The last month of summer vacation has arrived. Whether you are traveling abroad during your summer break or staying home, it is very important to recharge well for the new academic year. Sabine Geurts, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology, explains how you can best do this as a student. "You want students to be able to truly relax and completely disconnect from the study stress they have experienced during the summer vacation," says Sabine Geurts. Sabine Geurts: . Ik vind het heel verdrietig om te zien dat zoveel studenten veel stress en prestatiedruk ervaren. Probeer daar in de vakantie enigzins van los te komen om weer opgeladen aan het nieuwe collegejaar te beginnen.' This is important because 40% of students show symptoms of burnout, according to research from the Healthy Student Life project which Geurts leads together with her colleague Jacqueline Vink. "This situation is concerning. Our goal with Healthy Student Life is to support a healthy student life, improve student well-being, and contribute to a successful and meaningful study period. Therefore, it is all the more important for students to tap into new sources of energy during the summer period to start the new academic year with more enthusiasm." Tip 1: Get out of your personal environmentGeurts has previously researched whether you can recharge better by going on vacation or staying home. Geurts: "People recover better when they go on vacation. But, of course, not every student can afford this financially. That's why I especially encourage getting out of your personal environment for a while. Spending a week at your parents' house or going to Lowlands with friends can also greatly help you recharge. To better disconnect from study stress, it’s good to be away from the place where you study."Tip 2: Move as much as possibleFortunately, Geurts sees in the results of the Healthy Student Life study that students generally engage in sports quite a lot. Geurts: "Keep doing that during the summer period. Or use the summer vacation to intensify your exercise. We know from research that exercising more intensely brings positive effects: it releases antidepressant hormones in your brain, giving you a sense of happiness. It helps you shift your thoughts. And you often feel good about yourself after exercising."If you experience burnout symptoms, super intense exercise is often not the solution. Geurts: "But moving outdoors is especially nice. Walking or very gentle jogging in nature is a proven effective way to get rid of mental fatigue, shift your thoughts, and experience relaxation."Tip 3: Tap into new sources of energyThe holiday period is also a time when, as a student, you finally have time to do something you've long wanted to do but couldn't because of exams, classes, and deadlines. "Like finally testing your new camera or signing up to do volunteer work."It's not a problem if this is study-related. Geurts: "As long as it is accompanied by intrinsic motivation and you choose it yourself. For example, if you want to delve deeper into statistics and have the time and desire to learn more about it through YouTube tutorials during the summer, this also counts as recharging."Tip 4: Use your holiday period to prepare for the new academic yearGeurts: "In our research on employees, we see that it’s very difficult to maintain the vacation feeling when you go back to work. You actually lose this recharged vacation feeling in your first few workdays. The transition from a long summer period to your first week of classes can also be tough for students. The study stress immediately returns."Geurts recommends using your holiday period to prepare for what’s to come in the new academic year. "Do I need to order certain literature? What does my academic year look like? This provides a softer landing in September and allows you to maintain the restorative activities from the vacation."This story is part of Recharge's summer series, where readers get the chance to ask scientists a question themselves. The Recharge editorial team then talks to scientists from Radboud University to gather answers. This time the question was: how can students best recharge during the summer vacation? 4o Contact information Contact Prof. S.A.E. Geurts (Sabine) Organizational unit Faculty of Social Sciences