During the school year, it’s go-go-go, and more times than not you would kill for even just 10 minutes to just relax and have nothing to do and nothing on your plate. 

Well, that time comes the minute school gets out. When you walk out of your last final and walk outside you feel it instantly—you now have more than 10 minutes to decompress and completely relax; you now have the whole summer. 

It feels amazing at first to be able to take a deep breath and have nothing to do—at least for a little while; however, that only lasts so long. Sooner rather than later, that feeling of having no expectations for you to get anything done will start to get to you.

Although so many love to say how much they hate routine and having a structured day, that is how the majority of your days are in your life. You wake up at a certain time and have to be here at this time and get that much done before you leave at this time and so on and so forth. 

This format of a day is all you know, it’s all you’ve been told, it’s what’s normal for you. So when summer arrives and this whole phenomenon goes out the window, many tend to have unbalanced schedules and unproductive days. For instance, going to bed at 2 a.m. and waking up at 12:30 p.m is not the way to go. 

Besides when you wake up and go to bed, you have adjusted to having your days being laid out with things to do. But during the summer, the world is your oyster and you are in total control of what to do and when to do it. The most obvious thing to do in summer is be outside. For so many months of the year so many of us would kill for warmer weather and to not be stuck inside. 

Additionally, although the break from school is well-deserved and necessary, it is still very important to read over the summer. Aside from the educational benefits, reading over the summer is considered much more productive than, for example, sitting on your phone. And for many, reading has provided people with an outlet to escape from everyday life. 

Now for some, your summer is filled with sports, jobs, traveling, etc., and your jammed-packed summer doesn’t allow for you to slack off and develop this unbalanced sleeping schedule. If you fear falling into the downward spiral of day after day when you get less done and perhaps you feel unfulfilled, it may be worth it to explore one of the previously mentioned options to keep yourself busy. 

Essentially, while it’s vital for a break and relaxation over the summer from school, it is necessary to have a productive summer and keep busy, whether that be with exercise, reading, having a job—whatever the case may be. You deserve to have a relaxing three months, yet you also deserve to keep yourself occupied.