One reason and remedy for summertime anxiety

With the warmer weather and the longer days clearly upon us, you may be feeling the excitement and anticipation of all activities unique to the summer season. Long evening walks, grilling outside, bike rides, camping, time on Lake Michigan (or wherever your favorite natural setting is)… At the same time, you may be feeling confused by waves of anxiety or overwhelm sneaking in. If this is you, I want to offer some perspective to help you make the most of this beautiful season. Here’s what I am noticing: Warm weather brings expectations. There is so much we could be doing, learning, accomplishing, and taking advantage of this time of year. When we lose a sense of what we are really wanting, or what’s most important to us at any given time, we can feel like we are being pulled in a hundred different directions. Especially if an overwhelming amount of possibility presents itself. Here’s an example of a ”short” list of things a client might share they’d like to get to: Gardening Attending new workshops Practice seasonal cooking Riding bikes more often Taking the kids to park 3x/week Run/training for a race or competition Doing more yoga Getting to a list of books Planning time to see outdoor concerts Camping Hiking Being outside as much as possible Spring cleaning the closets and cabinets Learning a new language Eating better and making more home-cooked meals Going to the Farmers Market instead of the grocery store Planting an herb garden Losing weight Start taking dance classes Working towards and advanced degree or advanced training Starting a blog Committing more time to meditation Volunteering Making sure the body is bathing-suit-ready and more… The list is inspiring! And huge! No wonder women are feeling anxious and confused when summertime evenings or weekends roll around. Having the expectation to take on so much in a short amount of time can lead to overwhelm. Overwhelm often lead to the one thing that didn’t make the list: Doing nothing. Or “giving up” before you even begin anything. Or eating instead of living. Unrealistic expectations can overwhelm and shut us down. Here’s an exercise: Make a quick list right now of everything you feel you should be and would like to be doing this summer. Write all of it down. Then cross off the things that you feel you should be doing, but are not so much of a priority (be honest!) Now do your best to rank the rest in order of importance. What are the top three places that you’d actually like to be spending your energy? Focus on those. I promise this will add more QUALITY and satisfaction to your summer. I’d love to hear your insights below! Please share 1-2 areas you’d like to commit your time and energy that would make you feel fulfilled and happy. Have a beautiful month! With love, Laura Like this article? Then you might also like: Skip the wine and drink one of these to calm your nervous system