How I Beat The Summertime Blues

For some people, summer is the best part of the year. They have no obligations, no worries, and they can just kick back and chill out until the start of the new school term. However, for me, summer vacation means a never-ending tedium of work, boredom and isolation.

Despite these things, there are still a few things about the multiple month break that I still do enjoy. So grab your swimming suit and dive into the things I enjoy about the summer season.

1. I can read 40+ books over the few month period.

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Of course I will start my list with this, because it is definitely a perk of the summer sun. No matter where I go over the summer, whether it is the trip to work, grocery shopping with the family, or just sitting at home, there is almost always a book in my hand in the months of May-August. There is no denying it; using literature to escape the summer sun has been and will always be my favorite part of the respite from the stressful college atmosphere.

2. Swimming!

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There's just something about diving into a pool of clear, blue water. Sure, it might be that it cools me off from the sizzling summer rays, but as soon as I hit that water, my spirits seem to lift instantly. It's even better when the family and I hit the waves at the local water park, complete with huge water slides that offer an epic, albeit terrifying, way to spend the time.

3. The summertime snacks

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Nothing spells summer like finishing a dip in the pool immediately followed by munching on a Popsicle or other tasty frozen treat like ice cream bars or sandwiches. They will instantly cool you off in more ways than one, and ice cream is there to console you when no one else will! Seriously though, it's not summer without these delectable treats that bring you right back to your childhood. Other tasty snacks that for some reason only appear during this season include watermelon, fresh sweet corn and more.

4. Making spontaneous road trips to see the college squad.

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Road trips are the best, especially when they take you away from the mundane location of your childhood and to your college atmosphere for some well-needed socializing with your favorite group of people. If you're like me, you don't have a lot of people to hang out with back home, or you get tired of seeing the same old high school faces every single time you go out. That is where these practically unplanned road trips come in. You get an awesome jam-session and your sanity gets a well-needed revamp.

5. Counting down the days until the break is over so you actually feel like you're doing something with your life again.

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I absolutely love school. I love the atmosphere, the people, the classes. I just enjoy everything about it, and that's why summer is my least favorite part of the year. So when I get down and gloomy about how June and July feel like they are stretching into eternity, I take a page out of Harry Potter's book: I count down the days until it is time for me to go back to Hogwarts. I actually have the countdown on my phone, and I eagerly await the day when I can get away from the family for a while and continue living my own life.

Until then, at least I have books, pools and Popsicles to keep me sane.