For most, summer is the perfect time to recoup and truly enjoy what surrounds you in life. It’s a time to catch up on sleep, get in some extra work hours for some nice extra cash, try things you might not have had time to do during the school year, see old friends, spend time at home just to relax, or anything else that you might finally have the opportunity to pursue deeper than you could have during the busy semesters.
A few things I’ve come to realize that have helped me immensely enjoy summer more are the following five below. They might seem simple, but they make big changes…
1. Get outside and run.
I might be bias since I run for Seton Hall’s cross country team, but NOTHING wakes you up or makes you feel more accomplished than getting your body moving outside in the summer. I don’t care whether it’s 7 in the morning or 7 at night, but there is something so refreshing about those endorphins after a summer workout in the sunlight or evening coolness. Whatever it is you are doing, whether yoga on the porch, running on the pavement, cycling in a park, skipping rope in your driveway…get your body moving outside on a summer day. It might be hard at first, but the results and post-workout feelings will always bring you back for more.
2. Turn off your phone.
Really, just turn it off. I know it’s hard in this day and age to just put down the phone without having those compulsive feelings to scroll through every form of social media there is over and over, but really…turn it off, put it out of your sight, and just pay attention to what is around you. As much as I love technology and social media, nothing disappoints me more than the fact that we miss out on so much of life because we are too busy looking at a screen that can wait until later. Make it a priority to turn it off even just for 10 minutes a day.
3. Go for a walk during “the golden hour."
I define the golden hour as that hour in the summer, usually between 6:30 – 8 p.m. when the sun is just starting to set, everything gets golden, and the environment just seems totally captivating and magical. I usually go for walks at this time with my family around the block. And combined with #2, not taking your phone, it truly is something so simple but so beautiful and is a great end to your day.
4. Wake up extra early and just be (A.K.A meditate).
This one is self-explanatory. Waking up early can be difficult, just like #1, but the results are so rewarding. There is something truly, truly special about waking up in the early morning and watching the world wake up with you.
5. Paint
Or do something that wakes up your creative side! It’s not childish, it’s not silly, it’s relaxing and therapeutic. Paint, draw, write, sing, dance…you won’t regret it, ever.
