Coming back from a vacation is hard,. You are no longer in the routine of school and may find it hard to get yourself back on track. It can be especially hard to be motivated to return to a highly technical major, such as clinical laboratory scientist programs. Luckily, there are ways to keep yourself intellectually stimulated on or after vacation that will make it much easier for you to adjust back to school when you return.

Visit Museums and Sites

One of the best and most interesting ways to stay intellectually stimulated during a vacation is to learn something. Most places where you would go on vacation have some kind of museums, historical sites or other fun places to visit that you can do in addition to relaxing on the beach or going out to dinner. You can pick and choose what interests you so going to these places ends up feeling more like having fun than going on a school field trip. The act of learning new things can help you mentally prepare to return to a school setting.

Read

Reading is a favorite vacation pastime, and even if you’re only reading genre fiction or comic books rather than Shakespeare, it still stimulates your brain and analytical capabilities. Read whatever interests you—it still keeps your brain able to comprehend and process written information that you’ll need to be able to do once you’re back in class.

Play Trivia Games

Whether you’re on vacation with your family or your friends, you can play little trivia or memory games, which keep your brain active and thinking. Again, these can be based off things that interest you and are fun, like Star Wars, rather than the periodic table or mathematical formulas. For even better results, analyze, debate and discuss subjects you are interested in, whether it’s sports or TV shows. These are all skills you use and develop in school as well.

Set Goals

When having to go back to school after a vacation, motivating yourself to get back into your schoolwork can be hard. A good way to combat this is to set goals for yourself. Do you want to join a new club? Devote a certain amount of time each night to studying? Establish a better sleep schedule? Want to tackle more credits next semester? Making goals and achieving them is a very solid way to get you back into the swing of things.

Vacations, especially extended ones, can put a damper on your brain, but it’s definitely a good thing to take some time off every once in a while to have fun and recharge. However, if you can keep yourself mentally stimulated while having fun, you’ll be able to get back in school hitting the ground running.

Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband.