The seasons can have a big impact on our mental health, not just because of how they make us feel, but also because they open up different opportunities for us to address our well-being and can also make it more difficult for us to use certain coping skills. At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health in Charleston, West Virginia, we encourage you to think of ways you can get the most out of summer, which is just around the corner.
When Summer Is Not a Ray of Sunshine
Not everyone finds summer to be the easiest time to manage their mental health. For some people, this time of year can be especially difficult due to:
- Seasonal affective disorder: Most people who experience this condition have difficulty during the winter months, but there is a smaller number of people who experience depressed mood during the summer months, which is sometimes accompanied by insomnia, weight loss, poor appetite, increased anxiety, or irritability.
- Disrupted routines: Structure and predictability are helpful to managing mental health conditions, but for many people, especially parents with young children, summer messes up their routines, leaving kids with too much free time and parents scrambling to keep everybody on track.
- Heat: If you are located somewhere with particularly hot summers or even if you just get the occasional heatwave, you might find that staying cool keeps you indoors and isolated from other people, which is not good for mental health.
- Travel: Even if you love taking trips, vacations can entice people to spend more than they really can afford, which can cause stress that outlasts the warm weather.
Leaning Into the Benefits of Summer
If you’re concerned about how any of the struggles listed above will impact you or your child, it’s important to develop a plan for how you will nurture mental wellness this summer. This might include:
- Structuring your days: Whether or not school being out for summer impacts you, it is always good to have a solid routine for how you will use your free time. Think about what things you look forward to doing, what self-care is most helpful for you, and what makes you feel like getting out of bed.
- Creating a visible calendar: This is especially beneficial for small children, who can become anxious (and annoying to parents) when they don’t know what to expect. Get input from your kids about what activities they would like to do over the summer and turn it into a plan they can review any time they want. For kids who are too small to read, you can use pictures to represent activities on the schedule, such as a book for the library, water for the swimming pool, and playground equipment for a trip to the park. If you want ideas for activities you can do with your family, the Crisis Text Line has put together a list of suggestions that has been broken down by age ranges.
- Planning for exercise: We all benefit from moving our bodies regularly, but heat can make it difficult to enjoy outdoor exercise. It may be helpful to plan on outdoor exercise occurring in the early morning hours or later in the evening. It might also be a good idea to plan on ways to get exercise indoors if you’re not typically able to exercise at those times. If you include your children in physical activities, they are more likely to sleep well at night and be able to better regulate their emotions, making parenting a tiny bit less challenging.
- Being mindful about the fuel you give your body: Whatever you ingest impacts the nourishment your brain receives, which impacts how it functions and how you feel. Though many people like to indulge in cocktails and decadent foods on vacation, you might think twice if your focus is on optimizing your mental health.
- Getting down in the dirt: Gardening is a great way to get outside, keep your body moving, and grow fresh produce, all at the same time. It’s also a great way to teach kids about nutrition and nature.
- Maintaining connections: Children and adolescents may look forward to school breaks, but they also often miss their friends during the summer. If possible, try to arrange playdates for your younger children and encourage your older children to schedule time to see their friends or at least make contact electronically. Even if you don’t have kids, you have the same need for connection. It’s good for your mental health to schedule time with your friends and family, too.
At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health, we want you to have a fantastic summer. We offer behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and adults who require inpatient treatment. Part of the services we provide is supporting our patients and their families in planning for life after treatment, which can include things like proactively handling breaks in routine.
