Last Minute Advice
Hey, there, students. Can I give you some last minute advice on how best to use and not abuse your summer?
1) Relax
I don't mean be lazy. Relaxing should be restorative, helping your body, mind, and spirit recover from the stress of school. Staying up till 1am may feel liberating, but it isn't relaxing. Similarly, staying in bed till 1pm may seem like the opposite of stress, but it actually damages your body and mind, leading to bad sleep habits, disrupted biological cycles, and even possibly to listlessness and depression.
You'd be better going to bed at a reasonable time, later than usual, maybe. I'm not crazy, but try to get into bed on the same day you woke up, i.e. before midnight. Then, try to get up between 7 and 8. You'd be surprised how much better you feel.
Of course, if you're still a bit sluggish, drink a good cup of coffee. But just one. Maybe two. But more than that and the caffeine ceases to be helpful.
2) Read
I'm serious. If you don't want to have a hard time in August, keep reading. Read a novel. Read a non-fiction book on a topic you find even kind of interesting. If you aren't a comfortable reader, read a book you re-read in school last year or even in junior high. Hit up To Kill a Mockingbird or And Then There Were None. Your brain will get a work out, but like a body that hasn't been in the gym in a while, it will be a light workout, starting with exercises you'd already mastered once. If you need helping finding a book, send me an email. I'd love to help.
3) Right
This is going to be tricky, but be "right" this summer. Don't do stupid things just because your friends think it will be fun. Chances are good that they'll be wrong.
And you will be too, if you go along with them. Don't wreck your fall and your future by being wrong this summer. Have fun, but do it in a right and respectful way.
I hope you have a great time. Stay safe, and I'll see you next year!
Schneider