With the sun shining, kids on summer break, and a calendar full for the whole family, summer can become a busy time of year. As your schedule gets busier and busier, stress levels can rise but with these seven mindfulness tips, it doesn’t have to affect your mental health. By taking a step back and practicing mindfulness, you can give yourself a chance to decompress, reset, and get ready for the busy summer days ahead.
Are you ready to get started? Here are our seven tips to use for a more mindful summer:
1. Incorporate Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a fast and functional tool that can be incorporated into any situation where you feel your stress or anxiety levels rising. By focusing on your breathing and the feeling of your chest rising and falling with each breath, you can calm your mind and help yourself relax. This will help you feel less overwhelmed, more in control of your body and mind, and capable of navigating the stressful situation.
One basic deep breathing technique you can try is box breathing: breath in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breath out for four seconds, hold your breath for four more seconds, and repeat for as long as you need to feel yourself calm down.
2. Start Journaling
Journaling is an effective tool that is used by mental health professionals all over the world for many reasons. By writing your thoughts down onto paper, you create a space to reflect on the thoughts, emotions, and reactions. This is a simple way to sit down, decompress, and become more resilient to the stress of summer.
Try taking 10 minutes every day to find somewhere peaceful and quiet to sit down and journal. Whether you choose to write about the events of the day, something that has been troubling you, or any other topic you want, you are giving yourself the opportunity to become more mindful of your emotions.
3. Practice Meditation
During meditation, you focus on one thought, clearing away all the others that crowd your mind or may be causing you stress and anxiety. This helps to give you a sense of calm and balance which benefits your overall wellbeing. There are many different types of mediation you can practice such as guided meditation, guided imagery, mindfulness, visualization and more. There is also no specific amount of time that a meditation should last, so practice as it fits into your schedule and works best for you.
4. Exercise Regularly
Physical activity is not only great for your physical fitness, but it also can positively impact your mental health. Exercising causes your body to release endorphins and other natural chemicals that immediately work to boost your mood. It also gives you some time to spend focusing on your overall health. So, whether you choose to go for a walk, hit the gym, go for a swim, or any other type of physical activity, getting active is a great way to clear your head, refocus your thoughts, and relieve some of the stress from the day.
5. Enjoy Nature
One of the simplest ways you can have a more mindful summer is by spending more time in nature. While it may not sound like a mindfulness tip, spending time in nature is known to lower stress, improve attention spans, boost your mood, and increase your overall happiness. So, take some time to talk a walk, go on a hike, or even just take your work outside to enjoy the fresh air and enjoy the mental health benefits of the great outdoors.
6. Plant a Garden
Not only does gardening give you a reason to spend time outside, but it is an excellent opportunity to ground yourself and actually connect with nature as you interact with it. By planting and nurturing flowers, herbs, or vegetables, you can see your efforts comes to life as your plants grow and thrive. This success can help to boost your confidence and self-esteem. Studies have also shown that planting gardens help to increase motivation and can lower fatigue.
If you are not an experienced gardener, be careful not to accidently cause more stress by going overboard with lots and lots of plants. Instead, consider starting small with a few potted plants and expanding your garden with time.
7. Ask for Help
If you find your schedule becoming too busy or the stress becoming overwhelming, remember it is completely ok to ask for help. Whether that means turning to your family or friends for some help or talking to a mental health professional, your support system is there to help you to be your happiest and healthiest self.
Summer can be a busy time of year, but it doesn’t have to affect your mental health. By learning to take a few minutes to take a step back with these seven mindfulness tips, you can put your mental health first and have a more mindful summer. To learn more about our mental health services and how we can support you along your mental health journey, visit our website or contact us today.
In the case of a mental health crisis, please call our crisis line at 844.274.7472, text MN to 741741, or call 988.