Summer break is in sight. You’re probably eager to get in some serious decompressing and much-needed R&R.
But after all the cognitive-skill strengthening you’ve done this year, no need to backslide into total complacency. Try a few of the following enjoyable activities to keep your mind sharp over the summer. That way, it won’t feel like you’re starting over from scratch when fall semester rolls around.
1) Read for pure pleasure
Now that all the required content is behind you, pull out that newly released sci-fi thriller or classic romance novel that’s gathered dust all year. While you can use an e-reader or Kindle app for on-the-go convenience, nothing beats holding a book in your hands while you veg on the couch. You don’t have to read Dickens or Chaucer to keep you brain sharp, either. Pick up an easy read from the fiction or young adult section and just get lost somewhere.
If books feel too overwhelming, challenge yourself with a daily article read. Choose publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, The Atlantic, or The Wall Street Journal.
2) Volunteer in your community
Getting involved in a local cause you’re passionate about is a great way to contribute to others. You benefit from the chance to sharpen your organizational and leadership skills. Additionally, a track record of community involvement on your resume is impressive to graduate schools and prospective employers.
3) Secure an internship or job shadow
Get some real-world, on-the-job experience that’s in line with your major. If you can’t score an internship, spend a few hours job shadowing someone in the field or position you are most interested in. It’s a great way to know if the career you're pursuing is truly as rewarding as you imagine it will be. If you discover it’s not what you thought, you’ve got time to change your course of study.
4) Listen to high-quality podcasts
Daily news, international news, politics, interviews, and the justice system are just a few of the podcast topics you can choose from. Check out Digital Trend’s list of best podcasts of 2019 for inspiration. However, if you have more specific interests, search for them in Spotify or your device’s podcast app and you might be surprised by the selection of interest-based podcast shows out there.
5) Watch smart entertainment
Along with your favorite TV sitcoms and cheesy crime series, stream some mind-enhancing material. Historical and biographical documentaries entertain while they educate. YouTube is also a great resource for learning a little extra too. Whether it be topic-based or a general interest video like the TedTalk videos, you are sure to enjoy this enhancing entertainment.
6) Learn a language
If you’ve toyed with the idea of learning to speak French, Spanish, Russian, or Mandarin, now’s the perfect time to make a start. It can have a great spillover benefit for the remainder of your college time and in the workplace.
Brain researchers “found that young adults proficient in two languages performed better on attention tests and had better concentration than those who spoke only one language, irrespective of whether they had learned that second language during infancy, childhood or their teen years,” reports Live Science.
7) Write creatively
Now that you’re free from obligatory assignments and mentally taxing research papers, flex your creative muscles. Write poetry or short stories. If you’re a musician, get serious about writing down those song lyrics always floating around in your head. No need to get in depth, but a little free writing for a few minutes a day can help you be creative and entertained, too.
8) Travel outside your comfort zone
Adopt the spirit of adventure this summer. Make it your goal to visit an unfamiliar place once every week or two. Even if it’s just a park you’ve never been to, exposing your brain to unfamiliar stimuli can help keep it alert.
Even better if your summertime day trip involves a cultural outing, such as visiting an art, science, or history museum. Peruse the exhibits and enjoy the refreshing air conditioning.
9) Attend live performances
Does your hometown have a symphony or ballet? A summer concerts on the lawn series? Maybe there’s just a small local theater group that needs more bodies to fill the audience.
Getting out of the house to attend a live event forces you to socialize and network, which helps you keep your people skills fresh. You also enjoy a multisensory experience that stimulates your brain and enhances positive feelings.
10) Spend time outside whenever possible
The powerful benefits of time spent in nature combined with physical exercise are undeniable. Florence Williams’ great piece for National Geographic highlights several scientific studies showing the effect that time spent in green places has on happiness, health, and cognition. Play outside with your younger siblings or pet, or just take your normal activities outside.
If “a 50-minute walk in an arboretum improved executive attention skills, such as short-term memory, while walking along a city street did not,” imagine what a mountain bike ride through a forest can do. Perhaps a swim in your state park’s lake or a leisurely hike through a wildflower meadow is more your speed.
No matter how you prefer to interact with nature, just be sure you do it liberally over your break. It’s one very pleasurable way to prevent your well-deserved summer downtime from turning into mind-dulling time.
If you’d like to learn more about a biblically based, Christ-centered education at Geneva, we’d love to chat with you. For more information on how Geneva College can help you pursue your education goals, please phone us at 855-979-5563 or email web@geneva.edu.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
May 29, 2019
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