How to spend the summer with pleasure and benefit: 10 tips

Sasha Savina

In the three summer months I want to do everything at once, but there is always the risk of getting lost in the abundance of plans and not getting enough of anything at all. We offer ten ideas that will help make the warm months more intense and interesting - so at the end of August you will not have to sigh with regret that the summer has passed by you.

Read books for which there was no time.

For many, with the onset of warm weather, it is easier to take serious books - so if you can’t get your hands on Ulysses, you want to freshen up the Karamaz Brothers or finally get down to Jonathan Franzen’s Purity, now is the time. You can set a goal to read a certain number of books by the first of September or arrange a book club with friends and exchange thoughts about what you read. The most conscious can, like at school, compile a list of literature for the summer - it will be much more pleasant to work out it purposefully in adulthood. In the end, many of us are exactly the way to imagine the perfect summer - sunny weather, a hammock and a good book in hand.

Work out in the fresh air

Summer is the ideal season to trade the gym for running along the embankments, yoga in the park and workout at the horizontal bars in the yard. Playing sports alone is not necessary - you can combine business with pleasure and play volleyball, badminton, tennis with friends or go for a drive on a rented bike around the city. Science in this case is on our side: research data shows that polluted urban air is not a hindrance to training and playing sports outside is useful, even if you live in a megacity, where the ecological situation leaves much to be desired. The main thing do not forget to drink enough water.

Adjust mode

It’s nice to wake up early as never before in the summer - is this not a reason to finally fix sleep patterns? You should try to get up at the same time, give up alcohol and invigorating drinks shortly before bedtime, opt for a light dinner and put aside the gadgets before you go to bed. You can also take care of suitable bedding: in the heat, many prefer silk, which does not heat up as fast as cotton or linen. During the holidays, too, do not forget: to return to the operating mode as painlessly as possible, it is better to take action in advance (for example, to stop going to bed at five in the morning and get up at three in the afternoon).

Relax outside the city

Over the years, we have less and less taken a trip to the dacha as a heavy duty and more and more as a good way to rest. If there is no opportunity to go to the country house, you should not despair: you can go out of town with your friends or parents for at least a few hours. It is not necessary to cook traditional kebabs (although this is a good idea) - instead, you can have a picnic, walk through the woods, swim in the river or lake. And, unlike the traditional trip to the country, you do not have to spend part of the weekend, weeding the beds and cutting the bushes - instead, you can have plenty to talk with each other.

Break home mini-garden

Another tip for those who do not have the opportunity to enjoy the advantages of country life. We strongly associate summer with fresh vegetables and fruits: if there are opportunities for crispy cucumbers torn straight from the country garden, no, you can break a mini-vegetable garden on a window sill or balcony. It is easiest to grow various types of greenery at home, although the Internet is full of tips on how to grow almost any vegetables and berries on the windowsill - however, in this case you will have to exert a little more effort and be prepared for the fact that nothing is the first time work out.

Learn something new

In the three summer months you can quite have time to learn something new - for example, enrolling in interesting courses, both online and traditional. The fact that in winter there is not enough energy or time, during the holidays, it will be possible to learn two times faster: so you have a chance not only to improve English, but also, for example, to become a forensic expert or understand Shakespeare. Summer, it seems, itself gives grounds for learning new things: for example, an abundance of seasonal fruits and berries is an excellent occasion to hone culinary skills and learn how to cook different types of jams and compotes using grandma's recipes. The main thing is to do what you are really interested in, rely on your strengths and not reproach yourself if it is not possible to find time for some classes.

Do domestic tourism

One of the most common tips on how to spend the summer in the city - look at the city where you live, through the eyes of a tourist: go to a museum or gallery and explore local attractions. An option that requires a little more effort is to go to the neighboring town for a weekend or visit a suburban estate. This way to spend the weekend is suitable for those who, due to reasons, cannot go on vacation to other countries. This option will cost less than a weekend in one of the European cities, and the experience with the right mood will be no less: if you prepare for the trip in advance, you can find really interesting places nearby.

Get a new hobby

If you don’t want to spend the summer evenings on avidly watching recently released TV shows, you should think about a new hobby. There are lots of options, and most of them do not require serious investments: you can, for example, watch birds, like at school, collect a herbarium, take pictures (even on a smartphone), draw, knit, engage in scrapbooking, study constellations or sew. Each of these actions has a meditative effect and helps to relax after a long day of work. Good weather in this case is not an obstacle: nothing prevents you from sitting in the park with your easel.

Watch a movie and listen to music in the fresh air

In the summer, I want to spend as much time as possible outside the home - so the cultural program should also be moved to the street. To combine business with pleasure, you can go to one of the many music festivals and street concerts, film screenings that are held in large parks, or theatrical performances in the fresh air. The main thing is not to forget to dress according to the weather, take a raincoat in case of a rainstorm, a jacket for cool weather and use the sanskrin in the heat.

Do nothing and truly relax

Perhaps the only advice that does not require additional explanation. In order to have a good vacation, it is not necessary to plan every free minute - sometimes it is useful to just relax and allow yourself to forget matters for a while. We all need timeouts from time to time to reboot, and in the end, when else, if not in the summer, do idleness?