You did it. You survived finals week. You made it to the sweet, sweet, escape of summer. Yay!
Before we dive into the pools, take trips to the coasts, and work on making up our sleep deficit, however, I think we should take a moment and collectively make ourselves a promise:
A promise not to put unfair pressure on ourselves to magically "heal" over the summer.
While there's something to be said in the "natural" relaxing qualities of summer: the reduction of schoolwork, longer days, and more time with friends and family, there's also something to be said about how we try and force ourselves to completely melt into happier, less stressed versions of ourselves.
The habits we've built over the semester and school year don't just magically wash away once we take that first, second, or even tenth swim. We've been running an intellectually, physically, and emotionally draining marathon for the past few months. Recovery from the levels and length of work we've been putting in doesn't just happen overnight. Some of the most natural and effective means of lowering cortisol ("stress hormone") levels take time.
I guess what I'm getting at is, let yourself take a break, but don't expect summer itself to be a cure for the obstacles you faced during the year. In these first few days, try and check in with your mind and your body. What do you need? What do you want?
Despite what everyone else is doing and posting about on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, there is no "right" way to "do" summer. We spend nearly nine months of the year focusing on ways to complete tasks and secure objectives for other people, but now is your time for yourself!
Taking care of yourself can take a lot of forms, all of which are valid. For some, it means creating a solid routine, finding ways to stay busy, make money, or earn college credit as you take your R&R. For others, it means physically getting out of town, spending days reading or painting, and thoroughly unplugging from social media.
Whatever combination of work, play, and sleep you want to cobble together in your months off, know that it is all you could be expected to do. There are no invalid ways to spend the summer, unless they're harmful to yourself. Abandon the to-do lists and don't try to make summer something most stressful than it needs to be.
Listen to what you need and just go from there.
