What's your summer style?

What’s your summer style? You may look forward to summer as a time to take early morning walks, read in the shade, or try a new sport. Or is it your style to clean out closets and catch up on friendships and family visits? Maybe your work amps up in the summer and managing your time and the kids’ activities is a messy challenge. If you have kids maybe they go away to camp and you have more time on your hands than you bargained for and find yourself wondering what to do with all of it. There’s no one size fits all experience and certainly no right way to approach things as the cadence of your daily life shifts.

I’ve found that both ends of the too-little or too-much time spectrum can be stressful. When there’s too much to do and down time is a distant memory, tempers can flare and relationships can suffer. The summer can come and go and instead of collecting joyous memories and seashells you may be collecting apologies and regrets. On the other end, not knowing what to do with yourself can lead you into negative thoughts about yourself and your choices, and those voices can be hard to quiet. When you’re feeling these frustrations it’s easy to snap at those closest to you.

What are some choices you have at your disposal? How can you make sense of your personal summer challenges? Regardless of your specific circumstances you can choose to do something different. That ‘something’ can be as seemingly little as a ten minute walk outside your office at a most stressful time instead of powering through the task at hand. Maybe your walking and breathing will help you think differently and problem solve better. Clarity. If your thoughts are swirling about and talking with confidants isn’t enough anymore, maybe it’s time to call a therapist to help you through. Our job is to help you see things differently and guide you to solutions that are likely just below the surface.

So whether you’re elbow deep in soil, knee deep in the Long Island Sound, or your inbox is overflowing this summer, consider giving me a call to re-imagine and re-work the parts of your life that aren’t working. My office hours are work and family friendly. (originally posted 6/5/13)