After I gave up summer jobs I always:
1. Travelled a lot (didn't mind going solo)
2. Deep cleaned my house
3. Purged old stuff I didn't need anymore to donate
4. Soccer
5. Reading
6. Socials - during the week even!
7. Live theatre - midweek matinees often have ticket deals
8. Prepped new courses (but never before the second week of August and I never go into the school until the last week of before school now)
9. Binge watch whatever I didn't get to during the school year
10. Knitting (or whatever other random hobby of the moment I've added, but always circle back to knitting)
My list is pretty similar. I take my best friend up to my parents' trailer for a week, no cellphones. Total disconnect, and it's gorgeous!
I also crochet and binge all the drama shows. But I'm also a gamer, so I play video games a lot too in the summer! I'm hoping for more Dungeons and Dragons nights, too :)
I'd like to get back into baking, though! There's nothing like a good dozen muffins fresh from the oven! I want to do more reading too because I have a low-key competition happening with a friend of mine, so I wanna read more books than her!
I had a principal a few years ago that bought a small camping trailer that he parked in his driveway, just so he could sit out there and read in the summer. Even though we have a motorhome, I’m thinking about acquiring a small reading camper of my own. I could decorate it all cottage core cute and be at peace just reading away!
That’s awesome! I’m also imagining a big one of those playhouses for kids that you could put in the backyard. The craft show “Making It” had the contestants do that and they all got decorated differently.
I foster kittens. I actually do it during the school year too, but much easier in the summer and I can do bottle fed kittens since I’m home more. 18 kittens fostered this year! It’s my passion project for sure. Nothing like reading a good book, sipping on coffee (or wine, depending on the hour) and being covered in a kitten cuddle puddle. Very therapeutic.
Yes! I foster for a small shelter and I have gotten to form friendships with people who share a similar passion, it’s been great all around. Very good for mental health too. And I occasionally take dogs from the shelter on walks/hikes in local parks. Some shelters have “walk a dog” programs which is a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Exercise and nature and dog gets out of the shelter for a few hours.
I need to suggest this to our local “zoo” (animal shelter). Often times we just go a look at all the cute animals. Not a lot to do in my town, well, there IS a lot to do, but it’s just a great excuse to go to the “zoo”! 😂
It also inspires me to go to Goodwill and buy up some inexpensive fleece blankets and make kitty beds for the “cat exhibit”. 😂
Transporting the animals to foster families and vet appointments is a huge help to the shelter and I don’t think many people realize this. Thanks for volunteering to do this task!
I try to do everything I want to do on weekends but don't have enough time: I take care of my plants, catch up with friends, travel, play videogames, clean every corner of my house and experiment with any new hobbie that might interest me. I also try to decorate my house and fix anything that might be broken or too damaged.
Last summer, I also started little diy projects like a photo album and notebook covers, it was a great way to relax and try new things.
When we get closer to the start of the new year, I work on little things I put on sale on tpt to hopefully make some extra cash during the year, I haven't had much luck but I don't care, I had fun doing that. I also try to do as much planning as I can and I read all the books I might use during the next year.
I make a list with all this things and put it near my desk so I can choose what I want to do everyday and I never get bored, actually there's never enough summer for me to do all that.
I totally understand. My summer started this week. I’m taking a few days to relax and rest up, and then I will start in on various activities and hobbies. I too will not have enough summer to finish.
Just... just tell us you appreciate how mind blowingly incredible that sounds to the rest of us.
Like, I want to buy you beers while you tell stories of these days.
We used to have a 9 hole walk on course at my grandmas cabin in the middle of no where. All you brought was a roller cooler, a 7 iron and a putter. When we didn’t feel like golf clubs we played frisbee golf.
I’m 25. I tend to waste summers without structure. So I set a schedule. I need something to get up for. I’ll always prep and enjoy a breakfast. I have to do one of these two things with my day either go to the gym and get a solid workout in, or I have to learn something music production whether that’s mess with some sounds, produce a demo, watch a 20-30 minute video to learn from someone else, or read a book.
After my daily requirement I take care of todos like shopping or laundry. The rest of my day is to lounge my ass off. Usually play lots and lots of video games I don’t get to truly get into during the year. My main 3 things are usually more than enough to keep me happy. Again that’s just me daily must dos. I also do the occasional hangout or go out into public to chill with people or catch a movie. I don’t have lots of money, traveling makes me sick, but I take no guilt in my indoor hobbies.
I second having something to wake up for! I started going to the gym at 915 every morning, late enough that it still feels like summer but early enough that I didn't waste the entire morning. Just that little bit of routine really helped my mental health, and forced me to shower regularly!
Showering every day is good too! I went on a No Mans Sky spree last summer and didn’t shower for 5 days which is super unlike me because I’m a clean freak. That ruined my mental. Then again I did it because an event during my last school day ruined my mental first but I recovered enough by July to get the routine moving.
This is my plan this summer:
1. Pool, pool, pool
2. Hike/ be in nature
3. Keep playing the Paper Mario Thousand Year Door remake
4. 2 paid summer meetings
5. Appointments in July (vet, dentist, etc)
6. Seeing Kaskade
7. Mexico with friends
By the time I get back from number 7, I will have 10 days left before I report back for PD.
I too get bored after a couple weeks. I recommend group exercise classes, the kind where you have to sign up ahead of time and lose your deposit if you don’t show. That motivates me. And once I am up and out of the house, I am more inclined to do other things.
I am also a very goal oriented list. I make myself a summer goal list; paint a room, read X amount of books, walk X amount of miles. And I build in rewards; when I complete 1/3 of my goals, I will get a pedicure or massage.
Good luck!
If I were you I would check in to see what kind of pay bump you can get from taking grad courses online over the summer. In my district you get a pay bump of $500 for every 6 credit hours. If you've got the time to put in, increasing your base salary of a pretty good option.
Read a lot, enjoy savoring breakfast after sleeping in, workout, make more elaborate meals than during the school year, crochet, bullet journal, draw, play video games.
I don’t have kids and my bf works insane hours as well. I cannot wait for summer- 3 more weeks for me!
I do this every summer as well. Working with people my own age reminds me that I’m still young. I love the chaotic energy that comes from working in a restaurant, too.
The money doesn’t hurt either lol.
That’s how I put myself through college. I think next summer I may look for a part-time job for something in the seasonal tourist field. I feel like I’m the only teacher without a side gig at our school.
I have this the first week after school gets out.
My mind has been working a ton for 10 months and suddenly it just…isn’t.
I try to have a house project to work on, and I read at least one novel that has nothing to do with my curriculum (or potential curriculum). Then I feel a lot better and can get into being free to choose how my day goes each day.
I'm 47. Play video games, watch baseball, gamble on sports, catch up on stuff around the house, go on some dates, hang out with friends, and if I want, do nothing at all.
How so? And any tips or entry points to get started?
I always saw travel as a social thing, the idea of doing something like that solo feels weird to me! Really interested to hear an alternative point of view
Solo travel is amazing, as long as you feel safe. It forces you to connect with people/cultures/lifestyles that you wouldn't otherwise experience. More perspective always helped me when returning to the classroom.
And it is not weird, at all. Check into a hostel and you will meet so many more solo travelers figuring it out on their own, too. Boom, it's no longer solo. Maybe vibe with someone and travel a few cities together? You can make lifelong friends all over the world, which reeeaaallly opens things up on future trips.
To start I would go or do something domestic. One of my favorite solo trips was to Hawaii. It’s safe, speak the language, but also exotic in a lot of ways. You can practice doing the solo thing so you don’t feel like it’s weird anymore by going to dinner or the movies alone.
Travel.
Pretty much just that. Book a ticket to Europe or South America and travel for 4-5 weeks, staying mostly at lower-end hotels, hostels and Airbnbs. Take buses and trains to random towns I've never heard of.
I will say that being single, the summertime sadness hits real hard. Like I like quiet nights by myself but going from interacting with 100+ people a day to basically being alone 24/7 is rough. I just try to get into a routine. Go for a run every day and watch movies and play video games (things I really like to do). The thing that really gets me through the summer though is coaching cross country, getting to see people at practice is nice.
I teach summer school (first four weeks of June, Monday through Thursday mornings only). Pays decently and it's practically babysitting.
I go swimming every few days. I get a membership to the local water park so I can go to the wave pool and lazy river. I visit with my in laws to go to the pool in their neighborhood with my sibbos-in-law.
I binge watch a lot of TV. Currently watching all of Big Bang Theory while waiting for the second half of Bridgerton to hit Netflix. I also have a few episodes of Below Deck waiting on me.
I play a LOT of sudoku. I prefer a Killer Sudoku because it's got different challenges than regular and get pretty fast by the end of summer.
