Summertime Blues

We all hang out for Summer.  That time of the year where the days are long, we spend time at the beach, with friends, having endless BBQ’s and long walks. 

But the reality can be different and I want to shine a light on the other side of Summer in case you are feeling some of the Summertime Blues.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• Money is tight because you’ve spent a tonne just getting to Christmas and the next pay cycle feels like forever away.  
• Nothing fits and you can’t remember what you used to wear when its 37 degrees in the shade
• You have the kids 24/7….counting the days til school goes back
• Sunburn
• Other people booked the ‘perfect location’ for their summer as seen in their stories and yours sucks a bit
• You are heading back to work just as the weather gets good and the tennis is starting
• Your feed is full of New Year New You bullshit which is a downer
• Every radio station has stories about the latest diet…see point 2
• People are out running, like everyone, everywhere
• There are lots of people you have to ‘people’ with because….it’s summer
• The days are slipping away too fast and the things you thought you could get done, aren’t getting done

This might sound like Loretta’s having a massive whinge, but I’m not.

I’m just putting examples to the feeling that can swirl about at Summertime and no amount of silver lining looking can shift this blue-ness.

I was having a chat with a friend the other day who said she’d had a revelation about feelings.  She said she realised that we are taught to ‘turn our frown upside down’ and ‘shake off the grumpies’.  We aren’t supposed to be angry, or express disappointment.

I nodded.

We have this strange relationship with feelings.

We pick up by osmosis that ‘good feelings are ok and bad feelings need to be avoided’.

It’s too simplistic and its not healthy.

Feelings are neither good nor bad.  

I like to think of them as packages that float into our body.  We open them, see what the message is inside, notice and learn that piece then let the package go.  

That’s the plan anyway.

What tends to happen is what we tend to do is see the package arriving and push it down if it could be unpleasant.  Lots and lots of stored up packages with nowhere to go.  Not healthy, but common.

So my list above is me fleshing out some of the feelings and experiences we can have over Summer and calling out that if this resonated you are not alone.

So how do we deal with the Summertime Blues?

1. Notice when the shitty feelings
2. Notice you withdrawing away from the crowd
3. Notice the unhelpful self talk
4. Notice the endless scrolling on social media or over drinking or over sleeping, whatever you do to play avoidance
5. Notice the quick temper and short fuse

Just notice

Then when you have noticed and learnt that next piece about you and your environment, you may want to look at my list of 6 ways to spice up your life.  Noticing is really helpful, so don’t miss this step first.

Loretta