Make the Most of Your Summer

By: Kelsey Lyon

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER! We are in the midst of the best three months of every student’s year–the time when they don’t have to worry about how much schoolwork they have to do, the endless hours of cramming that they will have to put in for that test coming up, or getting up for that 8:00 AM class they wished they hadn’t signed up for.

Whether you are a pre-medical student working towards getting into medical school or a medical student working towards getting into your ideal residency program we must remember to take some time for ourselves. We must remember that sometimes stepping away from all things school related is the best thing that we can do for ourselves. So what better time to practice this mantra than right now, during the summer! The days are warm and nature is calling your name. So put down your books, grab your sunglasses, give yourself some “me” time and go make the most of the few months of freedom from school that you are given.

So used to having your nose in a book or being holed up in the library that you can’t even remember how to have fun or relax? Never fear, here is a list of suggestions on how to make the most of your summer while you still can.

1. Channel your inner child – go play a pickup game of your favorite sport, hit the waterpark and go down the biggest slide there is, take your dog to the dog park for a game of fetch, play a board game
2. Enjoy nature – have a picnic, go camping, go on a hike, go to a drive-in movie, start a garden, have a BBQ, watch the sunrise or sunset
3. Enjoy the water – put on your bathing suit and go to the local pool, live near water, then enjoy a day at the beach/lake/river. Grab your fishing pole and go catch some fish,
4. Do something you haven’t done in a while – go to the movies, read a book for pleasure, ladies – go to the salon and treat yourself to a new hairdo/manicure/pedicure, watch that season of your favorite show on Netflix that you’ve been wanting to start but haven’t had the time to, go to a concert, go to a baseball game,
5. Learn something new- take up a new hobby that you have been wanting to try but haven’t had the time to.

How will you make the most of your summer vacation?

Kelsey Lyon is an OMS II at Ohio University-Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is also the Student Wellness Coordinator serving on AMSA’s Trainee Wellness and Professionalism Committe.