You know those days in the middle of the summer where you have nothing planned, no one is free and it鈥檚 almost too hot to function? While lazing around sounds tempting and is a valid option, consider spicing up your routine with a fun, fresh activity!
Read!
Oprah does it, Emma Chamberlain does it, everybody鈥檚 doing it鈥攔eading. Who would鈥檝e thought that the hot new trend this summer would be the very thing we dread most during the school year?
There is an endless library of content to choose from, pun intended, and genres that cater to every interest under the sun, no matter how specific. Interested in trailblazing women and history? Pick up 鈥淪quare Haunting,鈥 by Francesca Wade, a biopic of five women writers living in Mecklenburgh Square in London between the two World Wars. Like action-packed stories that fit the trope of 鈥渆nemies to lovers鈥 while also including fantastical elements? Pick up 鈥淪ix of Crows,鈥 by Leigh Bardugo, a name that should sound familiar to fans of Netflix鈥檚 newest series, Shadow and Bone.
Reading never been your thing? Listen to an audiobook with a service like Audible or borrow one from your local library鈥檚 collection. Don鈥檛 forget to check out what you have access to through the 黑料不打烊 Libraries!
If you and your friends have been talking all year about having a 鈥渉ot girl summer,鈥 you heard it here first: hot people read books.
Swim!
Nothing hits quite like a dip in the pool during those hot and humid days in mid-July. Whatever you have access to 鈥 a personal pool, a community pool, a beach, a lake, a pond, a river, a sprinkler, a hose 鈥 refreshing your body refreshes your mind! If you鈥檙e finding yourself stuck in a midsummer slump, maybe what you need to wash away the boredom.
If you鈥檙e spending your summer in the Central New York area, check out one (or all) of the Finger Lakes, which all have public water access. Not in CNY? No problem. A quick Google search of 鈥渇ree swimming near me鈥 and take your pick. Bonus: you get to explore and could discover a hidden gem of a swimming spot!
Develop a new hobby!
No, hobbies were not just for the first phase of quarantine. If you developed master-level skills in banana bread-making last spring, consider expanding those baking skills to summertime sweets. Think homemade ice creams, fruit tarts and strawberry shortcakes.
Baking not your jam? There is an endless roster of activities for you to try. For example, anyone with a smartphone can pick up photography at any time. Other cost-effective summer hobbies include friendship bracelet-making, drawing, hiking, yoga and creative writing.
Explore!
The world is out there waiting to be discovered; even your hometown has some places you haven鈥檛 been or haven鈥檛 seen. If you want to become more adventurous but struggle with where to begin, don鈥檛 fret. An easy way to tap into your inner explorer is to change your mindset 鈥 be a tourist in your area!
Ask your friends, coworkers, neighbors and family members where their favorite places to go are, then go there. Eat at the restaurant you鈥檝e always noticed but passed by for your familiar favorites. It鈥檚 simple. Once you decide that your life and your surroundings are interesting, they are.
The opportunities are endless, but the summer is not. It鈥檚 worth it to get outside and experience all that the summer has to offer. That being said, don鈥檛 feel pressured to do something every day. Rest is equally important as entertainment.
As a wise duo once said: 鈥淭here鈥檚 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it.鈥 Spend it well.
Written by Cecelia Kersten 鈥23, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications