What is it about summer that entices us toward self care? More so than any other time of year or season, we practice self care rituals during the summer months. Usually we do this without even realizing it. Think about it. Your favorite parts of summer probably have some link to taking care of yourself and finding balance. Today, I’d like to explore this idea of summer time self care and make a few suggestions for continuing these practices throughout the year.
Vacation
Let’s start with a biggie. Most of us go on vacation during the summer months. And I’d hazard a guess that most of us are also excited for whatever vacation we choose. Now, there are some years where the destination or plans may be less awe inducing than others, especially if you have a family, but for the most part we choose vacations we WANT to go on. Doesn’t matter if your particular jam is camping, trekking, beach-going, or discovering a new city, the point is that you sat down and picked an activity or destination you want to experience. Anticipating something fun is a form of self care.
True story, I grew up about two miles from Lake Erie. So, my family never went on beach vacations because the beach was right there. After we were married, my husband wanted to go on a beach vacation because he grew up in a different town and that’s what his family did. We went, and I hated it. Packing up all that gear and having to deal with cooking some of my own meals? It wasn’t my idea of fun. But give me a new city to explore, and I am jazzed.
Changes in routine are also self care. Time off from work and the hustle and bustle of day to day life is there to recharge our batteries. My husband and I have been on several other beach vacations and I have learned not only to appreciate them, but to look forward to them. They are simple trips that don’t involve the stress of an airport and I have learned some hacks that help with both packing and cooking. And, I especially enjoy that I only have one responsibility on a beach, and that’s to relax. Those beach trips are there to force me to slow down.
It’d be easy for me to say, just plan your vacation for another time. But that ain’t reality for the majority of us. School and activity schedules make it hard. It’s not to say that you can’t plan a bit of something for yourself every once in awhile, though. Maybe block out a weekend for a friend’s trip somewhere within driving distance. Block out some time to check out things in your local area. When was the last time you went to the downtown museum or saw a local play? It doesn’t have to be the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum or Hamilton on Broadway to be fun. The point is more to pick something you’d like to do, actually make the plan to do it on a specific day, and then do it.
Food and Exercise
Summertime is amazing for our Physical Health Dimensions. Everybody is outside doing something. Even those of us who live in the hot and humid climates still tend to get outside more during the summer. Whether you have a yard to take care of or you are coaching your littles’ tee ball team, warm air and sunshine beckon us out doors. And there are tons of studies out there detailing the benefits of being outside. Any excuse to move your body is a choice to take care of your body.
And summer food. How many other times during the year do you see kids excited for fresh fruit and vegetables? But give a kid watermelon wedges and fresh corn on the cob and watch it disappear. Or take a kid berry picking and see what percentage actually makes it home with you. Because the weather is hot, we have a tendency to want to eat lighter. Which means we naturally pick up more fruit and veggies. Things that are fresh and colorful offer the most self care benefits.
Again, it’d be easy for me to say, just be outside and eat fresh produce the rest of the year. I live in a climate where the seasons change eventually to cold and snow. It is hard to be outside when that much more gear is involved and it can also be tough to eat fresh when you just want macaroni and cheese. But, again, you have choices. Get out and involved with that snowball fight or make it a point to take a walk when Mother Nature grants that one warmer January day. As for fruits and veggies, make friends with the frozen section in the grocery store. Make sure to get a variety of colors as much as possible and try to eat seasonally. True story, strawberries taste their best in May and June for a reason.
Sunshine
I touched on this a bit above, but there is something about seeing the sun that just makes us feel amazing. From a personal standpoint, I love outdoor workouts and the second I can be outside to walk or jog in the spring, I am. I and try to keep a workout or two outside until it’s just too gross. You don’t have to get your sweat on outside, though. We all feel more alive after we’ve been out in the sun for a bit.
For all of you who live with the cold and dreariness that winter can bring, I feel ya. The specific physics of Lake Erie meant that the clouds often hung around right on the lakeshore and we could go weeks in the winter without a sunny day. It wasn’t until I went away to college and I was surprised at how much sun other places could get even when it was cold that I realized how important the sun is. So, if you are dreading the weather where you live four, five, six months from now, just a couple of minutes a few times a week can make a big difference. Go out, lift your face to the sun and let it warm and care for you.
Pace of Life
The pace of life just seems slower in the summer. I’m not sure it actually is, but there is this unspoken knowledge that everything will just get done. It doesn’t hurt that the amount of daylight during the summer increases. I mean, when you have more of your twenty-four hour day spent with Mother Nature lighting the way, you can’t help but make the most of it. And, paradoxically, we very seldom feel rushed to do anything. Maybe the realization that there will be plenty of daylight/time just relaxes the frenetic energy we tend to have at other times of the year. But stopping to enjoy our days, even when chores are involved, is definitely self care.
This pace of life situation definitely takes the most mindfulness to practice during the rest of the year. And maybe those mindfulness practices are the best way to keep your energy balanced and flowing, too. Take a few minutes every day to meditate or journal. Slow down the speed with which you are completing tasks, especially things like eating. Enjoy what is going on around you at present and don’t worry about what you have to finish. You can always turn on a light!
Self care is something that we rarely think about until it’s almost too late. Except in the summer. So, let’s take some of those things we love about summer and find ways to continue those self care patterns through the year.
Until next time, be well friends!