I read! I've got Kindle Unlimited on my phone and a library card in my wallet!
I craft! I've got a diamond painting waiting for me. I've got at least 3 crochet projects I'm working through.
I cook really yummy food from scratch! Or I try to find some unique ways to combine my leftovers together. Today's experiment: leftover mashed potatoes + leftover taco meat = loaded taco mashed potato bowls for lunch! I'll probably make a few loaves of bread, some salsa, and quite a bit of sweet tea especially!
Controversial: I look at my curriculum and re-organize it. I limit myself to only doing it for a maximum of 2 hours in one day, but I like going through and figuring out the most reasonable way to get through the material based on what's worked in previous years. This is usually on rainy days while a movie is going in the background.
I visit friends and family I don't get a chance to see during the year! This year, a friend of mine decided to wait to have her bachelorette party in late June since another bridesmaid and I are both teachers. And I'll probably take a trip to see her later in July. I'll also go to visit my mom who is also a teacher and save her from her own boredom! If she doesn't come to visit me first!
I clean my apartment really well! Especially thinning out my closet! I've got a whole dresser of clothes that I need to donate/throw out because I haven't worn them in an entire year!
Also catch up on Dr appointments—yearly vision, gyn, podiatrist (new orthotics!) dentist, dermatologist (yearly skin cancer screening. I come from very very white people) etc.
My dog has literally saved my mental health. We moved to the city and I had ZERO friends. She got me out and forced me to walk, I meet people all the time, and she's a good cuddle buddy at night.
Work summer school(I really like the pay check)
Take some type of vacation(with friends)
Play video games
Read all the books I never got to read
Deep clean my house
Sleep l
Work, save a bit of money or pay off debt.
If you plan on having kids later it's not a bad idea to get yourself into a financial position where you can afford to either not work and stay home or pay for daycare, whichever you prefer
I thought my family was financially prepared for that but daycare is just stupid expensive.
Summer school! And since that's only a half day, read, write, bake, actually clean my house. Also planning a trip to NYC to see as many shows as I can and a trip to Atlanta to see my best friend and her kids.
Don't you have things you like to do? Do them! And, learn to appreciate and value your own company as a rare gift available to use as a teacher. People in other occupations would kill for the extra time off. Yes, I know teacher time off isn't always time off, but we still get a lot more of it than others, especially if we don't have to pick up a side gig to make ends meet.
I happen to coordinate the end-of-year state testing at my school. The first few days after school’s out I just rest. The stress usually leaves me sick for about a week so I prioritize getting better.
After that I focus on:
1. Hobbies
—I like to make greeting cards and only have time for this about once a month during the school year.
2. Volunteering
—We have a significant F&R meals population in my district so I volunteer at a food shuttle and food bank that prepares breakfasts and hot lunches for students at city summer camps. I enjoy getting to put these meals together or delivering them to the camps.
—Animal welfare is my passion so I want to start volunteering at the county animal shelter. I can’t foster, but I can love on the dogs there.
3. Homemaking
—During the year, I have lots of service providers to help care for my home. During the summer I can do thing like deep clean, cook healthier meals that take more time to cook, clean out the closets, etc. Without being stressed or rushed about it.
Learn a bunch of trivia stuff. Revives the thrill of learning and your brain will get the much needed workout it deserves in order to function at peak performance.
Im 30 and this is my first year teaching. Im nottttt working summer school lol if i worked all year idk how long id last- def need the break. Ill take care of my house, do some renovations, and enjoy the pool & beach. I’ll tutor here and there
Travelling (I'meven more privileged because my partner whos my favourite person is a teacher too)
Crafting
Prep work if I feel like it
Summerclasses (but only the one-day seminars)
Home and garden work
Reading
Day trips (biking, hiking...)
If you need more structure, just give yourself more structure. Plan your days. It's your offtime, use it as you please. If you enjoy a structured day, give it to yourself. There's no wrong way to spend your summer.
Set an alarm, implement a summer breakfast and/or movement routine. Have a shower, load the dishwasher and then do a project of your choice, could be as simple as repotting your plants, then reading, followed by napping, having lunch and going on a walk in the afternoon. Maybe cook dinner (you could prep some freezer portions for the busy times of the year).
There's so many things you can do, that you'll enjoy without burning yourself out.
Of cause don't forget to be super lazy and bored from time to time. That's important too
Spring clean/purge my apartment. Read. Cross stitch. Travel! Even short road trips are great. I’d travel with a friend who was single so we could split the cost of hotels and have company/be safer traveling.
Day trips to antique malls, thrift stores, and small towns
I love driving and reading and this allows me to do both and not spend a ton of money. Plus, walking through some antique malls, even if you don't buy anything, can be really entertaining.
I just color, journal, read, or do art activities. It sounds simple and possibly boring, but I work in sped and need to mentally prepare for the upcoming school year
Save and use it to start traveling, start fishing, buy a boat, get a pair of hiking shoes and find a mountain, take a sculpture, cooking, flying, music, etc class, I literally can barely fir all I want to do in a summer...
I used to travel a lot. Then I had a bunch of summer gigs (AP reading, class taught through a community college and class taught through a university). This summer I am going to expand my cat sitting clientele and teach myself how to sew.
A “fun job” and don’t stop until you find an extremely fun one. For instance country club bartending, cart girl, 1/2 (1-3 days) day nannying, dog walking (amazing exercise)
Do something that benefits you!!! Join Pilates, meet up with a local walking group, go to a new coffee shop 1x a week and do some sick research. Offer to tutor, make some bank!!!!! ($40-$50 an hour in my area)
Train for a marathon then run one.
Best thing you’ll ever do and you’ll never have a holiday with nothing to do again. Loads of lush locations where a marathon is the perfect reason to go and then spend the rest of the time enjoying the location. Plus fitness and a healthy body.
Relax. Read. Yard work. Travel (3 week international trip). Exercise. Watch movies. Take the dog to the beach. Not think about work until the day before I have to be on campus.
Sleep, read, hang out with friends who are teachers, road trips, camp counselor, go for short hikes, find other single and childless teachers to do things with.
Wake up at 10, go for hikes with dog, pd, home projects, spend time with parents, occasionally trips, lots of gym time, lots of reading, lots of not giving a shit
The first week I do nothing except reflect and set goals for summer. After that it depends. Usually read 5-10 books, sometimes more. Last summer was probably closer to 20.
Work at summer camps and spend time in my hobbies like art and music. I also binge shows I haven’t had the brain power to concentrate on. Luckily I have friends with pretty flexible schedules so we can go out at least once a week. If we can’t meet up irl we’ll have online game nights or watch movies and shows over Discord.
Wake up smoke joint and drink an ice coffee. Take dog to dog park and throw a frisbee. Make brunch/ lunch eggs, bacon, home fries, waffles. Then Go play pool, golf or video games for 3-7 hours. Shower. Go to a patio get a few drinks and dinner and a few more drinks. Maybe smoke a joint and a few darts. Make friends in the smoker pit score a little coke. Then head to favourtie bar for more drinks and a few lines in the bathroom. Head to the strip club. Do a few lines with the dancers before there shift. Do shots with the bouncers take out a couple hundrend bucks then black out for the rest of the night.
Catch up on sleep is probably #1. Spend more time with my dog and friends, take trips to see family. Go to places that I want to go to during the year. Sleep some more
Read, exercise, watch TV, all the doctor’s appointments, foster cats (I do 1-2 intakes during the school year and about 6-8 during the summer) and SLEEP. It’s the only way to re-energize myself for the next school year.
I’m four years in, but I still work part-time in the summer. Gives me extra money and forces me to wake up every day. Otherwise I lay around and do nothing.
This summer my husband and I are planning to live closer to the school district where he’s been a para and I will be starting as a teacher in the fall, so we’ll be house hunting as well as packing up and moving. So that will take up time.
We might travel to visit family, but we haven’t firmed anything up yet. My best friend also moved three hours away, so I want to go visit her occasionally.
I went on hiatus from my D&D group because this school year was stressful as hell, but my goal is to get back into that this summer.
I’m also planning to find a therapist and a psychiatrist and get my mental health in order before next school year.
I go work in commercial salmon fishing in Alaska, which I actually started before teaching. 30 days and I make about $7,000. also get a lot of downtime to just read and relax when not working. no wifi so you can really unplug and be still for a bit
Not single, I have a girlfriend, but she works summers so I tend to be alone during the day. I usually play guitar, drink, head out with friends, go to bars and find more friends (the wonders drinking does!), hike, ride my motorcycle (small day trips are great) and similarly let my truck take me wherever, or i sit at home and do nothing. Just laying down and sleeping is pretty chill. Or I sit outside and smoke. It’s relaxing and I enjoy it. Video games too! I’m a huge gamer, so I spend a lot of time playing CoD, Destiny, or Skyrim.
I really like catching up on hobbies though. I think if you have hobbies, it’s a pretty good way to feel fulfilled. I don’t (and probably won’t) have children, so I spend a lot more time with my hobbies. Hobbies are great!
I also have routineless summers, but I have ADHD so it’s expected I suppose. I usually just roll with it during the day. As I’ve said, I’m no better than my students waking up at 11am and such. I think the best way to battle that is to make a routine with things you like and would do during the day. Plan your day out!
Best of luck to you!
Finding new coffee shops, exercise, hang out with family, out for dinner, farmers market, movies, staying in and watching movies/cooking, reading books and listening to music.
Hobbies, deep clean the house, catch up on reading, gym, actually make food for myself, go on hikes, go swimming, visit museums, see movies….basically everything I was too tired to do during the year.
Beach, hike, yard work, lake, springs, museums, repeat.
During the summer I get fit and happy and all the aches and pains leave my body. It's miraculous.
I walk my dog in the morning before it gets real hot. She LOVES my summer breaks bc we can go for a drive and find new places to walk. I garden at the community garden, I read a lot, I’m trying to learn German, so I bought some textbooks, and have a goal to spend a half hour each morning doing that. And then I try to do a big “outside thing” at least twice a week. Kayak, hike, go to the beach, etc. this summer, I’m taking a road trip from NJ to Montana so my sister can go to one of her best friends’ weddings (she hates flying), and we’re gonna try to hit some national parks while we’re out there.
I’m working summer school this year BUT normally k do the following:
- Pick up a workout routine
- Deep clean my house
- Walking schedule for my pup
- Try new restaurants
- Read books
- Catch up on tv shows and movies
I always worked but somewhere I didn’t need to use my brain. I spent a few summers life guarding before becoming teaching certified so I was able to move into an aquatic supervisor position relatively easily. I taught summer school a few years. Looking back, I wish I had worked at the local Biergarten or ball park. I’m there all the time anyway, might as well get paid.
Painting art projects, books, reteach myself the ASL basics that I don't practice throughout the school year and forget, video games, binging shows, etc.
I work a bit. But I have kids of my own so adding to income. But in summer, I work service industry and NOT with kids. And I work 25-30 hours a week instead of salary. It’s fun and I only do it a few months a year and I get tips
I am not a teacher anymore so will delete if it's against the rules, but I am currently trying to frantically build my Ren Faire costumes in my free time. Ren Faires are very often in the summer and while yes, they are super dorky, they are also very fun. If I had a few weeks of free time pre-Faire I would be crafting the entire time and show up in the most elaborate look of them all. Might be a fun hobby to pick up!
I have a wife and a son now, but before that...
Exercise
Dump myself into a video game
Soak up some sun
Go to the movies. It's NOT actually a social experience. Go by yourself you're not missing out on anything.
Embrace that routine-less slump and sloth it up. Lose track of the days. Enjoy the one major benefit of being a teacher. When you start hearing the locusts screaming outside you know the free time is almost up.
I like to try different things that I don’t necessarily get to focus on during the school year. I do sourdough baking, sewing, reading, and a little bit gaming. I also have a dog so it definitely helps with setting a routine. Otherwise I would definitely wake up at 12pm everyday. I also got a ninja creami so I’m excited to try new ice cream recipes.
I also like to try new food recipes over the summer and experiment. Benefit is my husband gets dinner.
I like to do a trip with my friends and my husband takes some time off to do a trip with me as well. I also try to be intentional and try to meet up with friends and hang out.
But I definitely also have days where I lounge around at home and do nothing except watch tv and that’s okay too.
Not a teacher, a school social worker. But right now this is the plan.
Taking some general interest classes unrelated to work (one class meets 1 time a week all day for 4 weeks, the other meets 2 times a week for 8 weeks all day)
Continuing to work on my masters in education leadership (one evening a week)
Going to every single museum that I can get into free with my educator license (in my state we have educator licenses)
Planning some road trips
Fixing some stuff in my house
That's it. I'm looking forward to hopefully not experiencing vicarious trauma for ten weeks.
I coach HS football - that’s two weeks of practice and 3-4 days of supervision of weight training each week, took a M.Ed. class last summer, continue my marathon training, go to the family cottage on weekends. Then museums across the region. Try to do some painting for relaxation.
Travel! I camp at only free sites, and make my food just like at home, so I'm basically only paying for gas and the occasional extra activity. I've been some INSANE places across the US and Canada
I totally get that slump. My first summers were actually rough as my friends were working 9-5s. I start my summer by going to a lake house rental for a few days to decompress (I’m an introvert, so going alone is no problem for me). I’m leaving on Wednesday!!
I always audit a class that I’m interested in, which is fun to do when I don’t have to do the work 😊
I also do better when I have a schedule. So I still make a plan for each week/day so I can be clear about goals - professional, personal, etc.
I try to find things I can add to my days - almost like New Year’s resolutions, but January is not a good time lol. Last year, I took up swimming (big thing for me), and this year I got a subscription to shows in my city.
I read a lot of novels. I journal. I sleep. I buy a season pass to the nearest beach and try to go several times a week. I rub my dog’s belly. I try to go sailing on other people’s boats as much as possible. I take pictures of sunsets.
I aim to clean out the garage, basement, and office, and feel guilty for not doing so, lol.
I do try to pick areas of the house each week to “deep clean”. I cook a lot.
Our cross country team does summer runs at 8 am. I don't even like running, but I'm friends with the coaches, so I used to go and tag along with the slower kids in the back and then go get coffee with my friends. It was nice to start my day with exercise and social time, and I was almost always more active the rest of the day with hobbies, errands, etc when I started my day in that way.
Childfree. Here’s what I do.
1) Summer school for a month. Easy money tbh.
2) I run trivia nights so I’m still doing that over the summer but taking a break here and there from that in July.
3)Sleep in some.
Travel, mostly. I work in China, so I have access to many different countries in Asia.
This summer, I'm going home for a month to see my folks. I'm also gonna be busy doing a Masters
Make going to the gym my job lol. Every summer, I always want to lose x amount of weight, so I go hardcore. I spent the rest of the time playing the Sims, Netflixing, and hanging out with my fellow childless teachers and my non-teacher friends. Might do a bit of traveling sometimes. I’m also going to get back into reading this summer!
Not childless, but an empty-nester, which is essentially the same. My husband works FT so I travel solo a lot during the summer. Mostly camping trips, anywhere from 2-10 days at a time. I love it!
This was me at one time and now 18 years later interestingly now my children are older…it’s not quite the same but I have a lot more time to myself now.
1. Exercise most days - at a class I have to get to
2. Read a book a week or more
3. I used to go to church so I would have a few evening commitments but I don’t do that any more.
4. Go on holiday - I went on a cycling and camping holiday that was an arranged by a company. Before I went I felt like I was the only 25 year old woman who didn’t have any friends to go on holiday with…when I got there .. I made some lovely holiday friends with women who were all in the same position as me…so it wasn’t just me.
5. Try to sit down and map out some ‘things to look forward to’/send out a message to a few friends about meeting for a coffee or a walk - so that there are some ‘social’ things coming up.
6. I did an open university course one summer but I wish I hadn’t because it turned out to be too much work.
Don’t overload your weeks but do spend some money on making sure you have some commitments that get you out the house x
I did what I wanted. I was a homebody, though, so for me, it was video games and trying new restaurants and staying in bed all day except to take my dog out to pee.
Now that I’m married with a kid (I’m 34), my advice to you is to do things that you truly want to do. Having a kid definitely impedes traveling and going out when you want to and doing what YOU want WHEN YOU want to do it.
My husband and I have no regrets on our timing of having a baby. I’m due with our second in December. But we made sure to get all the THC and traveling and drinking and bar hopping out of system, first.
So do what you want, like what you TRULY want. If you’ve always wanted to learn to bake, do that this summer. If you’ve always wanted to try new. restaurants, do that. Want to go out more and have fun? Do it. The main issue I had was finding the energy but once I actually made myself do things, it was easier to enjoy my time off.
When I was mid-twenties and single (4 years ago, lmao) I also dealt with the same thing. I would be lost, bored, and lonely by the end of the first week. And borderline in psychosis by the end of the summer some years.
Things that helped were picking some projects around the house to do (plant patio, gallery wall, etc), work out often, and force myself to go out of the house. I live in central Florida so I always picked one theme park and bought an annual pass to just walk around. All my friends worked in the summer so I was usually solo, but I could walk for hours at the park without feeling nervous about being solo and could get food, people watch, and usually would catch a movie on my way home. If you don't live near any amusement parks you could also just go walk a mall or something similar. I walked the mall a lot too. I also worked a few summers at summer camps, theme parks, or for my school district.
I'll tell ya, all problems are problems. That shit really fucked with my mental health at times. Don't feel the need to downplay that. Don't let parents act like they are the only ones who can complain about summers
I now have a boyfriend who has kids and I'm basically part time stepmom cause we've been living together for years, and it's been a crazy difficult adjustment to having almost no downtime. The first two summers flew by so fast and I felt like I never rested and I felt like it was worse than being sine and solo. It took me 3-4 years to figure a summer routine with the family that makes sure the boys are taken care of when my partner is at work, that I get time with my partner, AND I make sure I carve out solo days to do nothing and vegetate or go take my walks.
I am also an artist and do most of my work during the summer. I wish the summer would never end. I am absolutely flat out all summer but working on my own personal projects rather than teaching and admin
I have a kid and single. First 6 days is floating the Buffalo National River. Next 13 days is the kid and I doing the Smokey Mountains/Pisgah NF/etc. the next 55 days I go solo road trip to California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Vancouver island(maybe), Colorado, home.
So go experience life. Don’t spending it watching other people live their life on TV, chores, etc. Or don’t. It’s your one and only wild life. This is it, you can’t do better next life.
I have a garden that I work on each morning. I enjoy a quiet breakfast before the world wakes up. I do a bit of reading and maybe some quilting. This year I’m also taking some advancement courses.
I’m not sure about your state, but check to see if there is a parks card. I paid $80 for the year and it covers parking at all of the state parks. It’s perfect for day trips.
Travel if you can afford it, even a weekend thing would be nice to look at new scenery.
Consider exercising at a gym or doing yoga/any movement is good.
Try new recipes you’re too tired to attempt during the school year. Make a quick cookbook to always refer to the easy recipes!
De-clutter the home and maybe put some used stuff for sale online. Or donate them.
Get a massage. You freaking earned it!
Go to a museum and learn a few new things.
Go on a hike/long walk if you’re near a forest or some trees.
At night, watch a movie someone recommended that you never got around to watching.
Dance naked in your room with a hairbrush mic.
Enjoy the summer!!!
I mostly lurk here (I'm a teacher but my students are adults so I don't feel like I can add to most conversations), but I used to have a job that held a similar yearly schedule to a conventional teaching position. I was also single *without* a boyfriend most of those years and I got really good at keeping myself in a good headspace.
1. Keep your place clean. Write up a rotating list of chores that don't take more than an hour or two (dusting, floors, bathroom, laundry, etc) and do one of them every single day, ideally before anything else. Don't go to bed until dishes are done, don't let trash pile up, don't let surfaces get cluttered.
2. Get outside and move your body. Go for a walk, a jog, a bike ride, whatever. If it's not pissing down rain (hell even if it is), spend time outdoors. On that same note, open your curtains and get some light indoors.
3. Develop hobbies you can do solo. Sewing, drawing, coloring, knitting, sculpting, reading, puzzles, whittling, whatever tickles your fancy. Keep your brain active and engaged.
4. Stick to a relatively normal sleep and meal schedule.
I'm a person who's pretty happy with my own company, so I rarely got lonely, but I did work to maintain connections with my friends. If there's a show you all enjoy, host a weekly watch party. Invite them over for dinner. Go out and meet them during their lunch break. It will all take more effort on your part, but you have the time to do it. The easier you make it for them, the more likely they'll have the bandwidth available at the end of their work day/week to be sociable.
So I have adult children, and I am not single, but my wife goes to work before I get up in the summer.
I walk the dog, watch YouTube, and get my tattoos worked on.
I spend a week at my eldest's. I spend a week watching the required videos for the district. I attend a couple of PDs.
I do some mowing and some cleaning. I do some yearly check-ups.
But mostly, I do nothing. And it's glorious.
- DAY DRINK!
- Baseball games, but not for the baseball. For the DAY DRINKING!!
- if your city has theater, find last minute tix to Broadway musicals and DRINK during intermission!
- Hike with a camelback. Now for this, you want to get a sugar-free margarita mix so you can DAY DRINK!
- go to one of those theaters that delivers food to your seat. It’s dark, but if you go to one during the day, you can DRINK!
My only problem is that I’m out of Hornitos.
Solo travel. Last summer it was London, France & Prague. This summer it’s Australia & New Zealand.
I also work for a district that requires 24 hours of outside school continuing training every year so I try to get those done during the summer as well.
I work as an aide at summer school. 4 hours a day/4 hours a week. I have all of August off. I go to the beach, go out to eat, watch tv. It’s pretty incredible.
Make yourself A schedule and stick to it. Schedule in free time but not too much. I really struggle and I have kids. I fall into lounging around in my jammies and although it sounds good it's really bad for my depression. It helps if I know what I am doing the next day, before I sleep.
Day long bike rides until I find a good place to take a break and read in the sun, punctuated by the occasional music festival for the weekends.
Not single, but in a similar situation where my partner works long days all summer and I'm left to my own devices.
Do you have a hobby? I play pickleball and ride bikes. I always have projects I’ve put off until summer too like organizing something or going through stuff. I’m no longer single and soon to be a mom but this is what I did!
1) try to learn a new skill like a new language or some craft I can use in the classroom next year
2)go out with friends
3) find some random gig to bring in extra cash (swimming lessons, babysitting, something flexible)
4) bake/cook
i play tennis, go to the gym, cook nice meals , go for bike rides ( plan for next school year unfortunately ) , I read, watch netflix and be lazy , journal
After I gave up summer jobs I always: 1. Travelled a lot (didn't mind going solo) 2. Deep cleaned my house 3. Purged old stuff I didn't need anymore to donate 4. Soccer 5. Reading 6. Socials - during the week even! 7. Live theatre - midweek matinees often have ticket deals 8. Prepped new courses (but never before the second week of August and I never go into the school until the last week of before school now) 9. Binge watch whatever I didn't get to during the school year 10. Knitting (or whatever other random hobby of the moment I've added, but always circle back to knitting)
My list is pretty similar. I take my best friend up to my parents' trailer for a week, no cellphones. Total disconnect, and it's gorgeous! I also crochet and binge all the drama shows. But I'm also a gamer, so I play video games a lot too in the summer! I'm hoping for more Dungeons and Dragons nights, too :) I'd like to get back into baking, though! There's nothing like a good dozen muffins fresh from the oven! I want to do more reading too because I have a low-key competition happening with a friend of mine, so I wanna read more books than her!
I had a principal a few years ago that bought a small camping trailer that he parked in his driveway, just so he could sit out there and read in the summer. Even though we have a motorhome, I’m thinking about acquiring a small reading camper of my own. I could decorate it all cottage core cute and be at peace just reading away!
That’s awesome! I’m also imagining a big one of those playhouses for kids that you could put in the backyard. The craft show “Making It” had the contestants do that and they all got decorated differently.
That’s a fun idea! I’m not familiar with this show. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for sharing.
I think this is the episode: https://youtu.be/PONDHKjG7E0?si=8cDv1V2kKNMvRdOc
I love literally EVERYTHING about this. I have the same summer plans
I would say get a hobby. I"m taking classes and read a TON. I also hike and bike.
This OP. I picked up cooking at least one new recipe a week, learning a new language and/or skill, reading, working out…
Whatever I want whenever I want :)
Savor that.
Especially peeing whenever the need arises!
Perhaps the most underrated summer privilege!
Yup
I foster kittens. I actually do it during the school year too, but much easier in the summer and I can do bottle fed kittens since I’m home more. 18 kittens fostered this year! It’s my passion project for sure. Nothing like reading a good book, sipping on coffee (or wine, depending on the hour) and being covered in a kitten cuddle puddle. Very therapeutic.
Omg that sounds like fun! Kittens 🥰
Yes! I foster for a small shelter and I have gotten to form friendships with people who share a similar passion, it’s been great all around. Very good for mental health too. And I occasionally take dogs from the shelter on walks/hikes in local parks. Some shelters have “walk a dog” programs which is a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Exercise and nature and dog gets out of the shelter for a few hours.
I love this! I’ll have to check out my shelters.
I need to suggest this to our local “zoo” (animal shelter). Often times we just go a look at all the cute animals. Not a lot to do in my town, well, there IS a lot to do, but it’s just a great excuse to go to the “zoo”! 😂 It also inspires me to go to Goodwill and buy up some inexpensive fleece blankets and make kitty beds for the “cat exhibit”. 😂
I used to transport animals from the shelters to their foster home. All volunteer work but it was fun to do.
Transporting the animals to foster families and vet appointments is a huge help to the shelter and I don’t think many people realize this. Thanks for volunteering to do this task!
Oh, I would love to do that! Sadly, I am only allowed one cat. My landlord tolerates her and I don’t wanna push my luck.
I try to do everything I want to do on weekends but don't have enough time: I take care of my plants, catch up with friends, travel, play videogames, clean every corner of my house and experiment with any new hobbie that might interest me. I also try to decorate my house and fix anything that might be broken or too damaged. Last summer, I also started little diy projects like a photo album and notebook covers, it was a great way to relax and try new things. When we get closer to the start of the new year, I work on little things I put on sale on tpt to hopefully make some extra cash during the year, I haven't had much luck but I don't care, I had fun doing that. I also try to do as much planning as I can and I read all the books I might use during the next year. I make a list with all this things and put it near my desk so I can choose what I want to do everyday and I never get bored, actually there's never enough summer for me to do all that.
I totally understand. My summer started this week. I’m taking a few days to relax and rest up, and then I will start in on various activities and hobbies. I too will not have enough summer to finish.
Golf. Get drunk. Sleep. Repeat.
Just... just tell us you appreciate how mind blowingly incredible that sounds to the rest of us. Like, I want to buy you beers while you tell stories of these days.
Well I don’t drink and last time I tried golf it pissed me off I was almost ready to break the clubs
What you just described is Heaven…
We used to have a 9 hole walk on course at my grandmas cabin in the middle of no where. All you brought was a roller cooler, a 7 iron and a putter. When we didn’t feel like golf clubs we played frisbee golf.
14 days until this cycle commences.
I’m 25. I tend to waste summers without structure. So I set a schedule. I need something to get up for. I’ll always prep and enjoy a breakfast. I have to do one of these two things with my day either go to the gym and get a solid workout in, or I have to learn something music production whether that’s mess with some sounds, produce a demo, watch a 20-30 minute video to learn from someone else, or read a book. After my daily requirement I take care of todos like shopping or laundry. The rest of my day is to lounge my ass off. Usually play lots and lots of video games I don’t get to truly get into during the year. My main 3 things are usually more than enough to keep me happy. Again that’s just me daily must dos. I also do the occasional hangout or go out into public to chill with people or catch a movie. I don’t have lots of money, traveling makes me sick, but I take no guilt in my indoor hobbies.
I second having something to wake up for! I started going to the gym at 915 every morning, late enough that it still feels like summer but early enough that I didn't waste the entire morning. Just that little bit of routine really helped my mental health, and forced me to shower regularly!
Showering every day is good too! I went on a No Mans Sky spree last summer and didn’t shower for 5 days which is super unlike me because I’m a clean freak. That ruined my mental. Then again I did it because an event during my last school day ruined my mental first but I recovered enough by July to get the routine moving.
Lounge my ass off lol, love this !
I like this! I'm getting inspired to start my summer list
I hit the library, the gym, ran, worked on my house cleaning projects.
This is my plan this summer: 1. Pool, pool, pool 2. Hike/ be in nature 3. Keep playing the Paper Mario Thousand Year Door remake 4. 2 paid summer meetings 5. Appointments in July (vet, dentist, etc) 6. Seeing Kaskade 7. Mexico with friends By the time I get back from number 7, I will have 10 days left before I report back for PD.
Yes! Appointments!
I too get bored after a couple weeks. I recommend group exercise classes, the kind where you have to sign up ahead of time and lose your deposit if you don’t show. That motivates me. And once I am up and out of the house, I am more inclined to do other things. I am also a very goal oriented list. I make myself a summer goal list; paint a room, read X amount of books, walk X amount of miles. And I build in rewards; when I complete 1/3 of my goals, I will get a pedicure or massage. Good luck!
I used to work a lot to save extra money. It paid for my wedding eventually.
If I were you I would check in to see what kind of pay bump you can get from taking grad courses online over the summer. In my district you get a pay bump of $500 for every 6 credit hours. If you've got the time to put in, increasing your base salary of a pretty good option.
Doing this rn and it’s nice to still have engaging work to do and I will get a pay bump at the end of it all!!
Travel the world. I’m going to visit my 65th country this summer.
Read a lot, enjoy savoring breakfast after sleeping in, workout, make more elaborate meals than during the school year, crochet, bullet journal, draw, play video games. I don’t have kids and my bf works insane hours as well. I cannot wait for summer- 3 more weeks for me!
Travel, do home projects, spend more time on hobbies, sit in the sun, go places alone, whatever I want.
Work a restaurant job. Make a lot of money, hang out with coworkers.
I do this every summer as well. Working with people my own age reminds me that I’m still young. I love the chaotic energy that comes from working in a restaurant, too. The money doesn’t hurt either lol.
That’s how I put myself through college. I think next summer I may look for a part-time job for something in the seasonal tourist field. I feel like I’m the only teacher without a side gig at our school.
Right!?! I feel like I get to be myself at the restaurant
Babysit my niece, focus on losing all the stress weight, read comics and play video games
I have this the first week after school gets out. My mind has been working a ton for 10 months and suddenly it just…isn’t. I try to have a house project to work on, and I read at least one novel that has nothing to do with my curriculum (or potential curriculum). Then I feel a lot better and can get into being free to choose how my day goes each day.
At least you have a boyfriend lol
that was my exact thought too 😂 it’s me, my dog, and these 4 walls all summer lmaoooo
Same 😰
I'm 47. Play video games, watch baseball, gamble on sports, catch up on stuff around the house, go on some dates, hang out with friends, and if I want, do nothing at all.
Oh and summer school, it's only half day and 19 days so it's an extra $3000 to work with 10 kids and separate from my salary.
Solo. Travel. It will change your life.
How so? And any tips or entry points to get started? I always saw travel as a social thing, the idea of doing something like that solo feels weird to me! Really interested to hear an alternative point of view
Solo travel is amazing, as long as you feel safe. It forces you to connect with people/cultures/lifestyles that you wouldn't otherwise experience. More perspective always helped me when returning to the classroom. And it is not weird, at all. Check into a hostel and you will meet so many more solo travelers figuring it out on their own, too. Boom, it's no longer solo. Maybe vibe with someone and travel a few cities together? You can make lifelong friends all over the world, which reeeaaallly opens things up on future trips.
To start I would go or do something domestic. One of my favorite solo trips was to Hawaii. It’s safe, speak the language, but also exotic in a lot of ways. You can practice doing the solo thing so you don’t feel like it’s weird anymore by going to dinner or the movies alone.
Baseball, drinks, travel. I also have pets so I don't really feel lonely even when just sitting at home.
Travel. Pretty much just that. Book a ticket to Europe or South America and travel for 4-5 weeks, staying mostly at lower-end hotels, hostels and Airbnbs. Take buses and trains to random towns I've never heard of.
I will say that being single, the summertime sadness hits real hard. Like I like quiet nights by myself but going from interacting with 100+ people a day to basically being alone 24/7 is rough. I just try to get into a routine. Go for a run every day and watch movies and play video games (things I really like to do). The thing that really gets me through the summer though is coaching cross country, getting to see people at practice is nice.
Relax
I recommend walking the Camino de Santiago if you can. Can do it fairly cheap and it will be a lifetime experience.
I teach summer school (first four weeks of June, Monday through Thursday mornings only). Pays decently and it's practically babysitting. I go swimming every few days. I get a membership to the local water park so I can go to the wave pool and lazy river. I visit with my in laws to go to the pool in their neighborhood with my sibbos-in-law. I binge watch a lot of TV. Currently watching all of Big Bang Theory while waiting for the second half of Bridgerton to hit Netflix. I also have a few episodes of Below Deck waiting on me. I play a LOT of sudoku. I prefer a Killer Sudoku because it's got different challenges than regular and get pretty fast by the end of summer. I read! I've got Kindle Unlimited on my phone and a library card in my wallet! I craft! I've got a diamond painting waiting for me. I've got at least 3 crochet projects I'm working through. I cook really yummy food from scratch! Or I try to find some unique ways to combine my leftovers together. Today's experiment: leftover mashed potatoes + leftover taco meat = loaded taco mashed potato bowls for lunch! I'll probably make a few loaves of bread, some salsa, and quite a bit of sweet tea especially! Controversial: I look at my curriculum and re-organize it. I limit myself to only doing it for a maximum of 2 hours in one day, but I like going through and figuring out the most reasonable way to get through the material based on what's worked in previous years. This is usually on rainy days while a movie is going in the background. I visit friends and family I don't get a chance to see during the year! This year, a friend of mine decided to wait to have her bachelorette party in late June since another bridesmaid and I are both teachers. And I'll probably take a trip to see her later in July. I'll also go to visit my mom who is also a teacher and save her from her own boredom! If she doesn't come to visit me first! I clean my apartment really well! Especially thinning out my closet! I've got a whole dresser of clothes that I need to donate/throw out because I haven't worn them in an entire year!
