6 Ways To Unplug This Summer
Each year, I’m sitting in school around finals time and I make myself all these promises about how I’m going to relax over summer. I promise myself I’ll do yoga before bed. I’ll schedule a massage for myself when I get home. I’ll take an entire weekend and go to the beach.
…Aaaand as soon as I unpack and settle in, I begin to overload myself. #TypeAProblems. The past couple weeks have been busy and I’ve been filling each day with to-dos. I love summers because I have so much more free time without school to devote to blogging, hanging out with friends, completing tasks I’ve been putting off all school year (*cough, cough* wisdom teeth removal…ugh) and so on. However, it tends to weigh on me from time to time and I forget to breathe!
Are you like this, too?
I read a great post by one of my favorite bloggers, Jess at the Golden Girl Blog, where she laid out 5 things she wanted to do for herself that month. It inspired me to start thinking back to those things I promised myself I would do when I got on summer break. After all, it’s important to give yourself grace and rest with each passing day. If you’re spending all your time working, thinking about what you need to get done, and putting more and more on your plate, you’ll only feel tired and frustrated.
Let’s unplug and take time for ourselves this summer!
Plan a day trip
When I was younger, I loved when my family would take an entire day to get out of town and go have fun in a new place. The best part is that taking a day trip doesn’t need to require a long car ride or hotel reservations! I like to plan a day to go shopping downtown. Wake up in time to make yourself a delicious breakfast (or grab a McDonald’s mcmuffin… #nojudgement), get all dolled up, head to the mall, shop till you drop, break for lunch, shop some more, grab some fro yo, take some Instagram pics, and then head home!
Bonus points if you leave your phone in your purse for most of the trip 🙂 Have fun with your significant other or gal pals!
Turn off your laptop at 6 pm
I’m gonna be completely honest….I initially wrote 5 pm, but as I’m writing this it’s 5:02! Haha – better push it back an hour, so I don’t break my own rule!
But yeah, I’m the worst about working late. If I have 5 minutes to get on my laptop before heading out on a date or going to run an errand, I will. And sometimes, that’s not being productive – that’s doing too much…and it’s not always fair to the people that would rather have your attention. Give your laptop a bedtime! I’m going to try to stick to my 6 pm rule for the rest of the summer. (The only exception is using it to watch Netflix before bed! Just turn the brightness down so you don’t keep yourself awake.)
Go swimming!
It sounds silly. Swimming? Really?
Yes! I can’t tell you the last time I went swimming. Sure I’ve sat in the shallow end and scrolled through Instagram, but that doesn’t count. Throw on your cute swimsuit (I’m swooning over this one!) and go be a mermaid. You can’t bring your phone in to do handstands in the deep end, so you’ll have to take a break.
Try meditating
Last spring, I tried to get into meditation. I really enjoyed it for a while and the only reason I really stopped was because I got busy….and also because I had to delete my meditation app off my phone because I was running out of space, haha! But seriously, the benefits of meditation are endless and you can be as serious as you want about it. You could grab crystals, play mood music, turn on a salt lamp, or just find a relaxing playlist to listen to for a few minutes.
Make breakfast
When your day starts out with a yummy, nutritious breakfast, you set yourself up to have a good day. Try to make something from scratch because that extra time spent working with your hands first thing in the morning will wake you up and make you feel more accomplished! I like making these two egg/one banana pancakes. Top with honey and blueberries and they’re to die for!
Call a friend
I’m a huge advocate of venting. 9 times out of 10 I feel SO much better when I call my mom, dad, boyfriend, or best friend and just tell them what’s troubling me. I think it’s good to do this weekly, even if you’re not dealing with a particularly stressful situation at the time. Calling your mom every Sunday and chatting for a bit about what’s to come in the next week can actually help you prioritize, prep, and set your intentions for the coming week’s activities.
How will you allow yourself to breathe and unplug this summer? Good luck with work, summer classes, internships, and making the best out of your summer!
X,
Cristina
