6 Summer Tips for Unwinding, Recharging and Taking Care of Yourself

6 Summer Tips for Unwinding, Recharging and Taking Care of Yourself

“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer… Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
Sydney J. Harris

The summer is here.

And for many of us it’s a time of vacations, a time of being free from school or a slow time at work or in your business.

So it’s a good time to focus on taking extra good care of yourself to unwind, decompress and to recharge.

And that’s exactly what this week’s article is all about. Let me share 6 of my favorite tips that I’ll be using this summer.

1. Just watch the clouds go by.

During the months of continuous intense work it’s easy to get trapped in the mindset that you have to do something pretty much all the time.

This can add a lot of tensions and stress.

So try doing nothing at all from time to time this summer.

Just go for a walk in the woods. Sit by the lake and take in the wonderful landscape.

Or lie down in the grass and just watch the clouds go by.

Do only that, savor the moments of summer and feel how the inner tensions flow out of your body and mind.

2. Disconnect for a time.

I’ll be disconnected for much of this summer. I won’t go online unless it’s necessary.

I’ll only check my emails once a day. And I’ll leave my smartphone at home while I’m out in the sun enjoying a book.

I recommend trying this one out, especially if you tend to spend a lot of time at work or in school with being online or talking on the phone.

Start by just staying away from your email and phone for maybe 6 or 12 hours. Then check them.

You may see that you haven’t missed much by not being available all the time.

And discover that your stress levels have dropped quite a bit and it feels easier to fully focus on your family, friends or your hobby.

3. Appreciate what you did between New Year’s Eve and the start of this summer.

Half of 2019 has now gone by.

And there might have been some worries.

Perhaps you were angry with yourself more than a few times during these 6 months. Or disappointed in what you did, didn’t do or what happened in your life.

When the stress and inner tensions are plentiful then it’s easy to get stuck in focusing on what went wrong or on your own setbacks or mistakes.

So take a break from that.

Ask yourself: What can I appreciate about what I did and I accomplished during these 6 months?

It doesn’t always have to be big things. And be sure to appreciate what you did, the effort you put in even if things didn’t go exactly as planned.

4. Go slow.

This will also dial your stress down.

And, perhaps even more importantly, help you to be in the moment and to fully enjoy all the sights, sounds, smells and people of your summer.

Instead of being half-lost in the future or in a memory while life and perhaps something really wonderful is happening right in front of you.

5. Say no to the shoulds of summer.

There are sneaky shoulds in life. They can make a vacation filled with things you “just have to do before the summer is over” seem like draining work.

And they’ll leave you more tired than you were before your time off even started.

Avoid them by asking yourself:

Will this matter in 5 years? Or even 5 weeks?

Zooming out like this makes it easier to find a healthier perspective on things and to see the real value of doing something.

It makes it easier to simply relax and to say no to doing something because you realize that it frankly isn’t that important anyway.

6. Spend more time doing what you love.

Maybe it’s fishing. Or going out into the woods and picking berries and mushrooms. Or painting. Or reading books.

Or playing with your kids or hanging out with an old friend.

No matter what it might be, think about how you can fit more what you love doing into not only your summer but the rest of your 2019.

Take a couple of minutes and sit down with a pen and a piece of paper. Think about what you spend your time on during a normal week.

Then find 1-2 things during your regular weeks that you can spend less time on.

Or things you can simply say no to so that you have a bit more time and energy over each week during the summer, fall and winter for what you love doing.

 

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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.

  • Denise

    Thanks for this reminder post, Henrik. Always helpful!

  • Aileen

    I really love your insprational blog. I am a trained psychiatric and general nurse with specialities. However everyone suffers traumas or really down times at some point in their personal lives. During one of these times l found your great blog. Just so supportive. Helpful. Thanks for helping as l get myself back on track. Take care. From an aussie in mid winter and it does get really foggy and cold here in my home country town. But we have cosy warm fires and lovely family and friends to share the warmth and a cuppa with. Aileen

    • Fatima

      Hi Aileen,
      I enjoyed reading your comment. Thank you for being open, honest and vulnerable about your journey. Sending love, light, and hugs your way from San Diego, CA.

  • thanks for sharing the blog!

  • These are really great tips, worthy trying.

  • “Say no to the shoulds of summer” is such a great tip.

    I’d extend it even further, and suggest that we need to say no to “shoulds” across more areas of our life (regardless of the season). Too many of us live life just so that other people think we’re “winning” at it, rather than following our hearts when they might take us in an unconventional direction.

    So I definitely agree with you on this one. To anyone who knows that they’d be happiest spending the summer indoors rearranging their stamp collection, do it!

  • Although summer is over here in the Philippines. I guess these tips are still worth trying. I badly need this to recharge and relax away from work. Well, thanks for sharing these tips. :)

  • Self-care is so important. When we take good care of ourselves, not only do we benefit but everyone around us benefits. Great post, great advice.

  • KG

    Great post! It’s definitely important to unwind, and summer is the best time to do it! I think the most important point was to appreciate what you’ve accomplished since the start of the new year. It serves two purpose – 1. reflects on things that went well and things that didn’t. 2. It’s the perfect time to celebrate all your progress!

  • Thanks for tipping off my weary person. Indeed, these tips will help you in loosening up to some extent. We need vacation from our working and working self. So, the ultimate tip is to – bask in the luxury of happy-go-lucky and carefree self. This will clear off your mental clouds. I usually treat myself with spiritual vacations and I have found an interesting outlet in Hypnotherapy training which I recently underwent.

  • Thank you for the inspiration. Doing what I love is always the thing that completely recharges my batteries. I love spending time outdoors either hiking or camping, and I love gardening with my wife. We manage to spend quality time together and make our garden awesome

  • I love reading these types of blogs. People with real life situations. I just started my blog in January of this year and I can’t believe how much it helps me as well as others. The feedback is incredible and I am honored and blessed to be able to give back through writing.

    If you guys have time, check it out <3

    http://www.adreamandapen.com

  • Leah

    Loved reading your post. It’s easy to forget how to slow down and just watch the clouds sometimes! I always feel like I’m wasting time which is so annoying… But every time I pause and do something just for the sake of enjoying it, my mind seems to calm down. I really need to do it more often…

  • Henrik,

    Love the post. What would you recommend doing for people who need to work more than average. I work 8 hours a day at my job, but I also like to work on my blog to try and promote motivation, inspiration, and positivity to others. While I know that I need to work, sometimes the stress creeps up. I just don’t feel like I have time to go for an extra walk. What would you recommend?