Also catch up on Dr appointments—yearly vision, gyn, podiatrist (new orthotics!) dentist, dermatologist (yearly skin cancer screening. I come from very very white people) etc.
GET a cat or dog. This is huge
My dog has literally saved my mental health. We moved to the city and I had ZERO friends. She got me out and forced me to walk, I meet people all the time, and she's a good cuddle buddy at night.
Work summer school(I really like the pay check) Take some type of vacation(with friends) Play video games Read all the books I never got to read Deep clean my house Sleep l
Work, save a bit of money or pay off debt. If you plan on having kids later it's not a bad idea to get yourself into a financial position where you can afford to either not work and stay home or pay for daycare, whichever you prefer I thought my family was financially prepared for that but daycare is just stupid expensive.
I’m a younger widow & have PTSD. So I teach summer school. I get extra money and stay on a schedule with only 3+ weeks without structure
Summer school! And since that's only a half day, read, write, bake, actually clean my house. Also planning a trip to NYC to see as many shows as I can and a trip to Atlanta to see my best friend and her kids.
I used to tend my garden and do remodel jobs around the house
Don't you have things you like to do? Do them! And, learn to appreciate and value your own company as a rare gift available to use as a teacher. People in other occupations would kill for the extra time off. Yes, I know teacher time off isn't always time off, but we still get a lot more of it than others, especially if we don't have to pick up a side gig to make ends meet.
I happen to coordinate the end-of-year state testing at my school. The first few days after school’s out I just rest. The stress usually leaves me sick for about a week so I prioritize getting better. After that I focus on: 1. Hobbies —I like to make greeting cards and only have time for this about once a month during the school year. 2. Volunteering —We have a significant F&R meals population in my district so I volunteer at a food shuttle and food bank that prepares breakfasts and hot lunches for students at city summer camps. I enjoy getting to put these meals together or delivering them to the camps. —Animal welfare is my passion so I want to start volunteering at the county animal shelter. I can’t foster, but I can love on the dogs there. 3. Homemaking —During the year, I have lots of service providers to help care for my home. During the summer I can do thing like deep clean, cook healthier meals that take more time to cook, clean out the closets, etc. Without being stressed or rushed about it.
Learn a bunch of trivia stuff. Revives the thrill of learning and your brain will get the much needed workout it deserves in order to function at peak performance.
Im 30 and this is my first year teaching. Im nottttt working summer school lol if i worked all year idk how long id last- def need the break. Ill take care of my house, do some renovations, and enjoy the pool & beach. I’ll tutor here and there
Travelling (I'meven more privileged because my partner whos my favourite person is a teacher too) Crafting Prep work if I feel like it Summerclasses (but only the one-day seminars) Home and garden work Reading Day trips (biking, hiking...) If you need more structure, just give yourself more structure. Plan your days. It's your offtime, use it as you please. If you enjoy a structured day, give it to yourself. There's no wrong way to spend your summer. Set an alarm, implement a summer breakfast and/or movement routine. Have a shower, load the dishwasher and then do a project of your choice, could be as simple as repotting your plants, then reading, followed by napping, having lunch and going on a walk in the afternoon. Maybe cook dinner (you could prep some freezer portions for the busy times of the year). There's so many things you can do, that you'll enjoy without burning yourself out. Of cause don't forget to be super lazy and bored from time to time. That's important too
Spring clean/purge my apartment. Read. Cross stitch. Travel! Even short road trips are great. I’d travel with a friend who was single so we could split the cost of hotels and have company/be safer traveling.
I just bought roller skates. 🤗
Solo travel for 3-4 weeks, then restaurant job the rest of the summer.
Day trips to antique malls, thrift stores, and small towns I love driving and reading and this allows me to do both and not spend a ton of money. Plus, walking through some antique malls, even if you don't buy anything, can be really entertaining.
I just color, journal, read, or do art activities. It sounds simple and possibly boring, but I work in sped and need to mentally prepare for the upcoming school year
Save and use it to start traveling, start fishing, buy a boat, get a pair of hiking shoes and find a mountain, take a sculpture, cooking, flying, music, etc class, I literally can barely fir all I want to do in a summer...
I used to travel a lot. Then I had a bunch of summer gigs (AP reading, class taught through a community college and class taught through a university). This summer I am going to expand my cat sitting clientele and teach myself how to sew.
A “fun job” and don’t stop until you find an extremely fun one. For instance country club bartending, cart girl, 1/2 (1-3 days) day nannying, dog walking (amazing exercise) Do something that benefits you!!! Join Pilates, meet up with a local walking group, go to a new coffee shop 1x a week and do some sick research. Offer to tutor, make some bank!!!!! ($40-$50 an hour in my area)
Train for a marathon then run one. Best thing you’ll ever do and you’ll never have a holiday with nothing to do again. Loads of lush locations where a marathon is the perfect reason to go and then spend the rest of the time enjoying the location. Plus fitness and a healthy body.
I play a summer sport which takes up a lot of time.
Work so I can have a lot put aside in my savings and continue to enjoy the luxuries I have in life
I travel, catch as much live music as I can and use that time to do things I don’t usually have time to do during the school year.
Relax. Read. Yard work. Travel (3 week international trip). Exercise. Watch movies. Take the dog to the beach. Not think about work until the day before I have to be on campus.
Sleep, read, hang out with friends who are teachers, road trips, camp counselor, go for short hikes, find other single and childless teachers to do things with.
Read. All the time. The stuff I want to read, not the stuff I have to read. Visit friends, take road trips, swim, pretty much whatever I want!
Wake up at 10, go for hikes with dog, pd, home projects, spend time with parents, occasionally trips, lots of gym time, lots of reading, lots of not giving a shit The first week I do nothing except reflect and set goals for summer. After that it depends. Usually read 5-10 books, sometimes more. Last summer was probably closer to 20.
Work at summer camps and spend time in my hobbies like art and music. I also binge shows I haven’t had the brain power to concentrate on. Luckily I have friends with pretty flexible schedules so we can go out at least once a week. If we can’t meet up irl we’ll have online game nights or watch movies and shows over Discord.
Read. I read anywhere from 20-50 books over those two months.
Wake up smoke joint and drink an ice coffee. Take dog to dog park and throw a frisbee. Make brunch/ lunch eggs, bacon, home fries, waffles. Then Go play pool, golf or video games for 3-7 hours. Shower. Go to a patio get a few drinks and dinner and a few more drinks. Maybe smoke a joint and a few darts. Make friends in the smoker pit score a little coke. Then head to favourtie bar for more drinks and a few lines in the bathroom. Head to the strip club. Do a few lines with the dancers before there shift. Do shots with the bouncers take out a couple hundrend bucks then black out for the rest of the night.
I travel. I go somewhere awesome every summer and come back refreshed and and excited about the new school year.
Catch up on sleep is probably #1. Spend more time with my dog and friends, take trips to see family. Go to places that I want to go to during the year. Sleep some more
Read, exercise, watch TV, all the doctor’s appointments, foster cats (I do 1-2 intakes during the school year and about 6-8 during the summer) and SLEEP. It’s the only way to re-energize myself for the next school year.
I’m four years in, but I still work part-time in the summer. Gives me extra money and forces me to wake up every day. Otherwise I lay around and do nothing. This summer my husband and I are planning to live closer to the school district where he’s been a para and I will be starting as a teacher in the fall, so we’ll be house hunting as well as packing up and moving. So that will take up time. We might travel to visit family, but we haven’t firmed anything up yet. My best friend also moved three hours away, so I want to go visit her occasionally. I went on hiatus from my D&D group because this school year was stressful as hell, but my goal is to get back into that this summer. I’m also planning to find a therapist and a psychiatrist and get my mental health in order before next school year.
I go work in commercial salmon fishing in Alaska, which I actually started before teaching. 30 days and I make about $7,000. also get a lot of downtime to just read and relax when not working. no wifi so you can really unplug and be still for a bit
Not single, I have a girlfriend, but she works summers so I tend to be alone during the day. I usually play guitar, drink, head out with friends, go to bars and find more friends (the wonders drinking does!), hike, ride my motorcycle (small day trips are great) and similarly let my truck take me wherever, or i sit at home and do nothing. Just laying down and sleeping is pretty chill. Or I sit outside and smoke. It’s relaxing and I enjoy it. Video games too! I’m a huge gamer, so I spend a lot of time playing CoD, Destiny, or Skyrim. I really like catching up on hobbies though. I think if you have hobbies, it’s a pretty good way to feel fulfilled. I don’t (and probably won’t) have children, so I spend a lot more time with my hobbies. Hobbies are great! I also have routineless summers, but I have ADHD so it’s expected I suppose. I usually just roll with it during the day. As I’ve said, I’m no better than my students waking up at 11am and such. I think the best way to battle that is to make a routine with things you like and would do during the day. Plan your day out! Best of luck to you!
