A Summer of Self Care
Summer is a season that feels like it flies by. There are so many plans to be made and an abundance of fun experiences to fit into the few months where good weather is practically guaranteed. Friends and family who have been hibernating all winter seem to come out of the woodwork and before you know it, your calendar is filled until September.
But what about time for yourself?! With the intense fun and vitamin D, long days, and warm nights, it seems like suddenly there are very few moments left to rest, relax, and recharge and truly enjoy the season to its fullest.
A recent study found that Americans feel relaxed for only just 40 minutes per day! Out of 1440 minutes in an entire 24 hour period, we only feel relaxed about 3% of the day. Wow. That is simply not enough time for us to be refreshed enough to reach a state of true self-care and harmony.
To combat this constant busyness and stress in our average day, we must turn to protective, proactive, and rejuvenative self-care practices. Self-care is our way of taking back some of that time and turning it inward, giving ourselves the much needed time and focus that is required to maintain our sense of personal balance and wellbeing. Proper self-care allows us to participate in all the busy seasons and moments of life, because we have preventatively taken the time to work on creating our best selves so that we can deeply enjoy life to its fullest potential. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - in order for us to be able to function properly in life we must have our basic human needs met first. These five basic needs are food, water, clothing, sleep, and shelter. When these needs are met, we can then move on to the more complex and dynamic connections in our life - safety and security, enjoyment, belonging, loving relationships, and personal esteem needs.
Self-care is especially important in the summer season, on many levels. We physically need to take care of our bodies more. During summer, we are spending more time in the heat and the sun. This means on the very basic level, we need to keep ourselves more hydrated by drinking enough water and keep our skin protected by the strong rays of the summer sun by using additional sunscreen and other SPF products and/or sun protective clothing. We need to be mindful of how many commitments and plans we take on, so that we ensure we have enough hours for restful sleep. And while traveling and doing many activities can be enjoyable, if we are constantly on the go during the summer months, our shelter needs may feel a bit disrupted and we will end up feeling stressed despite having all the fun plans.
Use this checklist to make sure your basic self-care needs are met:
Do I have a refillable water bottle with me?
Have I packed healthy snacks/meals or eaten something nourishing before I’ve left for the day?
Do I feel well rested and did I get at least 5 hours of sleep?
Do I have something warm to layer with or a way to make myself cooler or more comfortable today, clothing-wise?
Do I have plans for where I will be tonight or the next few days and the things I need to relax comfortably at night?
Moving beyond the basic needs and before getting to the more specific and nurturing forms of self-care, you may find it necessary to work on setting boundaries around your time and commitments to others and plans in order to fully invest in your self-care routine. This is an area where many people struggle. Some people are uncomfortable saying no to invitations or requests, others mistake being busy with being happy, some family cultures value overworking and self-sacrifice as prideful acts, while others mistake putting themselves first as selfish rather than self-preserving. If you want to ensure you can consistently make the time to proactively care for your mental wellbeing, you may need to protect and promote your personal time first.
Here are some ways to make the time to practice self-care by setting boundaries:
When receiving a request or an invitation, you can respond by saying “thanks for thinking of me/us, let me check my calendar and get back to you”
If you already know you have plans or do not want to accept an invitation or request right way and are struggling to say no, you can try saying “I/we can’t this time, but keep me in mind for the next time”
Sometimes a simple “sorry I’m/we’re busy that day” or “I can’t, I’m keeping my schedule light that day/this week/this month” will work and can set the tone that no explanation for your time is required
If timing is the issue and you need to make it clear that you will need to arrive late or leave early, you can say “we will be there by 10am and can stay for 2 hours” or something specific that makes it clear what time boundary you are setting
Check in with yourself before making your own plans or responding to invites - ask yourself “do I really want to do this?”, “am I doing this to make myself or someone else happy?”, or “how will I feel after I do this?” - your answer will help guide your decision
Once you’ve made sure your basic needs of sleep, food, water, clothing, and shelter are met and you’ve worked through the process of settling boundaries to protect your self-care time, you’re ready for some real interventions and strategies!
Try out these tips from our RI therapists to take care of your best self!
Spend 20-30 minutes outside daily - walking/hiking, caring for plants/animals, getting safe sun, playing outside games with friends/family, reading, yoga, etc
Plan for a daily meditative practice - silent morning meals, breathing exercises, journaling, shower meditations, nighttime guided meditation apps, anything that works where you can spend 5-20 minutes in quiet solitude with your peaceful thoughts
Socialize in person rather than virtually - if your boundaries are in a good place, summer is a great time with many opportunities to make mindful choices to attend fun events with friends and family- concerts, picnics, beach days, cookouts, bike rides, hikes, etc
If you work in a job that is slower in the summer, use this opportunity to improve your professional self with volunteering opportunities, building new skills, or taking some much needed time off for occupational reprieve
Be mindful of your social environment - summer can be a time of indulgence, so check in with yourself about your triggers related to food, substances, body image issues, clothing issues, etc - work with your therapists to identify these trigger areas in advance so you can be prepared!
Unplug from technology! Try a day without your phone or a break from certain social media apps for a month or even the season -use do not disturb functions on your phone or computer to help keep yourself committed to your tech break
Use music and the arts to connect with your creative self and your friends and family -curate and share playlists for various times of your day - your commute, your nighttime routine, your morning routine, fitness activities, dinner prep, etc
Find a new hobby - the summer is a great time to explore things that are more accessible during the warmer months - some examples are roller skating/blading, horseback riding, beach yoga, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, etc
Create a nourishing skin/body care routine - this could be an aromatherapy bath, face masks, self or professional manicures, restorative hair products, body exfoliators, etc