For many of us, summer feels like a break from the daily grind – no school, longer days, sunshine, and summer vacations. For others, the sudden shift in seasons can bring uncertainty and trigger a subtle sense of anxiety. The routines and structures that directed us during the winter months are suddenly gone, leaving us left to manage increased free time and expectations. Just because summer can feel more laid-back doesn’t mean finding a routine needs to feel like an overwhelming chore. The goal is to build a routine that supports both fun and recreation while also providing your need for stability.
Why Routines Matter
Summer can often feel uncertain, and this challenges our brain’s need for predictability. In counselling, we can look at routines and structure as a form of scaffolding. When life feels predictable, our nervous system can relax because it isn’t constantly trying to guess what’s next or create an outcome that hasn’t happened yet. Being able to maintain routine during summer months can decrease daily stress and anxiety, reduce experiences of fatigue, and can provide a framework to use as an anchor if things start to feel chaotic. When you intentionally design your day, you ensure that self-care isn’t just something you fit in if you have the time, you prioritize the time and it becomes a non-negotiable part of your day.
Summer Challenges
It’s easy to write out routines and say that we’ll stick to them, but maintaining that baseline structure between June and September isn’t without challenges. Often, we fall into the trap of feeling obligated to say “yes” to every invite we receive. Whether it’s BBQ’s, road trips, weekends away, or patio invites, our personal time can be used up very quickly leaving our social battery drained and us feeling exhausted. Summer can create added pressure, and the presence of social media can expose insecurities and perpetuate comparison amongst others and the fear of missing out – leaving us feeling the need to fully maximize every day.
Tips for Creating Sustainable Routines
The goal of creating summer routines is to build a framework that is sustainable and easy to follow. Developing a complex routine might be too difficult to maintain so keep things simple and realistic.
- Swap “Rules” for “Anchors”: Instead of planning and structuring your day down to every minute, think of two non-negotiable habits to anchor your day. This could be a screen free morning, coffee on the porch, evening journalling, stretches, or exercise. The middle of your day might fluctuate but these anchors can help keep you grounded.
- “Micro-dose” Self-Care: Self-care practices doesn’t have to require huge, time-consuming chunks of your day to be effective. Self-care is more about the intention of your practice rather than the duration. Taking 5-minutes to do a body scan, feel the grass under your feet, or focus and tune into the sounds around you can be a powerful somatic or body-based tool that help calm an overactive or elevated nervous system.
- Schedule Empty Slots Within Your Day: Creating routine and structure doesn’t have to mean filling your schedule every day. In fact, it might be more beneficial to “block off” chunks of your day that aren’t dedicated or assigned to anything. Whether a spontaneous event comes up or you feel the need for some extra rest, you have the time to utilize for your needs without sacrificing other things.
When Do Disrupted Routines Start to Impact Our Health?
Experiencing changes in your routine over the summer holidays is totally normal, and feeling some of the impacts is expected. However, if you are someone who thrives on structure and you find that it’s completely missing or disrupted for weeks on end, it can start to take a toll on your mental health and overall well-being. Here are a few warning signs to watch out for:
- Increased irritability and/or sudden mood changes.
- Low motivation, persistent brain fog, trouble concentrating, lack of energy or experiencing chronic fatigue.
- Disrupted sleep patterns and decreased quality of sleep
- Changes to eating habits
- Unexplained aches and pains or muscle stiffness
If you start to notice these signs it could mean you’ve been without an anchor for too long, and your brain and body are alerting you to focus energy inwards and bring yourself back to baseline.
Key Takeaways
Summer holidays don’t have to mean completely abandoning your routine, but it also doesn’t have to be overly complicated to maintain a baseline. A few key take aways include:
- Flexibility is Strength: Don’t create a routine that is too ridged to maintain. Set your anchors and allow flexibility for the rest of it.
- Listen to Your Body: If you start to notice any of the symptoms listed above, pay attention to them. Your body is telling you to slow down or you’re working too hard. Normalize slowing down and applying intentional practice to your days.
- ‘No’ is a complete sentence: You aren’t obligated to accept every invitation, and you don’t need to exhaust yourself trying to do it all. Saying “no” to a social event or invite isn’t letting anyone down, it’s a way to exercise your boundaries and engage in intentional self-care practices.
A healthy summer routine doesn’t have to feel restricting, and it isn’t about needing to do it all. It’s about building a framework of balance that allows you the space to enjoy the things you want to, and the space to care for your own needs without a shred of guilt. If your feeling stuck with building a routine or aren’t sure how to get started, counselling can be a great way to gain the tools needed to start creating your summer framework.
The content in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider before trying new healthcare protocols.
Mike Seguin
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