{"id":8062,"date":"2026-08-31T09:08:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8062"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:08:57","slug":"harriette-cole-i-didnt-get-a-summer-break-and-im-scared-ill-burn-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8062","title":{"rendered":"Harriette Cole: I didn’t get a summer break and I’m scared I’ll burn out"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR HARRIETTE:<\/strong> I am entering my junior year of college. For the first time in my life, I was away from home for the summer, opting to stay in New York City for the break.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: I don\u2019t buy the excuse that they\u2019re students. They were rude.<\/a><\/p>\n

I spent the summer working and didn\u2019t necessarily get the break that I am used to. For the next two weeks, I am training every single day until 7 p.m. for my on-campus job, then classes start the following week.<\/p>\n

I am scared that I won\u2019t perform like I normally do during the semester due to having had no real time off. How can I prevent burnout as the semester begins?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Scared Student<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR SCARED STUDENT:<\/strong> Welcome to the real world. You have entered the world of working adults.<\/p>\n

Rarely do adults get lengthy time off from their jobs \u2014 at least in the United States. You have to find other ways to refresh yourself since lazing around and chilling were not options. Guess what? You can do it.<\/p>\n

For starters, begin an exercise routine that will keep your blood moving and your body energized. Eat healthy, not heavy, salty or sweet. Make smart decisions about eating, exercise and the company you keep. Write things down \u2014 including all major tasks each day so you can keep track of your responsibilities and progress. You can do it!<\/p>\n

DEAR HARRIETTE:<\/strong> My teenage daughter broke up with her first boyfriend, and she\u2019s having a tough time getting over him.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been almost a year, and she still talks about him incessantly and says he was the love of her life. I have told her many times that she is 16 years old, and she has so much time to meet other people who will love her more. She always replies that this can\u2019t be possible because her ex is the only person for her.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: August 31, Princess Diana dies in Paris tunnel crash<\/a><\/p>\n

She constantly brings up memories from their relationship and talks about how much she misses him. She still looks at old pictures of them and sometimes gets upset when she thinks about the fact that they are no longer together.<\/p>\n

I have tried to remind her that first heartbreaks can feel especially painful, but I don\u2019t think she believes me when I tell her these feelings will fade eventually.<\/p>\n

How can I get my daughter to move on without upsetting her? I want to see my daughter happy again.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Paralyzed<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR PARALYZED<\/strong>: The end of a first love can be devastating, and the long-term effects can be much more impactful than one might imagine.<\/p>\n

I remember when my high school boyfriend broke up with me. I took to my bed for what felt like a month. I stopped eating. Mainly, I cried. All these years later, I still remember. It took time, but I got over it \u2014 but not without trying to convince him to take me back, an act of desperation that was not pretty.<\/p>\n

My best advice to you is to get your daughter a therapist. Put her in the company of a professional who can help her contemplate everything that happened between the two of them and everything else that is going on in her life.<\/p>\n

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c\/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Three-story data center proposed for San Jose industrial site<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: A year later, my teen is still mourning her break-up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nHarriette Cole: I didn’t get a summer break and I’m scared I’ll burn out - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Harriette Cole: I didn’t get a summer break and I’m scared I’ll burn out - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Plus: A year later, my teen is still mourning her break-up.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-31T09:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Harriette Cole: I didn’t get a summer break and I’m scared I’ll burn out\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T09:08:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062\"},\"wordCount\":625,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/934295b22278f63640af5eb98e8b862d.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=8062\",\"name\":\"Harriette Cole: I didn’t get a summer break and I’m scared I’ll burn out - 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