5 Ways To Squelch Summer Stressors

When you think of summer, most of you think of years past when you stayed out late with friends and loves, slept late and spent your days daydreaming by a pool or the beach — unless you worked a part-time job saving up for your new fall wardrobe. Summers were a time to relax, dream and mostly have fun.

Then one day you wake up as an adult, and it’s not that all of the summer fun disappears, but it changes a bit. You don’t get to be quite as free-spirited, and depending on the phase of your life, it’s laden with a few extra stressors than your summer social calendar:

• • At work, you cover for your teammates’ vacations so there are usually a few more work tasks
  • You have vacationing company, which means entertaining, extra cooking and cleaning
  • You need to plan your kids’ activities, camps, and caretaking
  • Your college kids are home so you’re running a B & B
  • You plan and take your family vacation(s)
  • Your calendar fills up with extra summer social events
  • You add summer home projects to your summer goals

Summer fun gets wrapped in summer stressors that you may not even recognize. Sometimes you think you’re supposed to have extra time in the summer to relax and have fun, but that may not always be true. You might be busier in the summer than other times of the year.

Squelch Those Summer Stressors

While you can’t get remove all of the summer stressors you can squelch a few of them by managing your summer stress:

1. Practice self-care

Yes, enjoy the occasional ice cream treat, late night with neighbors and lazy days. But also remember to practice self-care so you stay balanced.

• • Eat a few extra fresh farmers market fruits and veggies too.
  • Get enough sleep even though it’s tempting to stay up all night.
  • Keep up your normal exercise amount of time even if you switch the activities to swimming, biking and baseball or to include houseguests or kids.

2. Plan your known “must do” summer activities

Mark your calendar with dates when you have company arriving, kids’ sports events, summer musical tickets, summer camps, vacation plans, family reunions or your neighborhood pool party.

Then reminder to schedule your prep plans or a little lazy time around your busy times.

To help you we have a planner in our membership Happiness Handbook.

3. Don’t over-plan

Give yourself time to be spontaneous so you can enjoy a sunset, a glass of wine with a neighbor or a nap in a hammock.

4. Plan your dream vacation

Even if you can’t afford to take your dream vacation this year, studies show that planning a vacation provides almost as much happiness as taking a vacation. So, if money is too tight for your dream vacation this year, create a vacation dream board. Then start that vacation fund.

In the meantime, take a staycation and enjoy the attractions people come to your city, or surrounding area, to visit.

5. Enjoy summer flowers

Pick a bouquet for your home and office. Flowers are scientifically proven to reduce stress so, keep enjoy the flowers and their delightful fragrance.

Of course, you have your personal stress management tools — so use the ones that work best for you. Personally, when I get too stressed, I often find that I’m not taking full breaths — they are those half-filled lung filled shallow kind. If I take a few minutes to fill my lungs and make my chest rise, it calms my mind. Then I can either make a plan or enjoy the present.

[Tweet “Most #happeinss isn’t planned for – it surprises us!”]

Squelching your stress is about managing it so you don’t miss your summer fun. After all, our most memorable summer fun usually happens spur of the moment — because most happiness isn’t planned for — it surprises us.  

Written by Pamela Gail

Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998.
The Society is grounded on Pamela’s four key Practical Happiness Principles:

• Happiness Zappers Can be Managed
• Happiness is Personal
• Happiness Changes as You Change
• Happiness is Bigger Than You Think

Pamela identified 31 Types of Happiness that are on the SOHP App Happiness Counter to make it easier to recognize moments of happiness.

Pamela also plans and organizes the Society of Happy People's annual happiness celebrations:

• Happiness Happens Day - August 8
• Happiness Happens Month - August
• Hunt for Happiness Week - January

She's also a speaker, trainer, and author.

A few of her personal smile starters include her monthly book club, yoga, traveling and meeting new happy people.