For many people, seeking therapy before or during the summer months can be very important. Although summer is associated with sunshine and fun, it’s a time of year that can bring its share of complexities and difficulties for different reasons – and to different people.
Before I present my 5 favourite reasons to go to therapy this time of year, I’d like to remind you that therapy doesn’t have to be heavy all the time, that you don’t have to put your life on hold to be able to go to therapy, and that it’s always possible to be in therapy and balance it with the vacations. It is also possible of getting therapy sessions every two weeks instead of weekly.
1. Body Image
This time of year can be exhausting for people who feel they don’t fit society’s “standards” of beauty, or who suffer from eating disorders, body dysmorphia or simply a general lack of self-esteem. Going into therapy during this time of year can help you work through these difficulties and improve your self-confidence and your relationship with your body, particularly by strengthening your resilience in the face of a world that can still send very hurtful messages about our sense of belonging if we don’t look a certain way.
2. Heat Anxiety
A common problem that doesn’t get talked about enough is the heat anxiety some people experience. Therapy can be a supportive place to help you deal with heat as an anxiety trigger, and to cope with it by understanding and managing anxiety better, but also by trying to adapt your lifestyle to support your well-being in the context of summer.
3. Financial Stress & Values
Financial stress at this time of year can have an impact on your family relationships and your sense of being a “good enough” parent. Everyone talks about their vacations here and there, and comparing one to another on social media doesn’t help either. If you feel that this is an area that is affecting you, therapy can allow you to discuss these issues and help you develop self-compassion and manage any difficult family dynamics and/or help you with how you feel as a parent and with deconstructing what it means to take time off/time together as a couple/family and refocus on your values and priorities.
Therapy can be expensive, yes, but if every year your mental health and relationships suffer during this time of year for whatever reason, it’s worth investing once in your well-being to avoid being so affected in the future and to have better coping tools, as well as to develop a stronger, more compassionate self that doesn’t blame itself too much for not being able to afford the “most extraordinary vacation for your children or loved one(s)” or for ‘not spending the summer like everyone else”. You can look for low-cost therapies or engage in short-term therapy. Remember that therapy doesn’t have to last for years to be useful. Many people benefit in just a few months if they are very committed to the process.
4. Self-esteem
Work on your self-esteem and re-examine your life. Why? Because way too many people use this time of the year as a source of framework for their goals. It is very common to hear ‘by summer I would’ve done….’ Now summer is here and there may be this realisation that goals have not been achieved quite yet. This situation demoralises many individuals, and can negatively impact on the way they perceive themselves. Therapy can help you to stop relying on summer months to give you a sense of timeline when it comes to tasks and goals and change the way you set goals, assess for any perfectionistic tendencies, and help you reflect on where you are at in life and support you in taking action to get where you want to be in a kind and realistic way. It can allow you to explore themes such as compassion, acceptance, accountability and provide you new awareness about yourself and how you go about life.
5. Self-care
While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a bubble bath, a day at the spa, a nice meal or going on vacation, that’s not what self-care really means. Sure, summer can be fun for different reasons, some people travel more, others are more sociable and have more fun or new opportunities, you name it. That said, increased exposure to visual stimuli, light, sound and simply being in more contact with other people can also backfire if you don’t listen to your own emotional and physiological needs. So it’s essential to learn how to take care of yourself at this time of year to avoid burnout, as well as learning what new needs emerge at this time of year that may differ from other times of the year, so that you can implement a plan of action to best take care of yourself.