So we are now in the month of August, slap bang in the middle of school summer holidays (although this year they feel kind of endless) the evenings are still light and we have more hours in the day…………allegedly! We all hope for sunshine and weather that we can call summer but that also has it’s own challenges doesn’t it?
Somehow during winter we can convince ourselves and sometimes quite rightly, that we don’t need to set foot outside our front doors, we can hibernate and not feel guilty about it but in the summer, even if the weather’s not great, with lighter evenings and longer days there is a sense that we “should” be out and about and making the most of it!
We look at various social media sites and all our friends seem to be eating Al Fresco on a daily basis, whilst juggling their 2 year old (not literally) and still managing to strip and paint the garden furniture or arrange fascinating and fun activities for their teens (why does everyone else’s teens seem to be so blinkin’ amenable?) We come home from work, tired, hot and bothered and feel this unnecessary pressure to be “doing something” “making the most of the summer.” On top of that, summer started early this year so we seem to have been doing it for ever!
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK!
Summer is a season – enjoy the bits you can, do the things you are able, but DO NOT put all this pressure on yourself to being “out” and “doing”. Enjoy the simple things, an evening stroll, a glass of wine in the sunshine, different sounds and smells, sitting in a garden or park with friends (socially distanced of course). Or sit in the coolness of your home and breathe. Most importantly, just enjoy.
For those working at home and for some, this could be your first summer doing so, maybe get up extra early if work allows, work at cooler times of the day. Use your breaks to stretch your legs, sit outside for a while, enjoy not being in a hot & sticky office.
And for those who have now run out of exciting, fun but educational activities for their children, you too need to give yourself a break. They have been off school FOR EVER. They don’t know what they want to do, all they know is it’s meant to be summer holidays but it’s all very different this year. Stop looking at social media and comparing yourself to others, they are only showing you what they want you to see….every parent you know does NOT have it sussed.
Before we know it, September will be here, children will be returning to school, evenings getting shorter and we’ll be heading towards Christmas and who knows what winter will bring? This is a time to really work on living in the moment, of not setting your expectations too high. Focus on one day at a time and all those little things that a global pandemic reminds us to be grateful for.
