Maintaining Your Mental Health During the Summer Months: Therapy in Bay Shore, NY
It is typically thought that the summer months are when people are happier due to the nicer weather. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is typically associated with the winter months, but can also be present during the summer. Some summer-related symptoms of this may include trouble sleeping, restlessness, and anxiety. Factors such as extreme heat and the school break can have a negative impact on many. A change in routine, the difficulties that may arise with maintaining a routine during the summer months, and handling the high temperatures present at this time of year may disrupt your mental health.
In order to maintain one’s mental health, such matters should be addressed throughout the year. Regardless of whether you are dealing with SAD or not, the summer can still bring about some issues related to this. Here are some ways that you can help yourself with this:
Spending Time Outdoors
The summer months bring about nicer weather, which is perfect for spending more time outdoors. Research has indicated that spending time in nature can lead to better body and brain health. While extreme heat can often be a barrier to spending more time outdoors, doing so when the weather is manageable is vital. Aspects such as hearing bird sounds and simply spending time around nature can help improve concentration and reduce mental fatigue.
Many parents during the summer also worry about their children having increased screen time, boredom, and disruptions to their routines, impacting their sleep schedules. Engaging in activities outdoors with children can help them with such matters, along with decreasing such boredom and ensuring that these potential disruptions do not have a negative impact on their mental health.
Creating or Maintaining a Routine
The summer months can often cause challenges with establishing or maintaining a routine. Such challenges are to be expected at times due to aspects such as the nicer weather and the summer break for schools. Routines help us have order present within our lives, establishing a sense of discipline, and can provide stability. Some ways to create and maintain a routine include the following:
Establishing a regular sleep schedule
Research has found that consistently going to bed and waking up around the same time every day leads to more positive health outcomes overall. Certain stages of sleep are associated with emotional regulation, making this vital for maintaining one’s emotional health. Establishing and continuing to have a regular sleep schedule is vital at any time of the year to ensure better mental health outcomes.
Finding time to relax
Many, especially those with children, may feel as if the summer months come with more responsibilities. Whether this involves spending more time with children, attending more events than usual due to the nicer weather, or trying to balance such events with other life responsibilities, handling all of this at once can be challenging. Finding time to relax is important generally, but especially during the summer due to these difficulties that may be present. Engaging in hobbies that one enjoys, finding practices that allow you to blow off some steam, and even turning down invitations to possible events due to exhaustion are essential to ensuring that one can relax and properly enjoy this time of year.
Prioritizing what needs to be done
Establishing a routine can involve creating a to-do list for activities that need to be done. This can feel overwhelming, especially when these tasks may seem time-consuming. Figuring out which tasks are most important and reminding yourself that not everything needs to be done at once can help reduce this feeling of being overwhelmed, making such tasks more approachable.
Check in on yourself
The summer months, the nicer weather associated with this, and the events that may be occurring within your life during this time are often positive and could be viewed as such. However, all of this can lead to feeling as if mental health-related matters do not currently need to be addressed due to the aforementioned factors associated with the summer. Checking in on yourself, regardless of the time of year, is vital to ensure your own well-being. Doing this during the summer may allow for more positive outcomes later in the year during the colder months.
It is often necessary to address mental health matters at any time of the year. This may not seem to be the case during the summer, but it may even be more relevant due to factors related to the information above.
Begin Therapy in Bay Shore, NY at B&B Well Counseling
At B&B Well Counseling, therapy in Bay Shore, New York, we provide space to understand and process any issues that may be present at any time of year.
Here’s how to begin:
Contact us and share what you’ve been experiencing and what brings you to therapy.
Start therapy in Bay Shore, NY, in a way that fits and supports your life.
Build tools to create supportive standards for yourself moving toward the future.
Working with a therapist in Bay Shore, NY, can help you feel more grounded, less overwhelmed, and more able to move forward with ease.
In-Person and Virtual Therapy Services at B&B Well Counseling
Our team at B&B Well Counseling works with children, pre-teens and teens, adults, and couples, with both in-person appointments in Bay Shore and online therapy available across New York.
We help clients facing a variety of challenges, including women's mental health concerns, neurodiversity, and intellectual disabilities. Every therapy plan is tailored to your unique needs, with a compassionate, trauma-informed approach that supports lasting growth and healing.
Meet the Author: Shabib Afzal
Shabib Afzal is currently pursuing his Master of Social Work at the State University of New York at Buffalo. With experience supporting clients across a variety of mental health settings, he helps create a welcoming and organized experience for those seeking care.
Outside of work, Shabib enjoys working out, producing music, and watching mixed martial arts.
