This summer I did absolutely nothing. Many of my days were spent purely just watching Netflix and eating a meal every two hours. I did of course do some things. I worked a few hours each day and saw my family and a few friends, but I didn’t travel anywhere; I didn’t have a cute summer fling; and I didn’t do anything notable. But in my downtime, I did learn a few important lessons.
1. It’s okay to have some alone time.
This summer I spent a lot of time just focusing on myself. I evaluated what I wanted to do with my future, and I could reflect on what changes I needed to make before the upcoming school year. Although I’m still trying to figure it out, I did learn more about myself and who I want to become.
2. Appreciate the people who you do see.
Because I rarely left my room, when I did see people, it was usually my close family or close friends. I learned to appreciate them more and got to know them better than I did before. I treasure the time that I do get to spend with my family and feel confident with the friendships that I maintained from my hometown. I feel closer to my family and friends even though we are thousands of miles apart because I got to spend quality, not quantity, time with them this summer.
3. Relax!
After a year’s worth of hard work, you deserve a break. You deserve a chance to treat yourself. Whether that’s staying in bed all day, taking a bath, eating all the junk food, or letting loose with some friends, take a moment to just unwind. Doing nothing allowed me to appreciate the simple act of doing nothing and let me relax more than my normal schedule permits.
4. Not everything has to be a crazy adventure.
As an avid reader, I often expect my life to be just as adventure filled as the lives of Alice or Katniss. However, I learned that it’s okay to just live a normal life. It’s okay if the most exciting story I have about my summer is eating a whole pint of ice cream in under 10 minutes.