Maintaining mental health over summer – Savannah Collis
We’re so close now to summer and we can almost taste the ice lollies and smell the suncream, however if you’re like me then you may feel inundated with lots of work to do over summer to make sure you don’t fall behind and hit the ground running in September. Summer is great, you have freedom and time to relax but you also tend to lose the structure and routine of your normal life over those 9 (or so) weeks. So how do you maintain good mental health over summer?
Take a break:
Over summer it is vital to take some time to rest and relax, particularly after the type of year we have all had. Taking a break is really important because it is great for you mentally and physically too. Going straight into summer working without much relaxation school may cause you to burn out and work ineffectively and less productively.
Balance:
Finding a good balance between rest and work is vital, it’s great to rest and take time but it is also detrimental to your studies to completely forget about your work. Try and maybe do a small amount every day or do a bit more on weekdays and have weekends off for example.
Organise:
Being a bit organised over summer can sometimes make you feel less stressed. I’m not saying keep a regimented diary for your whole summer start to finish but having some things planned to do such as days out can put you at ease and take the pressure off a little.
Spontaneity:
Contradictory to my above point, a bit of spontaneity never hurt anyone, this can add some excitement and enjoyment to your summer. I find that sometimes the best plans are the last minute ones. So say yes to that last minute invite to the beach or agree to that water balloon fight with your sibling.
Stimulate:
Try to keep your brain engaged over summer in other ways than just school work. A bit of intellectual stimulation can be really good for you, whether its doing a sudoko or playing along with The Chase. Otherwise you might find yourself forgetting how to spell dog by the end of summer if you dont exercise your brain at all.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is something i’ve written about before on the bubble along with other aspects of mental health. Mindfulness is a really important thing to have in your life and to practice. Take time to meditate, read, go on a walk, whatever it is that allows you to practice mindfulness. This is the final and probably most important point that has a direct link to mental health over summer.
For more on mindfulness see: http://bubble.royalhospitalschool.org/2021/02/25/the-importance-of-mindfulness-savannah-collis/
Essentially, make your mental health a priority over summer and take time for yourself. Relax and have fun this summer but also do some school work. Maybe take some time to read a bubble article or two over summer too!
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