There are songs written about the joys of summer. Laundry commercials show people running thru a field of flowers on a bright sunny day. Social media is ablaze with families enjoying their boats and vacation homes. We wait nearly 10 months for the hustle and bustle of school mornings to turn into leisurely routines, the homework to end and the freedom of no longer waiting in line during after school pickup. Grocery shopping is an endless attack of picnics, beach days, camping and cookouts. Summer is carefree and blissful; filled with fun, sun, family and friends.
But what about when it’s not? What do we do if there’s an overwhelming feeling of loneliness? What happens when we see others enjoying their summertime activities and it makes us sad? Summertime Blues is a real thing. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder effects one percent of all SAD sufferers. However, you don’t have to have R-SAD to feel the effects of the Summertime Blues. Psychology Today refers to the research suggestion that the difference in melatonin production, staying up later and the drastic change in temperature could be a few of the reasons we can suffer from a drastic change of mood in the warmer months.
While we know that we can’t change the weather, we can change how we approach the season and how we react to how we feel. It’s important to make a point to acknowledging your emotions. Recognize and define the feelings you’re having. Is it loneliness? Is it the fear of missing out on something? Is it just a “blah” feeling? Now take steps to overcome those feelings and minimize the summertime blues.
Here we have gathered some tips and activities to combat and hopefully eliminate some of those feelings. Taking into account that it may take physical, mental and spiritual changes or activities to feel more energized, upbeat and happier. Try a few of our suggestions, or come up with some ideas on your own that help push you in to a happier place!
1) Outdoor yoga. Breathe in the fresh air, listen to the sounds around you, feel the warmth of the sun. Yoga is a practice that helps you calm your mind, meditate and focus on you! This can be very calming, yet at the same time, very energizing and can put you in a great mood for the rest of the day.
2) Making a summer bucket list. Write down new activities you want to try, places you want to go, foods you want to eat. Set an actual date that you can and want to do them on. Then choose which ones you would like company with. Reach out and invite someone to join you. This will give you days to look forward to and help increase excitement and joy leading up to the activity.
3) Make a bedtime and stick to it. We all tend to stay up later in the summer months because the sun goes down later. This can throw off our circadian rhythm and we may not be getting the actual amount of sleep we need which greatly affects our mood. So set your bedtime. And stick to it.
4) Make your bed! Summer is so easy breezy. Many people will slack on simple tasks because they “can be done later.” If you wake up and immediately make your bed then you can already check that off of your to-do list and that feeling of accomplishment can carry you throughout the day making you more productive. That feeling of accomplishment will make you feel more joyous.
5) Exercise. Yes, we hate hearing it sometimes but the old adage is true. An active body makes a happier mind. It gets those endorphins pumping, brightening your mood. So, sign up for that class you’ve been wanting try, go for a jog, take a swim or hit the gym. Just get moving.
6) Join a social club. Whether it be a book club, a biking club, a knitting club, a card club or any other interest you have… there’s likely a club for it. Find a group of people interested in the same things you are. It forces you to get out of the house and meet new people while conversing about things that you’re interested in.
7) Go to church! It doesn’t necessarily need to be church, but dive deeper spiritually. Connecting and being around like-minded believers, no matter your religion, will help you to have an overwhelming feeling of community, support and joy.
8) Volunteer. Redirecting our vision from our own problems to those of others can help put things into perspective and humble ourselves. Humility and gratitude go a long way in our journey to true happiness.
9) Be the host. Whether it’s a small group of 3 or a larger gather of 15-20, choose to host a get together. Many people wait for the invite and if it doesn’t happen, we can start to feel down and excluded. The fact is, summertime is a time that everyone is doing something, somewhere. There just might not be an invitation coming your way because things are out of town or with the other side of the family, etc… So be the host, be the destination. Enjoy the company and fellowship, and the fact that you made the get-together happen.
10) Give yourself a break. Summer is a time when everyone is expected to be happy and full of energy. If you’re just not there, the pressure to be happy can compact and compound our negative feelings. So, give yourself a break if you’re feeling down today. Do little that give you little spurts of joy. Paint your toes, water your flowers, play with your dog. Find little ways to energize yourself and be proud of those things.
11) Give social media a break. Remove the apps from your phone, shut off notifications, do what you need to do to give yourself a break from social media. People make their lives look fabulous and happy on social media. They don’t post the fact that they got into an argument about setting up the tent, that dad burnt the steaks on the grill or that mom didn’t pack anyone’s swimwear. As much as we don’t recognize it, we are constantly comparing our lives with what we see on social media. So, give it a break and look for the beauty in the world around you.
12) Practice positive talk. What you speak out on a regular basis is what is on the inside of you. If you speak positivity and happiness, you will eventually feel more positive and happier. Go ahead and try!