finding balance in the busy summer months

As you gear up for the fun and exciting events of summer, it’s especially necessary to carve out time for you.

As social calendars start to get filled with travel plans, summer happy hours, and late night events, summer can easily become an exhausting time of year. The key to not getting overwhelmed by the summer frenzy is to learn how to manage your commitments while also finding time for yourself so that you can feel balanced all throughout the season. Doing so will help you enjoy all that summer has to offer while keeping your mental health a priority.

Here are some tips to help you keep cool as the temperature rises.

1. Schedule time for self-care. Think about the relaxing activities you enjoy doing and intentionally find time in your calendar to add those activities in. If you can, it may help to block off time for those activities first before adding in any other ones. You can even color code different types of events in your calendar, allowing you to make sure that you have enough self-care color blocks added in throughout the week.
2. Write down and schedule your to-dos. An ongoing to-do list running through your head can easily lead you to feel overwhelmed by all that you have to do, and it can be difficult to keep up with everything. An easy trick when you feel overwhelmed by your never-ending to-do list is to take a minute and write it out. Getting the thoughts out of your head and onto a paper in front of you can enable you to feel more in control of your thoughts and your upcoming needs. We often find that writing the to-do list out enables you to see that it’s more manageable than it once felt.
3. Make the most of your free time. Often, it may feel impossible to find any time for yourself. But we encourage you to carve out pockets of time a day to recharge, even if that means taking 5 minutes to walk to pick up your lunch. Dedicating even the smallest bit of time to recharge can reduce stress, improve mood, and enable you to think more clearly.
4. Planning ahead and being proactive. When you’re feeling limited on time, it can feel really stressful to make sure your priorities and needs are being met. Being proactive is a helpful way to alleviate some of that stress. For example, if you know you’re going away for the weekend, identify which day is best to get organized to avoid the night-before stress of packing. If you’re going to be away all weekend and are worried about getting groceries for the week, then prepare by ordering groceries for Sunday night delivery. Recognize what’s creating the most stress for you and determine if there is any room for flexibility in your plans or small ways to reduce some of the mental burden.
5. Set boundaries to protect your time and energy during a busy summer. Sometimes, you may feel like you “have to” attend a certain activity, but recognizing your own limits will help you feel more in control of your life and reduce stress. Identifying your boundaries will be beneficial in prioritizing your own needs instead of flooding your time and energy with the needs of others. By putting yourself first, you can make more time for what brings you joy and makes you feel your best.

As you consider what to put in place to help you preserve your time and energy this summer, remember that you have your own unique needs and preferences. Your summer should be about what works best for you and less about doing what works for others. The most important thing is to really try listening to your body and focusing on what you need and desire.

So tell us, what are some of the things that can help you create more balance and peace this summer?

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