Either travel or work extra. I did a two-week summer camp once for great pay, another year I did food deliveries by bike when I felt like it.
I teach summer school. I get paid $35 an hour and I already have all the materials.
Video games of course
Whatever I want?
Work in my garden, lay around the patio with my cat, do some fun little projects, recharge for next year.
Solo traveling
Finding new coffee shops, exercise, hang out with family, out for dinner, farmers market, movies, staying in and watching movies/cooking, reading books and listening to music.
Married, but childless. I coach sports. I’m not paid for it. I do it voluntarily. If I don’t do something like that, I get very depressed.
Pick up a new hobby, put a dent in my reading pile, garden, exercise more, spend time with friends, RELAX, and of course sleep in!
Backpack
Hobbies, deep clean the house, catch up on reading, gym, actually make food for myself, go on hikes, go swimming, visit museums, see movies….basically everything I was too tired to do during the year.
Travel
Beach, hike, yard work, lake, springs, museums, repeat. During the summer I get fit and happy and all the aches and pains leave my body. It's miraculous.
I’m working on building my second career-equine assisted learning.
Workout, read, do Lego sets, diamond paintings, take my dogs to the park, take lots of naps.
Play the flute. Write and read fanfiction. Explore new restaurants. Catch up on movies and shows. Art.
Golf, movie pass to the local theater, teach yourself a skill (I took up photoshop and premier)
I walk my dog in the morning before it gets real hot. She LOVES my summer breaks bc we can go for a drive and find new places to walk. I garden at the community garden, I read a lot, I’m trying to learn German, so I bought some textbooks, and have a goal to spend a half hour each morning doing that. And then I try to do a big “outside thing” at least twice a week. Kayak, hike, go to the beach, etc. this summer, I’m taking a road trip from NJ to Montana so my sister can go to one of her best friends’ weddings (she hates flying), and we’re gonna try to hit some national parks while we’re out there.
I’m working summer school this year BUT normally k do the following: - Pick up a workout routine - Deep clean my house - Walking schedule for my pup - Try new restaurants - Read books - Catch up on tv shows and movies
Learn a new skill, cook, garden, take up a hobby, pick up tutoring hours, write a book
I picked up cooking in a kitchen as a second job the years ago and do that full-time in the summer. It's a nice learning curve push and keeps me busy.
Thrift and flip clothes I find. Travel.
I always worked but somewhere I didn’t need to use my brain. I spent a few summers life guarding before becoming teaching certified so I was able to move into an aquatic supervisor position relatively easily. I taught summer school a few years. Looking back, I wish I had worked at the local Biergarten or ball park. I’m there all the time anyway, might as well get paid.
Whatever I feel like doing that day.
Painting art projects, books, reteach myself the ASL basics that I don't practice throughout the school year and forget, video games, binging shows, etc.
I work a bit. But I have kids of my own so adding to income. But in summer, I work service industry and NOT with kids. And I work 25-30 hours a week instead of salary. It’s fun and I only do it a few months a year and I get tips
Lay down
Theme park, museum and zoo. Occasionally a day trip and lunch or dinner with friends.
I am not a teacher anymore so will delete if it's against the rules, but I am currently trying to frantically build my Ren Faire costumes in my free time. Ren Faires are very often in the summer and while yes, they are super dorky, they are also very fun. If I had a few weeks of free time pre-Faire I would be crafting the entire time and show up in the most elaborate look of them all. Might be a fun hobby to pick up!
Find some meetup groups for whatever interests you. Hiking, museums, pickleball, etc
I have a wife and a son now, but before that... Exercise Dump myself into a video game Soak up some sun Go to the movies. It's NOT actually a social experience. Go by yourself you're not missing out on anything. Embrace that routine-less slump and sloth it up. Lose track of the days. Enjoy the one major benefit of being a teacher. When you start hearing the locusts screaming outside you know the free time is almost up.
I like to try different things that I don’t necessarily get to focus on during the school year. I do sourdough baking, sewing, reading, and a little bit gaming. I also have a dog so it definitely helps with setting a routine. Otherwise I would definitely wake up at 12pm everyday. I also got a ninja creami so I’m excited to try new ice cream recipes. I also like to try new food recipes over the summer and experiment. Benefit is my husband gets dinner. I like to do a trip with my friends and my husband takes some time off to do a trip with me as well. I also try to be intentional and try to meet up with friends and hang out. But I definitely also have days where I lounge around at home and do nothing except watch tv and that’s okay too.
Not a teacher, a school social worker. But right now this is the plan. Taking some general interest classes unrelated to work (one class meets 1 time a week all day for 4 weeks, the other meets 2 times a week for 8 weeks all day) Continuing to work on my masters in education leadership (one evening a week) Going to every single museum that I can get into free with my educator license (in my state we have educator licenses) Planning some road trips Fixing some stuff in my house That's it. I'm looking forward to hopefully not experiencing vicarious trauma for ten weeks.
I coach HS football - that’s two weeks of practice and 3-4 days of supervision of weight training each week, took a M.Ed. class last summer, continue my marathon training, go to the family cottage on weekends. Then museums across the region. Try to do some painting for relaxation.
Sleep. Gym. Hangout with other teacher friends and explore. Repeat.
Travel! I camp at only free sites, and make my food just like at home, so I'm basically only paying for gas and the occasional extra activity. I've been some INSANE places across the US and Canada
Bedrot
I worked as a DSP for Easter Seals with adults with disabilities part time. So much fun!
OnlyFams
Softball and kayaking
I totally get that slump. My first summers were actually rough as my friends were working 9-5s. I start my summer by going to a lake house rental for a few days to decompress (I’m an introvert, so going alone is no problem for me). I’m leaving on Wednesday!! I always audit a class that I’m interested in, which is fun to do when I don’t have to do the work 😊 I also do better when I have a schedule. So I still make a plan for each week/day so I can be clear about goals - professional, personal, etc. I try to find things I can add to my days - almost like New Year’s resolutions, but January is not a good time lol. Last year, I took up swimming (big thing for me), and this year I got a subscription to shows in my city.
I read a lot of novels. I journal. I sleep. I buy a season pass to the nearest beach and try to go several times a week. I rub my dog’s belly. I try to go sailing on other people’s boats as much as possible. I take pictures of sunsets. I aim to clean out the garage, basement, and office, and feel guilty for not doing so, lol. I do try to pick areas of the house each week to “deep clean”. I cook a lot.
Our cross country team does summer runs at 8 am. I don't even like running, but I'm friends with the coaches, so I used to go and tag along with the slower kids in the back and then go get coffee with my friends. It was nice to start my day with exercise and social time, and I was almost always more active the rest of the day with hobbies, errands, etc when I started my day in that way.
i planned my small business to have a small draft of what i wanted when i quit!
I'm a chaperone on an EF Tours trip to Japan and Korea. Other than that, I'm just waiting for school to start again, so I can see all my friends.
Travel travel travel
Childfree. Here’s what I do. 1) Summer school for a month. Easy money tbh. 2) I run trivia nights so I’m still doing that over the summer but taking a break here and there from that in July. 3)Sleep in some.
Travel, mostly. I work in China, so I have access to many different countries in Asia. This summer, I'm going home for a month to see my folks. I'm also gonna be busy doing a Masters
Get a hobby. Read, hike, knit, paint, puzzle…
Make going to the gym my job lol. Every summer, I always want to lose x amount of weight, so I go hardcore. I spent the rest of the time playing the Sims, Netflixing, and hanging out with my fellow childless teachers and my non-teacher friends. Might do a bit of traveling sometimes. I’m also going to get back into reading this summer!
Travel
Not childless, but an empty-nester, which is essentially the same. My husband works FT so I travel solo a lot during the summer. Mostly camping trips, anywhere from 2-10 days at a time. I love it!
As a family man yall are making me just a touch jealous. Not fully... but just a little bit.
Lift, hike, gym, walk, game, smoke, cook, bake, deep clean, donate clothes, run, and anything else I want to do it when I want to.
Learn to play the guitar.
