1. Recognize and reduce the effects of stress:
Although most people find summer to be a comfortable time, it can also be stressful. Many people are away on vacation, which is fun; but by the end of the day, you're tired. At school all year long there's always something due next week or even tomorrow that makes life difficult. The apartment may not be air-conditioned (or has an extremely weak one), it might be too hot to go outside at all, and you'd give anything for some relief from the heat. Your summer job ends up resulting in more work than you anticipated, or maybe your boss is completely unreasonable. These things can make you feel like everything's falling apart-but they aren't threats to your survival so there's no need to panic. There are a few things you can do to help your stress, and I list them below.
2. Break routines:
A big part of feeling stressed is having a routine that gets completely disrupted by circumstances beyond your control. Once you start college, there's a good chance that the way you spent summer vacation will never happen again-so enjoy it while it lasts! Instead of going out every weekend, as usual, try staying in for once and just hanging around with friends. You might find yourself having fun doing something simple like watching TV or playing board games, which would have been unthinkable before break started. Vacations are another big factor in breaking up routines-you probably don't spend years getting excited about the same few things anymore. If you do, try to work it out so most of your summer is spent doing something new and different every day-you might be surprised at how much fun that can be!
3. Don't anticipate problems:
Nothing's more stressful than worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. Although the majority of my article has been devoted to warning you about potential sources of stress, there are some good things worth anticipating as well. For example, what school supplies will you need for classes? How far is the library from where you live? When are the days when all your favorite stores restock their shelves with awesome new stuff? By figuring out what makes you happy before it happens, you make sure that summer goes by smoothly without any unnecessary worries.
4. Listen to music:
There are a lot of times in life when you need a little background noise, and summer break is one of them! Whether you're at the beach, sitting in a park, or just hanging out with friends, having something playing in the background adds another dimension to your experience that's hard to explain. It's a key part of feeling relaxed during outdoor activities because it helps block out annoying sounds from your surroundings-like people talking over each other, gum cracking, or loud cars driving by. This idea can be extended much further than music-it's important to add pleasant things to any situation where possible. For example, if you're going outside but don't have sunscreen on, adding some will take your mind off the temperature. If you feel like people are staring at you, have sunglasses to hide behind so they can't see your eyes. Doing these things may seem small in comparison to what causes them, but even little details can make a big difference in how well you handle stress.
5. Accept help from others:
It's impossible for anyone to do everything alone, which means that someone is always going to want or need something from another person. This isn't necessarily bad-in fact, it's completely natural and happens all the time without either party thinking anything of it. However, there are times when one friend does far more for another than they should have to. For example, if someone asks you about five times per day whether or not you've started your homework and you haven't even looked at the syllabus, it might be time to consider finding someone else who can help. It's unfair to expect one person to do everything for everyone else, so listen when they offer and let them get on with their lives.
6. Take care of yourself:
When I was younger, my mom said that if she ever told me she needed a break from looking after me, I should take it seriously. She wanted to know that I wouldn't panic or get upset if she left the room for a couple of minutes because she needed some time alone. Although this idea sounds like common sense now, it wasn't back then-she had to make sure that I'd listen before she started doing it. So, if someone says they need to take some time for themselves, don't freak out or think that they don't love you anymore. It's not uncommon for people to feel like they have to look after everyone else before they can do something for themselves, but this is one of those times were giving yourself a break does make sense!
7. Focus on the present:
It makes no sense to worry about things that haven't happened yet or will never happen. At one point or another, most people spend time thinking about their future and imagining what it'll be like when certain events come true-like graduating from high school with straight As, getting into the college of your dreams, meeting your future spouse, becoming famous or whatever else you can think of. Although these things sound interesting or fun, they're not worth getting stressed out over! There's a good chance that you'll change your mind about lots of them by the time they happen, and even if you don't, there's no way to know how everything will turn out. The best thing to do is try to live in the moment as much as possible-enjoy right now instead of worrying about what could be.
8. Keep yourself busy:
Every day has 24 hours because it takes 1 hour for every 60 minutes. If someone tells me that I have nothing going on for a certain period, my usual reaction is that I should probably resign from society because I'm doing nothing with my life. As weird as it sounds, this isn't an exaggeration-literally nothing happens if you don't do anything at all, and that includes having fun! If you're not busy with work or school, try to think of ways to occupy yourself for a little while. Whether it's watching TV, reading manga, or playing video games, adding some sort of entertainment into your day is the only way to ensure that you won't go insane!
9. Look after others:
It can be tempting to focus on helping people who need our help because they ask us directly, but sometimes we should consider giving something else a chance. For example, maybe someone needs help studying for finals so they can pass their classes, but other students need help with the same subject matter. In this scenario, it would make sense to spend your time helping kids you don't know as well because they'll benefit from your help more than the first one will. Even if someone is a friend of yours, it's never a bad idea to try to spread yourself around a little-feel free to give back to the community and let others handle their own problems!
