Maintaining Mental Health Practices in the Summer Months
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: Ecclesiastes 3:1
So it’s summer in the west, and summer generally makes people feel a little happier. The sun is shining for longer periods of time. Children are out of school. Families are not as stressed managing drop-offs, pick-ups, homework, etc. Some are even able to take some time off to go on a vacation. So people tend to feel better about life.
These downtimes can also reveal that you’ve been doing way too much. Holding on to too much stress. And that you’ve been overwhelmed for a while, but you’ve ignored all the signals and have been pushing yourself to manage everything.
Perhaps this is a good time to train your body on what to do when it’s too much. Perhaps this season can be a good place to create some strategies for the future to help you better manage stress and the multiple things you handle in your day to day.
Here are some recommendations for when life is too much and you’re overwhelmed:
Take a step back and tend to your needs.
Take some deep breaths. Do the box breathing method.
Breathe in for 4 seconds.
Hold it for 4.
Exhale for 4.
Hold and pause for another 4 seconds.
Create brief naps in your daily schedule. A 15-20 minute nap can make a world of a difference. Maybe you can’t nap; just take the time to quiet your mind.
Do something physical for your body daily. Maybe you need a walk. Lift some weights. Do some Yoga. Take a pilates class.
Delegate some things on your schedule even if it’s not done as you would do it.
Have one day of the week where your calendar is NOT full.
When it comes to trauma healing, timing is everything. You can’t force healing. You can’t speed up the healing journey. There will be moments of great progress, and there will be moments where you feel like you’ve regressed. The best thing to do to keep progressing in your healing journey is to take it step by step, one day at a time, doing a little at a time.
There is a time for everything, and rest is a necessary component to your survival and to you flourishing.
Enjoy creating restful and easeful rhythms for yourself this summer.