With another great summer slowly coming to an end, that means that the illness known as the "End of Summer Blues," is also rearing its ugly head. As a college student preparing to go back to school, while I am excited for another year, the end of summer can be very bittersweet. With friends preparing to go back to school and for some people going to school for the first time, it can be a lot take in all at once. Having experienced this before I have learned five ways that can improve the end of your summer and make the beginning of autumn better.
1. Get Back Into A Schedule
During the summer we tend to shut our brains off and live more carefree. It is understandable, given all the work we put in during the school year. But once summer begins to wind down, it is best to start getting back into a schedule early on, so when school rolls around it'll be easier to get back into the groove of things. Make time to go to the gym, make time for work or any other extracurricular activities. Most college students do better following an organized schedule. So it not only helps beat the end of summer blues, but it also makes you more prepared for school.
2. Socialize While You Still Can
The best part about summer is being able to do whatever you want without having to worry about school. The summertime is meant to be enjoyed and not spent alone. Go out and enjoy it!! Hang out with your friends before they all go back to school!! Call that friend you haven't seen all summer!! Go out with your family while you still can! Make as many summertime memories as you can before it is time to go back to school.
3. Get Excited For School
Although summer is winding down and no one looks forward to going to class, you should take this time to get excited for the fun memories you are going to make at school. College is not all about going to class and writing papers, it is also a chance to socialize with your fellow students and have fun. Call up your roommate(s) and make plans to ring in the new school year. Buy season tickets for your school's sporting events and give yourself something to be excited for. Hype yourself up to the point that you can't wait to go back to school. At that point you will be so excited for school that you'll forget all about your end of summer blues and will instead have the beginning of school joy.
4. Take Off Work
Most college students spend a majority of their summer working, while also finding time to have fun. We're college students and one of the things we need the most ... is money. While money allows us to have as much fun as possible, we cannot let work take over our whole summer. That's why I recommend taking the last few weeks of summer off of work and just use that time to relax and have fun. We all know we would rather spend our time at the beach than working in a drive thru window watching everyone go on their way to the beach. Work is important, don't get me wrong, but work should not consume our lives, otherwise we would never enjoy summer.
5. Enjoy Summer While You Still Can
Summer is the time for having fun and creating memories. It is the time you spend the last of your adolescence with those close to you before entering adulthood. Summer is not meant to be spent sitting around the house all day in boredom. It is meant to be out making memories. Make a random trip to the shore with some friends, go to the gym, make plans to go to a friends house, have a barbecue, anything!! Drive to your friend's house and surprise them with a random trip to the pool. The best part about summer is the memories we create with those close to us and all the crazy (and sometimes stupid) antics we get ourselves into. Summer memories are not going to create themselves, it is up to us to make them ourselves and we are certainly not going to make any memories sitting on our couch.
Summer is the time for fun and memories and when that time comes to an end, its bittersweet, but we cannot let the summer blues get to us. With school starting up soon, I hope that these tips help you enjoy the last of your summer and allow you to be happy going into the new school year.
