Think you wasted your summer vacation, you're not alone! If you're like me you probably feel like you squandered your summer vacation. If you didn't do something fun or accomplish a major goal then you didn't have a vacation.

But there's still time to make your vacation a positive and rewarding experience. We have about a month before fall classes start back again, so depending on your goals these 5 things will help you feel recharged when you start the fall semester.

Explore a new place that's outdoors, like the beach or a park that's full of greenery.

Blue and green colors are supposed to be good for the mood and being outdoors is definitely uplifting. In addition wide open spaces are good for the mind and vision. I find looking at the horizon helpful for meditation and thinking as well. To make it worthwhile, try to go several times or stay for a few weekends. This will really help if you stress easily or are feeling a little depressed.

Get some homework out of the way or prepare for an upcoming difficult class.

It's tempting to do nothing academic when you're on vacation, because it's a vacation! But that will only make your life very difficult once school starts back again. You'll be under a lot more stress as well. So take this opportunity, when you're not under a time crunch and all the stresses of class are away, to take care of some of the homework you missed or prepare for that tough class you'll be taking next semester. A little practice will help you prepare and not be taken by surprise and find yourself jumping cold turkey into the unknown.

Use this time to start accomplishing a long term goal bit by bit.

If you have a goal that you feel is too big to complete in the time you have, start chipping away at it. You don't have to complete everything at once, but gradually working toward it is still progress. Setting aside an hour or so every day to work toward your goal will not only be rewarding to you but you will be surprised at how much you will have accomplished in a month.

Take some off for yourself to do something you enjoy.

Each of us enjoys different things, what's fun for one person may not be for another. I don't want to dictate what you should do here, but do something that makes you feel happy. Give yourself the break you deserve! If you purposefully try to enjoy an activity and take time out for yourself you will feel rewarded. It's important for you to purposely do it in order to get the maximum benefit. When you do something that's fun and enjoyable you will feel refreshed and recharged when it comes time to return to school. You'll be able to face and overcome the challenges presented to you.

Learn a new skill or start on a good habit.

If you haven't set for yourself any goals it's not to late to do it now. I read that learning a new skill requires you to work on it daily for at least 40 minutes. That's actually not too bad in the grand scheme of things. There are many skills that you can get good tutorials about online and start working on them. Maybe you want to improve your photography taking skills, for example, get out every day and practice for 40 minutes. It doesn't matter what skill you're thinking of learning, find some instructions or tutorials online for it and start working on it for at least 40 minutes every day. Even learning a new language is a possibility with this method. Apps like Duolingo can help you get started. So what are you waiting for? It's about time you start now.

I hope you find some of these suggestions useful. Have a happy and rewarding summer vacation!