School’s out for summer! Summer break is fast approaching, full of sunshine, long days, and no homework in sight! While the summer season is often filled with loads of activities and plans, a break from school also presents a great opportunity for healing, growth, and intentional rest. By utilizing the 3 R’s — Rest, Recharge, Rewire — you can make the most of your summer vacation, returning to school in the fall feeling refreshed and ready for success!
Rest – Permission to Pause
After months of classes, exams, and extracurriculars, it’s normal to feel mental fatigue and even physical exhaustion. The summer break offers a great time to rest your mind and your body. By prioritizing rest, you can find yourself more relaxed and refreshed in your day-to-day. Ways to integrate rest into your day include:
Let Go of Guilt: Work to reduce the guilt many of us feel from “doing nothing.” You don’t need to optimize every hour or be productive all day. Give yourself grace and remember that being bored and doing nothing can often result in having more creativity and energy.
Prioritize Quality Sleep: There’s so much to do in the summer, it’s easy to stay up late and get up early. However, if you’re feeling fatigued, give yourself an earlier bedtime or let yourself sleep in the next day. Even if you can’t do it every day, a few hours of extra sleep can give you more energy and pep to take on the rest of your day.
“Prioritizing rest is essential to reducing the risk of burnout,” wrote Michele Muff, a therapist with Acenda’s Counseling and Wellness Center. “One effective way to do this is by intentionally scheduling downtime to engage in relaxing activities. Be mindful not to overbook yourself — leaving openings in your schedule allows time to recharge and maintain balance.”
Remember that rest does not equate to laziness; it is an important part of feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next big thing in your life.
Recharge – Reconnect with What Fills You Up
Taking time to recharge your batteries during the summer is crucial to feeling like yourself. Recharging looks different for everyone, but the essence of it is to engage with people and activities that bring you energy and joy. This could involve running, painting, reading, singing — anything that makes you feel like you. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out our suggestions below:
Revisit Old Hobbies: It can be hard to find time for activities you love when you’re swamped with classes, extracurriculars, and assignments. The summer is a great time to get back in touch with your creative side, reengaging with hobbies that you haven’t picked up in a while. Whether you restart an old crochet piece, pull out your oil paints again, or begin that woodworking project you’ve had in mind, getting in touch with your old hobbies is a great way to recharge.
Reconnect with Friends: Making time for friends can take a back burner during the school year, causing you to lose touch with those who keep you grounded and in good spirits. Now that you have the summer, it’s a great time check in with the friends you haven’t seen in a while. You can go to the beach, watch a movie at home, or even go on a weekend trip. Whatever you choose to do, make it something that will allow you to reconnect with your friends, strengthening your support system and relationships for the upcoming school year.
Get Outside: It can be easy to spend every moment of the school year in the library, classroom, laboratory, or your dorm room. Now that you have more free time and the weather’s improved, why not head outside? Sunshine and fresh air are phenomenal for clearing your head and recharging your batteries. You can be ambitious and try out a hike in your area, or you could chill in a local park or your backyard. Either way, you’ll find that the sun on your face can do wonders for your mental wellbeing and energy.
Rewire – Use the Space to Build Healthier Habits
With fewer demands and tasks to attend to throughout the summer, it’s as good a time as any to break your old habits and start up healthy new ones. You have more flexibility in your schedule, allowing you to make an effort to rewire your mindset and establish a routine that supports your mental wellbeing.
“While summer often brings a welcomed break from hectic schedules, it's still important to maintain a healthy daily routine and consistent sleep habits,” Muff wrote. “This season can be a great opportunity to develop a self-care plan in preparation for the upcoming school year. Self-care might include regular exercise, engaging in enjoyable hobbies, keeping a gratitude journal, setting aside time for quiet reflection, and practicing mindfulness.”
Based on Muff’s recommendations, here are some habits to try incorporating into you day-to-day this summer:
Exercise: Getting outside is a gift to your mental wellbeing, allowing you to clear your head and focus on a physical task, especially after a mentally taxing school year. You could go all in and head to the gym every day or start small with a short walk after dinner — either way, your mind and body will thank you.
Journaling: Try releasing your mental weight and stress by writing your thoughts and emotions in a journal. According to Acenda’s “Discovering the Power of Journaling: A Beginner’s Guide,” finding the style of journaling that suits you is key to making the practice a part of your routine. Do you prefer to catalogue your day and thoughts? Or freely spill whatever comes to mind? Or maybe use structured prompts and guides? Experimenting with journaling can help you get to know yourself better as you reflect on your thoughts and actions.
Quiet Reflection: The modern world is full of people, objects, and media striving for your attention. The American Psychological Association wrote that “media saturation overload” can cause “emotional distress.” While it can be difficult to step away from the notifications, taking one hour to sit outside with a book or go for a walk without music won’t put you behind the times. Prioritizing time away from your phone and computer, time for quiet reflection, you may find yourself embracing calm and a more peaceful mindset.
“Limiting social media use and screen time can help support that balance,” Muff wrote. “Social media often contributes to fear of missing out (FOMO), which can lead to increased anxiety and burnout. Make time throughout the day to unplug from social media, email, and other electronic communications.”
You don’t always need to incorporate entire activities into your schedule to rewire your brain. Something as simple as a habit shift, like making your bed every morning or straightening your room every night, can make a huge difference in your mental health. These small changes can help you to maintain a healthy headspace as you head toward fall and dive back into school.
Balancing the Three R’s
Resting, recharging, and rewiring all are important steps in making the most of your summer in terms of your healing and growth. However, you don’t need to focus on each part equally. By listening to your mind and body, you can determine how much time you should dedicate to each step to best serve your lifestyle. While you may need lots of rest to recover after the school year, another person may need to prioritize rewiring their routine to gain better structure in their life. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to utilize the three R’s. As long as you embrace growth and intentional choices this summer, you’ll be sure to come out the other side feeling your best for the fall!
Conclusion
The summertime can be more than just a break from assignments and exams; it can be an opportunity for bolstering your mental health and setting yourself up for success moving forward.
“With so many fun summer activities to enjoy, maintaining a balance with rest and routine is important,” Muff wrote.
As we enter the summer season, check in with yourself and what your mind needs: do you need more rest? Perhaps some time to recharge? A chance to rewire your routine? Make the most of your summer break by refreshing your mind and mental wellbeing in preparation for the fall.
Seeking professional guidance on maintaining your mental wellness this summer break? Check out Acenda's Counseling and Wellness Center!
Contributor Spotlight
Michelle Muff is a therapist with Acenda’s Counseling & Wellness Center. She began working with the agency as an intern in 2008, providing in-home counseling. She then transitioned into other programs, including the group home, Family Connections, and school-based counseling. Since 2012, Muff has worked for the Counseling Wellness Center Gloucester (CWCG) as an outpatient therapist, working with various populations and ages over the years. Muff graduated from Stockton College in 2007 with a BA in psychology and from Georgian Court University in 2009 with a MA in Community Counseling.
About the Author
Riley de Jong, Communications Strategist at Acenda, attended the University of California – Los Angeles for her undergraduate degree in Communication and minor in Entrepreneurship. She enjoys supporting her community, telling engaging stories, and connecting with others.
Sources
Media overload is hurting our mental health. Here are ways to manage headline stress - APA
The 7 Kinds of Rest You Need to Actually Feel Rejuvenated - Psychology Today
The Benefits of Resting and How to Unplug in a Busy World - Forbes