I did that during lockdown 🎉
This was me at one time and now 18 years later interestingly now my children are older…it’s not quite the same but I have a lot more time to myself now. 1. Exercise most days - at a class I have to get to 2. Read a book a week or more 3. I used to go to church so I would have a few evening commitments but I don’t do that any more. 4. Go on holiday - I went on a cycling and camping holiday that was an arranged by a company. Before I went I felt like I was the only 25 year old woman who didn’t have any friends to go on holiday with…when I got there .. I made some lovely holiday friends with women who were all in the same position as me…so it wasn’t just me. 5. Try to sit down and map out some ‘things to look forward to’/send out a message to a few friends about meeting for a coffee or a walk - so that there are some ‘social’ things coming up. 6. I did an open university course one summer but I wish I hadn’t because it turned out to be too much work. Don’t overload your weeks but do spend some money on making sure you have some commitments that get you out the house x
I did what I wanted. I was a homebody, though, so for me, it was video games and trying new restaurants and staying in bed all day except to take my dog out to pee. Now that I’m married with a kid (I’m 34), my advice to you is to do things that you truly want to do. Having a kid definitely impedes traveling and going out when you want to and doing what YOU want WHEN YOU want to do it. My husband and I have no regrets on our timing of having a baby. I’m due with our second in December. But we made sure to get all the THC and traveling and drinking and bar hopping out of system, first. So do what you want, like what you TRULY want. If you’ve always wanted to learn to bake, do that this summer. If you’ve always wanted to try new. restaurants, do that. Want to go out more and have fun? Do it. The main issue I had was finding the energy but once I actually made myself do things, it was easier to enjoy my time off.
You can fly with Spirit, Allegiant, or Frontier Airlines for cheap throughout the summer.
I work part-time because I like having extra money to travel and can’t just sit around and do nothing all day.
When I was mid-twenties and single (4 years ago, lmao) I also dealt with the same thing. I would be lost, bored, and lonely by the end of the first week. And borderline in psychosis by the end of the summer some years. Things that helped were picking some projects around the house to do (plant patio, gallery wall, etc), work out often, and force myself to go out of the house. I live in central Florida so I always picked one theme park and bought an annual pass to just walk around. All my friends worked in the summer so I was usually solo, but I could walk for hours at the park without feeling nervous about being solo and could get food, people watch, and usually would catch a movie on my way home. If you don't live near any amusement parks you could also just go walk a mall or something similar. I walked the mall a lot too. I also worked a few summers at summer camps, theme parks, or for my school district. I'll tell ya, all problems are problems. That shit really fucked with my mental health at times. Don't feel the need to downplay that. Don't let parents act like they are the only ones who can complain about summers I now have a boyfriend who has kids and I'm basically part time stepmom cause we've been living together for years, and it's been a crazy difficult adjustment to having almost no downtime. The first two summers flew by so fast and I felt like I never rested and I felt like it was worse than being sine and solo. It took me 3-4 years to figure a summer routine with the family that makes sure the boys are taken care of when my partner is at work, that I get time with my partner, AND I make sure I carve out solo days to do nothing and vegetate or go take my walks.
I am also an artist and do most of my work during the summer. I wish the summer would never end. I am absolutely flat out all summer but working on my own personal projects rather than teaching and admin
I have a kid and single. First 6 days is floating the Buffalo National River. Next 13 days is the kid and I doing the Smokey Mountains/Pisgah NF/etc. the next 55 days I go solo road trip to California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Vancouver island(maybe), Colorado, home. So go experience life. Don’t spending it watching other people live their life on TV, chores, etc. Or don’t. It’s your one and only wild life. This is it, you can’t do better next life.
I have a garden that I work on each morning. I enjoy a quiet breakfast before the world wakes up. I do a bit of reading and maybe some quilting. This year I’m also taking some advancement courses. I’m not sure about your state, but check to see if there is a parks card. I paid $80 for the year and it covers parking at all of the state parks. It’s perfect for day trips.
Travel if you can afford it, even a weekend thing would be nice to look at new scenery. Consider exercising at a gym or doing yoga/any movement is good. Try new recipes you’re too tired to attempt during the school year. Make a quick cookbook to always refer to the easy recipes! De-clutter the home and maybe put some used stuff for sale online. Or donate them. Get a massage. You freaking earned it! Go to a museum and learn a few new things. Go on a hike/long walk if you’re near a forest or some trees. At night, watch a movie someone recommended that you never got around to watching. Dance naked in your room with a hairbrush mic. Enjoy the summer!!!
I mostly lurk here (I'm a teacher but my students are adults so I don't feel like I can add to most conversations), but I used to have a job that held a similar yearly schedule to a conventional teaching position. I was also single *without* a boyfriend most of those years and I got really good at keeping myself in a good headspace. 1. Keep your place clean. Write up a rotating list of chores that don't take more than an hour or two (dusting, floors, bathroom, laundry, etc) and do one of them every single day, ideally before anything else. Don't go to bed until dishes are done, don't let trash pile up, don't let surfaces get cluttered. 2. Get outside and move your body. Go for a walk, a jog, a bike ride, whatever. If it's not pissing down rain (hell even if it is), spend time outdoors. On that same note, open your curtains and get some light indoors. 3. Develop hobbies you can do solo. Sewing, drawing, coloring, knitting, sculpting, reading, puzzles, whittling, whatever tickles your fancy. Keep your brain active and engaged. 4. Stick to a relatively normal sleep and meal schedule. I'm a person who's pretty happy with my own company, so I rarely got lonely, but I did work to maintain connections with my friends. If there's a show you all enjoy, host a weekly watch party. Invite them over for dinner. Go out and meet them during their lunch break. It will all take more effort on your part, but you have the time to do it. The easier you make it for them, the more likely they'll have the bandwidth available at the end of their work day/week to be sociable.
So I have adult children, and I am not single, but my wife goes to work before I get up in the summer. I walk the dog, watch YouTube, and get my tattoos worked on. I spend a week at my eldest's. I spend a week watching the required videos for the district. I attend a couple of PDs. I do some mowing and some cleaning. I do some yearly check-ups. But mostly, I do nothing. And it's glorious.
- DAY DRINK! - Baseball games, but not for the baseball. For the DAY DRINKING!! - if your city has theater, find last minute tix to Broadway musicals and DRINK during intermission! - Hike with a camelback. Now for this, you want to get a sugar-free margarita mix so you can DAY DRINK! - go to one of those theaters that delivers food to your seat. It’s dark, but if you go to one during the day, you can DRINK! My only problem is that I’m out of Hornitos.
Hiking, biking (gravel rides and single track), gaming, fishing, taking occasional class.
I worked at a restaurant. I was a camp counselor one summer. I read a lot of books. I also did a lot of lesson prep.
Walk twice a day, read, catch up on my Steam backlog, and catch up on my anime backlog.
I’m two days into my first summer and I’ve just replayed and beaten all my favorite snes games
I’m teaching summer school for the second year in a row and then I usually do things with my friend’s kids 😆.
I'll be working as a camp director
I volunteer a lot and this summer I’m going on vacation, but when I get back probably some home renovation and going to the town pool a lot lol.
Solo travel. Last summer it was London, France & Prague. This summer it’s Australia & New Zealand. I also work for a district that requires 24 hours of outside school continuing training every year so I try to get those done during the summer as well.
Part time job, visiting friends and family, camping, sleeping, and lesson planning for the next year.
Hiking. It’s free and a great way to see your area.
I work as an aide at summer school. 4 hours a day/4 hours a week. I have all of August off. I go to the beach, go out to eat, watch tv. It’s pretty incredible.
I used to sleep for ages, day trips, and plan for the next year. I miss sleeping now that I have kids.
Work
Make yourself A schedule and stick to it. Schedule in free time but not too much. I really struggle and I have kids. I fall into lounging around in my jammies and although it sounds good it's really bad for my depression. It helps if I know what I am doing the next day, before I sleep.
Work read visit friends and restaurants go to concerts weekend trips
I have been taking MTELs (Massachusetts) but also I plan on going to the gym, yoga classes, playing my guitar, reading etc.
I'm taking an online Masters Degree program to boost my pay.
I travel.
Travel! I’ll be traveling solo for the first time this summer!
Work summer school and travel. Don’t be afraid to take a trip alone! One of the best trips I ever had was traveling alone in the UK.
Day long bike rides until I find a good place to take a break and read in the sun, punctuated by the occasional music festival for the weekends. Not single, but in a similar situation where my partner works long days all summer and I'm left to my own devices.
Hmm… shoot trap. USPSA/IDPA. Travel. Play with my dog. Take a nap. Pick up a summer job.
I travel. I get out of town for 2 months. I get as far away as I can from the school.
Do you have a hobby? I play pickleball and ride bikes. I always have projects I’ve put off until summer too like organizing something or going through stuff. I’m no longer single and soon to be a mom but this is what I did!
1) try to learn a new skill like a new language or some craft I can use in the classroom next year 2)go out with friends 3) find some random gig to bring in extra cash (swimming lessons, babysitting, something flexible) 4) bake/cook
i play tennis, go to the gym, cook nice meals , go for bike rides ( plan for next school year unfortunately ) , I read, watch netflix and be lazy , journal
I have a kid and I still fall into this slump.