With summer coming up, take the time for yourself to do the things you love. I hope that these 6 ways of utilizing your Summer break to take care of yourself after end-of-the-year stress can help you get started on having a good summer of relaxation.

Works Cited

Doctors, A. the. (2022c, March 25). Being in natural light improves mood, increases happiness. UCLA Health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/being-in-natural-light-improves-mood-increases-happiness