8 Signs of Functional Freeze and How to Break Free From The Cycle
December 1, 2024
Hello everyone and happy official summer! Summer is one of my favorite seasons, the weather is beautiful (if not a little hot at times), the sun is shining, and our schedules are filled with so many fun things to do. Whether you’re in the middle of an amazing summer vacation, going to barbecues, or spending time with loved ones, I hope your summer is off to an amazing start.
While this time of year can be filled with so many fun things. It can also be very busy, with little time to focus on our self-care. What if instead of letting our self-care fall to the wayside, we used summer as an opportunity to embrace it fully. What if we used this time to try new things, and build habits that help us feel like our favorite version of ourselves? What would be different if you started focusing more on nourishing your body, mind and soul through a self-care practice?
If you are interested in learning more about Self-Care Summer, I’ve got you!
Whether you’re a student or teacher and you’re on summer break, or you’re a busy mom with the kids home from school, summer is the perfect time to up your self-care game. The days are longer, the weather is warmer and and you likely have a little more time on your hands. Self-care is crucial for managing anxiety, depression, reducing stress, maintaining overall well being and helping you show up the way you want in the world. It’s an amazing way to nurture your mind, body and soul and create the best conditions for you to connect with yourself on a deeper level.
As a holistic therapist, I’m passionate about self-care and living in alignment with the seasons. Different times of year lend themselves better to different types of self-care. Summer energy tends to be very fast and fun, adjusting your self-care routine to reflect this energy can have amazing benefits. So my invitation to you this summer is to create some time to focus on yourself, and establish or revitalize your regular self-care routine. Make summer self-care a priority and have your best summer yet!
You heard it here first, it’s officially Self-Care Summer. Summertime is the perfect time for outdoor living, enjoying the fresh air, and soaking up some vitamin d. Summer can be a super busy time for a lot of people. Whenever life gets busy, it can become particularly difficult to prioritize our self-care and often times our mental health starts to decline without us even noticing. Keep reading for 21 of my favorite summer self-care tips to keep you on track and make this summer epic!
Vision boards can be such an amazing way to make intentional choices about the life we want to live. If you find yourself having a little more time over summer and want to focus on setting the vibe, carve out some time to make a summer vision board. This could include places you want to visit, books you want to read, quotes about how you want to feel and so much more. Make it something beautiful that you love to look at each day. If you’ve never made a vision board before check out this post on Oprah’s website for some great ways to get started.
Research has shown that predicting positive events can help reduce stress levels. Other studies show anticipation and experiences can often be more beneficial for happiness than buying goods and services. Keep this in mind when making your summer bucket lists. Whether you want to take a camping trip with friends, do some solo traveling, learn a new hobby, go to a concert, or watch a movie in the backyard creating your perfect list of summer activities is the perfect way to have the best summer. Once you have your bucket list, schedule the activities into your planner so you will be more likely to follow through with them.
Make a summer playlist is a great way to set the vibe for the season. Pick some songs that make you feel good. If you are struggling to find songs, reach out to some friends and ask what some of their favorites are right now.
This season is an excellent time to try something new. Incorporating a mindfulness practice can help you connect to yourself on a deeper level. You might experience more gratitude, joy, and feel grounded in the present moment. I refer to mindfulness as a practice because it isn’t something you will ever perfect. If you are interested in how to start a mindfulness practice, I have a blog post all about how to create a mindful morning routine and a beginners guide to mediation with a beautiful mindfulness exercise you can try. I also have an eBook called The Good Mood Guide to Nutrition and Mindfulness that is jam packed with all my favorite mindfulness practices and tips. As a holistic therapist, I believe mindfulness is one of the best ways to improve our mental health throughout the entire year. Try carving out time for mindful moments throughout your day and notice any shifts that might arise as a result of them.
For a lot of the clients I work with, summer can be a particularly challenging time to stay motivated and intentional. Starting your day by setting an intention or writing down a few things you want to accomplish can be such a great way to stay motivated and have a balanced approach to productivity. There are so many amazing journals with prompts out there to help you if you prefer a more structured approach to journaling. One of my favorite journals is The 5 Minute Journal.
Reading is an amazing way to reduce stress, improve brain function and provide a healthy escape. Whether you want a nice fictional read or a self-help book, carve out some time to curl up with a good book this summer, your mental health will thank you.
Sound bath’s are one of my favorite self-care ideas that I incorporate regularly into my week. Whether you go to an in person sound bath or do one online, you will walk away feeling a deeper sense of calm. You can find some of my favorite sound baths available for purchase here. She also has a ton of free ones available on her instagram. If you’re doing one at home, listen to it outside in the fresh air for even more benefits.
With this busy season comes a great opportunity to build healthy habits. Cutting back on screen time is a great idea for reducing stress, and comparison. It can also lead to deepened connections, better sleep and less anxiety. Pick a day or time that works for you and honor your commitment to yourself to indulge in some tech free time.
