10 Small Ways to Make this the Least Stressful Summer of Your Life

10 Small Ways to Make this the Least Stressful Summer of Your Life“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
Sydney J. Harris

“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
Bruce Lee

Summer is here after – what at least in Sweden was a long and dreary – winter and spring.

And for many it’s a time of vacation and of recharging the batteries for the rest of the year.

So today I’d like to simply share 10 of my favorite habits that help me to do just that and I know will help me this summer too.

  1. Say no to the shoulds of summer. These sneaky and self-esteem deflating thoughts can make a vacation filled with things you “ought to do before the summer is over” into burdensome work and leave you more tired than you were before your time off even started.
    So question those tasks by asking yourself: Will this matter 5 years from now? Or even 5 weeks from now? Zooming out like this it makes it easier to simply relax. And to say no to doing something because you may realize that it isn’t that important anyway.
  2. Go slow. You’ll be less stressed. And you’ll enjoy all the people, sights and experiences so much more because you’ll naturally take the time to appreciate them.
  3. Do one thing at a time. No matter what thing. Multi-tasking tends to lead to stress, confusion and to not doing as good a job as you may imagine. Single-tasking just about anything on the other hand makes it easier, more enjoyable and you’ll be more focused.
  4. Cycle plenty of rest in the grass with your summer projects. Don’t forget to wind down and just relax in the grass or hammock with a nap, a good book or watching the summer clouds slowly pass by.
  5. Don’t make mountains out of plain molehills. One of the best ways to make your summer and whole life easier and lighter is to not build mountains out of molehills. To not create extra drama or a problem out of something that doesn’t matter very much. Or just out of plain air. Deflate that imaginary mountain by using the question from tip #1 whenever you catch yourself starting to build one.
  6. Change things up and take a break from the internet. I don’t work much online these days really. I usually create blog posts like this one and new course material early in the day before I even connect to the internet. During the summer I’ll be even less online and instead read more books, travel more and do other offline stuff. I find it very relaxing to keep my internet usage as effective as I can.
  7. Get one thing that is bothering you all the way to done. Unfinished things can cause a lot of low-level stress and gnaw at the back of your mind. Find one such task in your life. One that may have been there for a while. Get started with it and then to done by taking small steps, like just working 1-10 minutes at a time on it. It will feel like a relief to finally have it out of your life and mind.
  8. Don’t guess. Ask. Trying to read minds usually don’t go so well. So instead, just ask. It may be a bit uncomfortable at times but, in my experience, by doing so you promote openness and communication in your relationships and it will help you to minimize unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings and waste of energy and time. And that feels just great.
  9. Take two minutes a day to close your eyes and just focus on your breathing. This brief and daily meditation break that I have been playing with myself in the past month lets tensions fall off of you and clears your mind. And those 2 minutes can quickly become some of the most powerful of your day.
  10. Just be here and appreciate the summer. The sunshine and the warmth. The people and the experiences. It won’t be here forever. So don’t get lost in plans for the future or memories of the past. Do a bit of planning of course and learn from what has happened.
    But decide to be fully here most of the time during these months to savor the small moments like a melting ice-cream in the sun but also the bigger ones with the people closest to you.

Image by Luis Hernandez (license).

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About the Author

Henrik Edberg is the creator of the Positivity Blog and has written weekly articles here since 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Gothenburg and has been featured on Lifehacker, HuffPost and Paulo Coelho’s blog. Click here to learn more…

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • It’s summers time in India also. Your first point takes me to my school days. We get two months summer break in schools. During those days, I used to think about different things. Many different ideas used to pop up. As a result, my holidays used to end up with no results.
    Slow and steady always wins the race. So, it’s always better to understand your passion. Otherwise, we would get nothing. I completely agree with your breathing point.
    Few minutes silence is always beneficial for us. It brings in more positivity. and stability in life.
    Thanks Henrik for sharing these wonderful points. Wishing you a great summers ahead, buddy

  • These are great tips for enjoying a summer filled with relaxation and fun instead of one packed as many activities as one could possibly cram in. Thank you Henrik

  • Julie

    This issue was helpful, thanks for the suggestions.

  • These are each valuable tips for paving the way for a less stressful summer, and many are valuable throughout the year. I agree that it is good to focus on one thing at a time, multitasking is sometimes necessary, but not always so effective as you suggest. Love the quotes too. Thank you for another inspiring Post.

  • Anonymous

    Ive already read these before but im really thankful to you, your kind of people really helpful to the humanity and i appreciate your beautiful work… Thanks man…

  • Alison

    Thanks Henrik. As usual, a very timely message!

  • Great article all-round, but love point 4. Life gets so busy sometimes there is great power in taking time for a break. Love it, thank you for the reminder.

  • Such a great list! Thanks for reminding me of these things.

  • Summer is a great time to restore, recharge and reflect on your inner man. We need to get back to being healthy by taking more breaks. A lot of the stress you’re talking about, Henrik, clutters our mental mind and the results show up on our faces. Maybe a summer break is the best thing that could happen to our health.

  • I am from Canada, and it’s summer here too! I really can understand how it must be feeling when this season comes after long snowy winter. Time to do lot of things exercise, gardening, going on biking, backpacking, camping….love this season!

    Nice article and reminders how can we make everyday of summer beautiful.

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Very good reminder. I shared this for my moms I photograph as well. I feel like we put so much pressure on ourselves to get “it all” done for us and our kids…only leaving us more stressed.
    Thanks for the great read!
    Kristin Milito

  • Great post. “Green was the silence, wet was the light,
    the month of June trembled like a butterfly….”
    ~Pablo Neruda.

  • McBishop

    i love the work you doing by helping people to be at peace with themselves….i become more calm and less tensed anytime i read one of your posts….it really helps….THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS.