Summer Self-Care 🍍☀️🌴

Hi loves! Andromeda here, your therapist bestie! 🫶🏾 In a perfect world, we can just kick our feet up come summer, but the perfect get-away may come with a slew of to-do’s like packing, planning, flights, jetlag, travel fatigue, and if you have kids, there’s so much more. There are summer events like hosting and cookouts which also require to-do’s. There are weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties, bridal showers, birthday parties, baby showers, socials, fun daytime or nighttime activities, summer traffic of getting to the beach, summer traffic of getting anywhere fun, heat exhaustion, more crowded spaces, and so on! The next thing we know is that summer paradise is a packed schedule with little rest. So, do we need to become hermits to be healthy? Not exactly. It’s doing what we can with what we have, and that involves self-care. We may not always be able to grant ourselves full days of rest, but that doesn’t mean we can’t aim for restful moments. Enter self-care on-the-go.

I always encourage people to seize the quiet moments of the day before momentum kicks in with the day’s tasks, so the morning but also at-night when we wind down from the day’s momentum. I recommend one, just one mindfulness task before going onto our phones to check emails, social media, and texts. If you use your phone as an alarm, hitting “snooze” can give you a few minutes just for yourself. Some suggestions are:

✨ naming 10 things you can see around you

✨ triple 3 breathwork: inhale for 3 seconds, hold for 3, and exhale for 3 seconds (5-10x)

✨ havening: cross your arms across your chest and rub your hands up and down your arms slowly while taking slow and deep inhales and exhales

✨ gratitude timer: for the duration of the snooze alarm, name things that you’re thankful for…you can even repeat some, but it expands your mind into a space of gratitude before starting your day and/or ending your day

All of these things can be repeated at bed time. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. In addition to those quiet mindful moments, we can habit stack a few more into our day. For example, each time we go to wash our hands, we can focus on the sensation of the water and soap on our hands while doing triple 3 breathwork or just slowly and deeply inhaling and exhaling. We can also slow down our regular tasks, washing our face, drinking a beverage, eating, texting, even walking from place to place. Slower movements help the brain disconnect from urgency and reconnect with feelings of safety.

Lastly, remember your basic needs. When our days become more active, it can be easy to forget to take care of our physical bodies. Do your best to make time to drink enough water, eat balanced meals, getting some sun whether you go outside or open the windows before it gets too hot, cut off-screen time an hour before bed to do something relaxing, wearing clothing that feels comfortable, and setting up our rooms to enhance feelings of relaxation.

I told you we didn’t need to be hermits. ☺️ Do your best, slow down, and give yourself time to put a few of these things into practice. Enjoy your summer! 💛☀️🐝🌻🍋⛱️