Enjoy Summer Without Anxiety: 7 Psychological Keys
The long-awaited summer holidays are a period in which in theory we can rest throughout the day, regain energy and do all those activities that we cannot do during the rest of the year. But in practice, there are those who at this time of year face stressful and anxiety-generating situations that are difficult for them to manage emotionally.
This anxiety may be generated by the belief that time is not being used enough, by the need to make decisions about what to dedicate those leisure hours to, by the coordination and planning involved in traveling as a family, by the idea of that other people are having it better than us, etc. So that… How to enjoy the summer without falling into these anxiety dynamics? Let’s look at several general tips that will help you achieve this.
Psychological keys to enjoy the summer without anxiety
Once we have entered into that set of actions and mental routes that produce anxiety in us, it can be difficult to get out of that mental state, since one of the characteristics of feeling anxious is that this discomfort reinforces itself through a vicious circle of expectations, fear of not measuring up to the challenges we must face, the feeling that we are vulnerable, etc. Therefore, faced with possible anxiety triggers during the summer holidays, it is advisable to be prepared and know in advance what to do to avoid falling into that spiral. In this sense, the tips you will find here can help you.
1. Take time to truly rest
The first thing we should do during the summer holidays to avoid states of excessive anxiety is to dedicate some time to ourselves, to rest and do activities that we find pleasurable and relax us. without giving in to the idea that if we completely disconnect from work we are doing something bad
Summer vacations are not a whim, but one of the resources we have to maintain our physical and mental health, and they must be used accepting everything they imply: we have the right not to work professionally during those days. We must truly disconnect from those daily obligations that are part of our work routine and charge energy with which to face the next academic or work block, discarding the absurd idea that we must be productive at every moment during the summer.
Dedicating time to ourselves and taking care of our mental health is of great importance and will allow us to return from vacation with greater optimism and motivation to face the work period again.
2. Avoid excessive use of technological devices
It is advisable to reduce the use of mobile phones, tablets or computers during the holidays, since many virtual platforms have great power to keep us hooked on the screen and make us lose track of time, offering us entertainment that, in retrospect, is unsatisfying and can expose us to content that actually feeds our anxiety and stress, even in small quantities. It is better to focus our free time on activities that are truly meaningful to us.
3. Avoid comparisons
One of the basic keys to being happy in life is not to compare yourself with anyone and this is precisely one of the tips that we can also follow on summer vacations to be happier.
Compare our vacations with other people’s, whether they are friends or family, or even influencers and celebrities who make a living giving an idyllic image of their lives it can end up generating negative emotions in us if when we compare them we understand that their vacation experiences are better than ours.
Instead, we should live our vacations to the fullest without comparing ourselves to anyone and focus on what we want, and try to do special activities that we do not do during the rest of the year; It is not necessary to make large trips around the world.
4. Practice healthy lifestyle habits
Although we are enjoying the summer holidays, it is important not to banish from our daily lives a series of healthy lifestyle strategies and habits that allow us to achieve good physical and mental health.
These habits range from sleeping a sufficient number of hours a day to rest to maintaining a balanced and healthy weekly diet and healthy hygiene habits to live in society
In addition to that, it is important not to forget to practice sports two or three times a week to maintain our physical health and from time to time we can also do special outdoor sports activities, both individually and with others.
Some of these activities can be hiking, cycling, climbing, swimming or participating in all types of sports competitions.
5. Work (in a very limited way)
During the holiday period, some people may feel relatively anxious thinking about work projects or pending jobs that may be getting out of control while you are on vacation ; That is why an option to take into account if you are self-employed is to work, but greatly limiting those moments of attention to your professional role: for example, a maximum of one hour every two or three days of vacation to read emails, solve doubts from other members of the team, and other simple tasks and “maintenance” of a minimum activity and prevention of problems.
This practice will not allow us to overcome the anxiety caused by overwork, but at least it will ensure that if we already have a problem due to feeling very anxious, it will not increase and get out of control.
In addition to dedicating a period of time to ourselves where we can rest and do activities that we find pleasurable, it is also advisable to keep our social life active, seeing close friends and dear family members from time to time.
Human beings are social animals which means that we need the company of other people to self-actualize and achieve the well-being and happiness so desired in our daily lives.
That is why we should avoid spending long days alone, resting in the comfort of the sofa at home, since it is better for us to leave the house and interact with loved people who fill us with energy and with whom we can laugh and be happy.
7. Go to therapy
As at any time of the year, whenever we have cases of anxiety in our daily lives, it is highly recommended go to a psychology professional to solve this problem and many other psychological disorders that we may have.
A specialized psychologist will provide us with highly useful strategies and tools to control the anxiety states that we may suffer at some point and also to learn to manage all our emotions in general.
Do you want to have professional psychological support?
If you are looking for psychotherapeutic assistance services, we invite you to contact us.
In Psychotools We serve people of all ages and we put at your disposal the most effective intervention strategies and techniques to help you overcome bad times and allow you to learn to better manage your emotions. You will find us in our psychology center in Barcelona.
