Why did I feel so guilty taking a break this summer?

I can confidently say that for me at least summer 2025 is over. The neighborhood is a little quieter at night. I have the urge to buy school supplies. There’s this sense that the season is coming to an end. In June, I wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish before summer ended. To tell the truth, I didn’t come close to finishing any of it. I planned to apply to fifty scholarships, post fourteen new articles, make three new networking connections and more. I thought since I was going to be at home recovering my surgery anyways, I might as well make the most of my time.

Even though I was at home all day for a month and a half, I didn’t accomplish much. I’m really struggling with that fact. I feel like I always need to be doing and working towards something. I take breaks, but never for this length of time. In the past, I’ve had a tendency to waste time, so I’m always filling my schedule. Even more so since I’m going to be a junior this fall, I feel a little more pressure to be setting myself up for senior year, and eventually post grad. Every move I make now will impact how successful I am in the future. This is true, but at the same time, I know that deep down, this break was unavoidable, and somewhat necessary. 

I needed the surgery and now was the most convenient time. Also, this semester I’m planning on working myself to the bone, to save for my semester abroad in the spring. This break felt a little inconvenient when I was sitting at home all day, but looking ahead, I don’t know when I’ll get a break like this again.

To those of you who feel like your summer was wasted, it wasn’t. No summer can truly be wasted because everyone deserves a break. We all push ourselves so much through fall, winter, and spring. Summer should be the one time where there’s no exceptions to having a break. I’m emphasizing this because the guilt you may feel for enjoying yourself this summer is understandable, but unnecessary. We shouldn’t feel guilty for letting ourselves live in the moment as opposed to solely focusing on the future. They call it “Summer Break” for a reason.

That’s all I have for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post, and happy first day of school to my readers in school. Make sure to subscribe to be notified when I drop something new. Stay sharp 😉