Image Credit: Me catching some very gnarly waves, circa 2011.

At the end of the last academic year, I found myself feeling rather burnt out. A combination of second-year exam stress and an abundance of fun, but time-consuming, hobbies left me feeling that life was somewhat relentless, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

“Assessment marks and feedback now available.” “What’s the plan after uni?” “You should have started saving for your first home by now.” “Your £9.99 subscription auto-renews unless you cancel.” “Unfortunately, we have decided to proceed with another candidate.” “Practice French now or you’ll lose your 38 day streak!” “Get off your phone!” “AI!” “Another bill!” “Stop worrying!” 

Our uber-connected modern lifestyles and over-thinking mindsets can make it feel like people, places and things are constantly demanding our attention, consideration or permission.

It can be difficult to truly feel at peace and switch off when we are constantly connected to each other. Even when we’re meant to be relaxing, our perpetual access to uni or work-related emails, notifications and tasks can make us feel that the lines between structured productivity time and unstructured relaxation are blurred. It’s no wonder , there is a growing trend amongst Generation Z of wanting to lead a simpler, less intense lifestyle. I believe that summer is the perfect time of year to kickstart this change.

While spring is often celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth, I have come to view summer as the real season of rejuvenation. It is the season of growth and abundance in nature, but this can also be the case for humans. The longer daylight hours stretch ahead with possibilities. Sunlight brings us vital vitamin D, which boosts our brains’ production of serotonin, improving our overall mood.

Facing my last long summer holiday in education before I enter the working world and confront the much less appealing prospect of less than a month of annual leave, I have made a commitment to myself to make the absolute most of this summer, to ‘log off’ from the pressures and responsibilities that had been playing on my mind. 

That meant striving for a more ‘analogue’ summer – but what does this actually mean? Social media slideshows encourage us to take walks in nature without headphones, playing board games with friends, creating arts and crafts and eschewing modern technology in favour of CD players and old digicams (either bought for a ridiculous price on Vinted or revived from that drawer of old gadgets that we all have in our houses). As outlined by the Miami Herald, having an analogue summer entails not only having a ‘digital detox’ but also intentionally shifting your mindset to slow down, be mindful, and prioritise joy. 

Though slowing down over summer offers some much-needed respite, the sudden loss of our normal daily structure can leave us feeling bored. Nowadays, it seems that we treat boredom as something that must be cured – more often than not, with a screen. But throughout my analogue summer, I’ve realised that not every waking second has to be crammed with information or activity. In fact, boredom can be the greatest motivator of creativity. When our minds are ‘empty’, we can let them wander and come up with new ideas. By actively choosing not to be constantly busy, I’ve rediscovered the value of quietly sitting with my thoughts and creating something out of nothing. 

The desire for a more present lifestyle is interlinked with nostalgia, in that we miss the simpler times within our own lives. Not only are we nostalgic for a time free of academic, financial and societal responsibilities, but also for a time before technology became an all-consuming and inescapable presence in our lives. “Re-connecting with your inner child” may seem like another trendy social media buzzword phrase, but it makes such a huge difference when you endeavour to live in the present and appreciate the simple beauty of life. Swapping doomscrolling for intentional, embodied activities is said to help us regulate our nervous systems, encourage creative thinking, and develop social connections, according to psychologists Jean Hanson and Amberley Meredith. But can this lifestyle shift help us to lead more calm and regulated lives beyond the summer?

In order to be more present this summer, I’ve limited my daily usage of technology, upped my physical book reading quota to attempt to fix my short attention span (my favourites so far being Andrew O’Hagan’s Caledonian Road and David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas), attempted to spend as much time outside as possible, and returned to my favourite hobbies like playing guitar and cross-stitching. All of this has left me feeling less stressed, more emotionally regulated, and as if I’m making a better use of my time off. 

And yet, I can’t help but feel that perhaps the analogue living trend is pressurising us to be productive in a different way. What do I have to show for my summer if I haven’t crocheted a bespoke piece of clothing, met my Goodreads book target or posted an aesthetically-pleasing photo collage of the quality time I’ve spent with my friends? 

We live in a society that pressures us to always be constructive and productive, even during our leisure time. It’s therefore important that we focus on the actual process of creating and experiencing things rather than thinking about the product or the outcome.

There’s no quick fix to living a more present lifestyle in a restless world. So far this summer, I’ve still scrolled more Reels than I would like to admit and grappled with pointless worries about uni and work, but I’ve realised that ‘making the most of the summer’ is less about meticulously trying to fulfil a bucket list, and more about prioritising mindfulness, de-centralising stress, and embracing nostalgia.