It’s finally here. The lazy sunbathing days are among us. As our legs get to stretch out of desks and into the adventure of summer, the luxury of time is ready for spending. Finally, we have more time to do what we want (between summer jobs and other responsibilities). A lot of we college kids still find ourselves sitting in front of Netflix, glaring as the “Are you still watching?” question taunts us into reflecting how we spent the last three hours. Well, maybe Netflix has a good reason to ask, because it turns out that summer is a perfect opportunity to watch yourself.
Let’s face it -- the majority of our hot sunny days can be spent indoors indulging in the activities we dreamt of having time for during long lectures. Our friends give us encouraging laughing emojis when we admit to still being in pajamas past noon. Productivity is not an option here, only a chance to refill on snacks in preparation for an "OITNB" binge (guilty as charged). But what if we took a little of that time and redirected it to some self-improvement?
Summers can be boring, so why not spice it up with some change? Have you wanted to try a new hairstyle, or maybe sharpen some talents? Summer is your time for that. Ditch those magazine challenges -- those are regurgitated columns of encouragement for changes you didn’t know you wanted until they told you to. Take the time to reflect on your lifestyle, and if anything isn’t up to par, start thinking of ways to get the ball rolling towards positive change!
I’m not going to tell you what or how to improve. No summer is the same for each person; your schedule and energy is unique to you. It can be as small as making a new habit of cleaning the dishes more to completely reinventing a part of your life. And if cooking up ideas isn’t a strong suit, there is a throwback 2012 article that can point out 50 directions to start in.
Last summer, I fought against an anxiety disorder to become well enough for college. This summer, I continued my workout regime and splurged on self-care -- Netflix and healthy eating go hand in hand for this girl! People have returned from their sunshine vacations with fuller wallets, hearts, brains, or stories to tell. Let summer help change your life. It wants to do more than give you silly suntan lines!
