Congratulations! All the hard work you have put into the school year has amounted to packing up your things and going home for the summer. Now, for all my girls that live in a small town, himbo bimbo nowhere land, this might be the biggest nightmare of your life. Okay, maybe I am projecting just a little bit, but I am here to give my lazy girls some tips on surviving summer a long way away from college.
Disclaimer: these steps are pretty broad and are honestly up to interpretation, so I hope you use this as a guide (title reference wink wink) and not as fact!
Step Number One: Go Outside.
I do not think a lot of us realize how much we are missing out when we spend all day, every day, inside, eyes glued to a screen. I cannot count on my fingers how many summers I have gotten migraines from how much time I spent binging Once Upon A Time. Going to college in the coldest tundra I have ever experienced has made me realize I do not spend enough time outdoors. It is said 10 minutes of nature therapy is way more effective than regular therapy or maybe that is just something my dad told us, but I actually find some truth in it. The second the hot air hits my skin I suddenly feel like I could write a 15 page paper on the American Constitution. Now I hope you are not spending your summer doing that, but you should spend it in nature. Going on walks around your neighborhood is the perfect way to get in some exercise, cure your missing college sickness, and also get an amazing tan without any effort.
Step Number Two: Hobbymaxing
This step is crucial to enjoying summer in nowhere land, aka your hometown. Pick up a pen! Or literally anything. A lot of people think that just because you may spend your summer working or volunteering, you do not have time for anything else. Now that is loud and wrong. You have to find something you like to do, or else all your free time will be spent either tired after your 8 hour shift, doomscrolling on TikTok, or wasting away thinking about all the amazing things you could have done instead. Summer is the perfect time to learn how to have a life after work. So please pick up a pen, a notebook, a pottery wheel, and find what you enjoy. Finding a hobby in the summer can teach you the vital lesson of having fun by yourself, something that a lot of college students forget because they are constantly surrounded by people. This is a way of reminding yourself that you do not always have to be with a large group of people to have fun, sometimes the fun is baking cookies at midnight, listening to lofi alone.
Step Number Three: Make A List
Okay, some may argue that this should have been step number one, but honestly, without the first two steps, this one ceases to exist. Summer, in my opinion, is a reformative time for many students. It is a time when your mind is not constantly worried about the next assignment. You do not have to re-check your calendar for the 1st time in 4 weeks and realize that you have an exam worth 40% of your grade the next day, and you have not attended class in a month (true story, but no worries, I secured that A+). It is the only time of the year, hopefully, that you are not plagued with stress at every turn. It gives you more time to think about what you would like to change in your life, what you want to let go of in the following semester, and overall making the change you have been saying you would make all year. It all begins with making a list of things you want to add and or take away from your life. Now, another crucial step: include your hobbies and nature time in your to-do list and plaster it everywhere. The more you see it, the more likely you are to take the first step in completing these goals. Make it your lock screen, hang it on a wall, do anything to ensure that you see this list on a day to day basis and actively cross things off. By the end of the summer, you will have a beautifully marked-up list and a whole summer rebrand completed.
Step Number Four: Get Up
Now I can tell you to do all wonderful, lovely things to have a wonderful, lovely summer, but in actuality, you have to get up and do it. A lot of students fail to utilize their summer because they lack the motivation to complete the things they set out to do. Now, while we all suffer from this, it does not take away from the fact that no one is going to make you do anything. It is up to you to secure that summer internship or job, hit that gym regularly or get a head start on studying for the upcoming semester. It is up to you to remember that while you lack motivation, you do not lack determination. So get up and mark up your to-do list and ensure you, small town himbo bimbo nowhere land inhabitant, have the best summer ever.