Summer Self Care: Building Great Habits for the School Year
As we’ve talked about in previous posts summer has its pros and cons. Sometimes there is too much time, leading you to feel aimless, unproductive, and even sometimes sad or anxious. And yes- sometimes summer is overscheduled and overwhelming.
This post is about what to do with the extra time. If you’ve got it, how about taking advantage of it in a way that not only feels good mentally and physically and emotionally, but that can help you build some habits that can help you feel better throughout the school year?
And an important note before we dive in: what we are sharing here is not for a moment meant to put any undue stress on you! This is about want to, not have to!
In other words- think about the things you wish you did during the school year to take better care of yourself, because you know you feel better when you do them.
And use your free time in the summer to strive to do more of those things!
You might choose to add just one habit that you really and truly want to adopt and that you know will make a big difference, and put all your energy into that.
Or you can choose a couple habits.
Again- this is about want to! Not have to!
To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few categories to consider:
Fitness
If you’ve been wanting to build a workout habit for awhile, summer might be the perfect time to do so! Or maybe you’re an athlete and want to build in a yoga or stretching habit to offset the stress your training puts on your body.
Whatever appeals to you, summer can be a great time to get the habit set so that when the school year starts up, you’ve come to love the feeling of a good workout and don’t want to let it go- then you will be that much more likely to find a way to make it work even during the school year!
Nutrition
Maybe an area of self-care you really want to refine is how you fuel your body.
You may find that you eat more fast food than you would like, and know you don’t feel your best when you do so.
Or you may want to be more diligent with getting all your water or servings of fruits and veggies each day. Or maybe you want to try going gluten-free or vegan, just to see how you feel on that shift.
Once again- the margin that summer might bring with it offers a little extra time to give changes like this a try!
Getting organized and/or staying organized
If your room or your closet are a mess and you wish that you could keep them more organized, summer is a great time to start working on that goal!
Everyone has their own individual tolerance for clutter, so while this may not be a goal that you care about, if you find that your mind is calmer when your surroundings are more tidier, this could be a wonderful self-care goal for your summer.
Journaling
Journaling has been shown to support positive mental wellness (check out our post about it here!), so if it’s something you find helpful, use some of that extra time you have in the summer to find yourself a beautiful journal or a favorite online journaling app, and get started!
Mental health practices like meditation or prayer
Meditation and prayer are both wonderful self-care tools for grounding and centering. We talk about one of our favorite meditation practices here if you want to check it out!
Summer can be the perfect time to get outdoors and spend a little time communing with nature while building a prayer or meditation habit!
Getting outdoors
Speaking of getting outdoors- pretty much everyone’s mental wellness benefits from some outdoor time. If you are feeling cooped up and/or like so many teens and spending many many hours just chilling on your bed with your phone or your computer and Netflix, then perhaps your mental wellness would get a boost from making it a point to spend a little time outdoors each day. This can be a walk, or just sitting on your deck or porch instead of your bed while you are on your phone! 🙂
Building important relationships
Healthy connections are one of the most important components of mental wellness. When you are purposeful about spending time with those you love, you not only can be proud of yourself for prioritizing your self-care, but you both benefit.
Tips for your self-care habit building:
Set yourself up for success by starting small
When it comes to building habits, we love James Clear’s advice in Atomic Habits to begin with small changes.
What does that mean? Consider the smallest commitment you can make and know you can stick with, and start with that small unit of change.
For example, if it’s working out, and you know for certain you can do 15 minutes a day, start there! You can always add in later, but starting with a goal you can achieve will help you build not just the habit itself, but also the confidence in your own ability to keep a commitment to yourself.
Other examples might look like:
Nutrition: start with just getting in all your water each day. Or add one serving of fruits or veggies each day.
Journaling: start with just five minutes a day of journaling.
Being organized or staying organized: maybe start with organizing your desk, and have a goal to keep just it organized. Work on that for a week or two or a month, then move to your clothes or making your bed every day.
Celebrate small wins.
Confidence breeds confidence, so every self-care goal you accomplish, make sure to acknowledge it and give yourself credit for it. Instead of seeing how far you need to go, focus on how far you’ve come- even if it’s baby steps!
Consider having an accountability buddy or group.
Your best friend or your mom or a sibling might be the perfect person to help support you as you go. An accountability buddy is simply someone you ask to check in with you regularly, or you can tell them daily how you are coming along towards your goals.
And if you don’t have someone in your life you think would make a good accountability buddy, know that our workshops can help you find someone, or a group of someones! Workshops are a chance to build new connections and a support network, so they are the perfect place to find others who want to support you to be the best you that you can be, and to feel your best where your mental wellness is concerned!
Find out more and stay updated as to upcoming workshops by signing up for emails below, or following us on Instagram!
