Not having summer plans can feel dreadful and discouraging. The constant expectation of having to go on a big summer trip or always needing to have plans can feel burdensome.
Seemingly perfect Instagram posts fill up your feed with pictures of beaches and resorts. Having a quiet summer can feel lonely at first, but if you’re up for an adventure, you can make a quiet summer memorable.
Having no summer plans guarantees one thing for sure: time. It allows you to feel the days more slowly, a huge change from the hustle of daily college life. The pressure of exams, assignments and to-do lists creates an endless amount of time to rest your mind.
A big aspect of college is always studying, being with friends or being busy with clubs. Summer is the time to give more time to personal hobbies rather than staying stuck in the cycle.
If you are someone who needs to always have something to do, you can take some of your Gen-Ed classes during the summer months. This will allow you to have something to do over the break and keep you ahead in your academics.
Not having a fixed schedule will also allow you to be open to spontaneous activities. Fun, in-the-moment activities are what allow you to enjoy the small things about life.
Long walks, pickleball games or bonfires are easy and accessible, yet spontaneous activities. Additionally, some of the best trips are often ones that are planned last-minute or that happen without warning.
While there is the standard of going on big, fun vacations and always having something to do, there is also a huge benefit to having a calm and restful summer.
Many people tend to forget that always having something to do or being busy can also get tiring. It’s important to remember that being constantly busy doesn’t mean you are always more productive.
A good amount of rest can help people focus on their hobbies and try out other new things. Maybe you wanted to get into reading again or start exercising more.
You could also learn how to stay motivated and help build goals. Tell yourself that you want to read a certain number of books over the summer or you want to exercise a set number of hours per week.
It’s important that you allow summer to flow. Maybe you do want to take a fun trip, but everyone is busy, so you think about taking a solo trip and stepping out of your comfort zone.
If you ever feel guilty about not enjoying four months of pure nothingness, just remember this important information: In the future, you probably won’t have a four-month-long summer break.
A summer without plans is not something to be discouraged about, but can actually be something to look forward to. The older we get, the less time we have to enjoy the warm weather without worrying about a job. It’s very important that we take time to enjoy it rather than be discouraged by it.