During the summer season, women experience an increase in stress as they continue to juggle their many demanding roles. Children out of school, summer camps, and summer school usually cause this stress increase. These numerous other demands are heaped on an already stressful life, and many women feel overbooked, overworked, and overwhelmed. Follow our summer de-stress tips and focus on S.E.L.F Care.

Tips for Summer De-Stress! S.E.L.F® Care

Serenity (The Opposite of Stress)

• Do a mini. Memorize a three to five-word phrase and repeat this phrase over and over as you take deep breaths for two to three minutes.
• “See” calm. Focus your sight on a flower or leaf. Take deep cleansing breaths as you gaze into summer flowers or foliage. Inhale the beauty and exhale your stress. Keep summer flowers in your home.
• Guided imagery app. Keep a guided imagery app on your smartphone handy and listen to it by the pool or in the hammock.
• Play. It’s summer. Be playful. Take off your shoes and feel the grass under your feet. Turn on the garden sprinkler and run through it with the kids.
• Read. Schedule 10 minutes a day to read a few pages from a wonderful novel or self-help book this summer.

Exercise

• Swim. Find a local swimming pool or lake and relish the feel of water, sun, and wind on your body.
• Walk. It is a perfect time to take early walks, listen to the birds sing, look at the flowers in your neighborhood, and watch the summer sky. Evening walks are wonderful as you can watch the setting of the summer sun.
• Weights. Keep some light weights on your back porch. When you are outside stop, pick up some hand weights, and do 25 lifts on each arm. This will help increase your bone density and strengthen your body.
• Yoga. Summer is a perfect time to do relaxing yoga stretches outside in the yard or on your back porch.

Love

• Children. Summer is the time to relax with your children. Schedule nature walks, watch movies (don’t forget the popsicles or popcorn), or try arts and crafts. There’s no substitute for spending quality time with your children during these precious years.
• Your self. Schedule time for your own intimacy and reflection. Loving and nurturing your self is crucial for families. You are mentoring your family on how to practice self-love.
• Your partner/spouse. Schedule some intimate time with your loved one. Go get some ice cream, cook together, have a relaxing stroll outdoors, or go to an outdoor film festival. Get creative.
• Your community. Plan a neighborhood summer party. Get a sign-up sheet and have each neighbor share the work and food. It is a great time to meet new neighbors and cherish the old ones.

Food

• Healthy food. Stock the refrigerator with healthy light summer foods. This is the season for fruits and wonderful vegetables, so teach your children how to eat the bright bold colors and give them quick lessons on the nutritional value of these healthy foods. Your children will learn that food is medicine.
• Restaurants. Eat outside at cafes and new restaurants. Summer is a time to be adventurous.
• The grill. Whether you have an inside or outside grill, it’s a great time to buy a grill cookbook and experiment with different foods and sauces. Involve the entire family and make it fun.
• Ice cream. Get an inexpensive ice cream maker. The entire family can experiment by trying different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, or sherbet. Create your own family flavor and name it! You are creating great memories and a rich family ritual.