Even if you aren’t religious, creating time to tap into your spirituality is a beautiful exercise for your self-care plan and mental health. Meditation, yoga and breath work are some amazing non-secular ways to connect to your spiritual self. I have a whole blog post on breath work for mental health that you can read if you don’t know where to start.
As a nutritional therapy practitioner, I am a firm believer in eating with the seasons and prioritizing healthy, nourishing foods in our diets. Summer has beautiful fresh produce. Head to your local farmer’s market to get some seasonal produce and look up some new recipes that highlight summer ingredients.
Taking time to make seasonal, fresh, and nourishing meals can be an amazing summer self-care practice. If you need some seasonal recipe inspo you can do a recipe swap with friends, get a cookbook or check out some of the good mood recipes I have saved on Pinterest that look good. I also have an eBook that features 25 healthy, good mood recipes to get you feeling your best this summer.
Drinking more water is crucial to your mental health and physical health. Some studies have shown that when you are dehydrated you are more likely to feel anxious or depressed. During warmer weather, staying hydrated is even more important as our hydration needs tend to increase. A great way to drink more water is to spruce it up a bit. You can drink still or sparkling water and add fresh herbs, and fruit to make your very own at home spa water. Smoothies are another summer staple that help keep you feeling full and hydrated. One of my favorite hydration tips is to drink electrolytes daily. I absolutely love LMNT electrolytes, but if you don’t want to buy one more thing you can also sprinkle a little Himalayan pink salt in your water for a natural electrolyte. If you are going to be out of the house a lot make sure to pack a water bottle.
During the summer season, the temperature is warmer, the sun is shining and it’s easy to spend more time outdoors. Here are some of my favorite outdoor activities to try this summer.
One of my favorite summer self-care activities is to watch the sunrise or sunset. It’s a beautiful way to practice presence, sync your circadian rhythms (hello amazing sleep), and get to soak in all the beauty of the nature around you. Carving out 10-15 minutes once a week or when time allows, to experience a sunrise or sunset is the perfect summer self-care.
Walking on the beach during the warmer months is a great way to get grounded and practice mindfulness. If you live near a beach I highly recommend making a beach stroll a priority whenever possible. If the beach isn’t nearby, head to a local nature trail. Focus on the beauty around you, the sounds of nature and breathe in some fresh air while soaking up that mood boosting vitamin d.
Spending time by the water is one of my favorite activities in the summer. It’s so refreshing and calming. If you can’t get out to a beach, visit a lake or your local pool. Some research has shown that being near “Blue Spaces” aka water has been linked to stronger mental, and physical health. The research even suggests that it might lead to improved social interactions, better brain health, enhanced physical activity and less stress.
Staying connected to your loved ones amidst a busy schedule is not only a great way to boost your mood, but it’s a great way to spread summer joy. Research has shown that social connectedness helps “promote overall well being.” When we have a strong support system, and feel connected to other people we are less likely to feel anxious or depressed. Reach out to some loved ones you’ve been missing. If you can’t see them in person send them a text, schedule a FaceTime or keep it old school and send them a summer postcard. In this modern age it can be difficult to slow down. Incorporating an old tradition like a postcard is a great way to practice intentionality, and get in touch to share our lives with those we love.
Summer is the perfect time to be a little more social. Whether you have a ton of friends that you want to make plans with, or you are wanting to expand your friend circle. Summer is the perfect time to do it. Consider planning a trip together, trying a new hobby, or even joining a softball or kickball league to make new friends.
Getting all of your friends or family together is a perfect way to celebrate the warmer weather. Whether you want to have a pool party, or host a dance party getting together with loved ones is a summer must. Some of my favorite ways to prioritize spending time with friends or family is to host a book club, a craft night or a cookbook dinner club.
While travel and frequent vacations are lovely during the summer, it’s not always possible for everyone. If you find yourself wanting to switch up your environment, a staycation is an amazing way to do that. If your finances and schedule allow, you can plan a trip where you can go explore somewhere a nearby town or hotel or even try camping. If that’s not available to you, you can even create a mini vacation at home. If you do choose to stay at home make sure to refrain from doing an household chores, or things you wouldn’t be able to do on a vacation. Really allow yourself to act as if you are on vacation and do things that fill up your should. Whether that’s exercises, lounging on the couch with a good book, staying up late watching movies or stargazing. Really get intentional about what would help you feel refreshed. And remember, no chores!!!
Some of my favorite ways to romanticize your daily routine include:
This article contains some affiliate links. All of the products I shared, I use and LOVE. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9560615/
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/resources/nutrition-education-materials/seasonal-produce-guide
Holistic Therapist, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Yoga Instructor in Elk Grove, California.
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