Summer is the time to feel dreamy, carefree, a time meant for just you- late nights, soft mornings, ice cream, beaches, and doing what you want. Summer is about you.But it turns into a weird spiral of doom scrolling, overthinking, or just feeling yucky while everyone else seems to be living their best lives. It gets lonely.

Or overwhelming, or just not... how you pictured it. If you're dealing with post-exam burnout, low-key heartbreak, or just stuck in a funk, this is your sign: you deserve a summer that feels good, not sad. Not performative. Just real, soft, fun, and full of little moments you’ll remember forever.

Step 1: Romanticize The Little Things

This is your main character era. And no, that doesn’t mean forcing everything to be aesthetic. It just means noticing the little stuff that makes your life feel like yours.

• Your iced coffee? Make it a whole vibe.
• Making notes? Use highlighters that spark joy.
• Going for a walk? Pretend you’re in a coming-of-age film and let your playlist hit.

It doesn't have to be Pinterest board worthy — just you paying attention to what makes you feel happy. Romanticizing your life is just that: noticing the ordinary, but with cuter stationery and better lighting. It’s about realizing your life is kind of cute, once you stop doom-scrolling and start romanticizing the everyday.Science even backs this up: people who pay attention to small moments are literally happier.

Image Credit: Christin Hume from Unsplash

Take the Quiz: Which "The Summer I Turned Pretty" character are you most like?

Find out which character from the hit show "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is your personality twin!

Step 2: Study Like You're The Next Elle Woods

Look, we get it — it’s summer and studying sounds like the opposite of fun. But if you’ve got prep to do (hello, entrance exams, schoolwork, etc.), try to make it feel better. Pick a subject that personally humbled you this year, because we don’t want to return to school forgetting how to write a sentence or solve basic math.

• Light a candle. Open the windows.
• Put on a lo-fi playlist.
• Use a fun timer app and give yourself little “rewards” when you finish tasks.

Think of it as becoming the smartest version of yourself — one cute study session at a time. Studying doesn’t have to ruin your summer. Being smart is hot. And you’ll thank yourself later when school starts and you’re not sobbing over syllabus shock.

Step 3: Romanticize The Great Outdoors(Yes, They Still Exist)

This is your reminder that there is life beyond your bed and your "For You" page. I'm not telling you to quit looking at your phone entirely — just go touch some grass. Literally.

• Take yourself to a little picnic with a cutesy book.
• Walk like you’re starring in your own life-as-a-movie scene (even if your dog is doing its business beside you).
• Sit outside. It’s good to get a natural tan once in a while.

You don't need to fly to Paris to feel something. All it takes is a little sunlight, a smoothie, and a daydream.

Photograph Credit: Priscilla Du Preez from Unsplash

Step 4: Curate Your Cast (Cut The Extras)

This summer, be brutally selective with who gets to spend time with you. I mean it. You're a luxury experience that not everyone gets to have. This is your story, and you deserve to shine in it.

• Friends who flake on you but never miss a party? “Thank you, next.”
• People who make you feel like “you’re too much”? Maybe, they're just too less. Try, “too iconic.”
• Friends who support you overthinking a crush walking past you into a full-blown love analysis? “YES, PLEASE.”

You don’t need 30 friends — just 3 ride-or-dies who give you the energy of a million. All you need is a group chat, your 3 friends, chaos, and gossip. It's free therapy.

Step 5: Take Care Of Your Brain (Babe's Been Working Real Hard)

Let’s be real: your brain has been through it. School stress, social drama, 3 AM overthinking spirals... and now summer rolls in, and she’s like, “Can I rest now or...?”Give her a break. Give her a few.

• Water. Sleep. Sunlight. The holy trinity. Dehydrated, underslept, you are not your final form.
• Romanticize rest. Create a mildly chaotic bedtime routine (it can include tea, arts, or staring).Put your phone across the room like it betrayed you.
• Journal like you’re narrating a soap opera — stream-of-consciousness, letters to your future self, petty rants. Get it all out.
• Feel your feels, but don’t unpack and live there. Cry if you need to, then move on. Romanticize your healing, too — it's part of your storyline.

And no, you don’t have to be thriving 24/7 to have a good summer. You just need to treat your mental health like a priority, not a side quest. Take care of your brain like it’s your best friend.Because it actually is.

Let this be the summer where you don't wait for exciting things to happen, because you are the exciting thing. You don't need an expensive vacation, a full rebrand, or even a boyfriend. You just need to like life more than your screen.

Be soft and productive, study and dance at midnight with your friends. It's not one or the other; it can be both. Because summers aren't the wildest.

Just like Jenny Han said, "We'll always have summer." So, no more Sad Girl Summer. Now, GO, Live it.