Self Care Ideas for the Summer + your free Ultimate Self Care Kit
It’s official, in the Northern Hemisphere it’s finally summer! I have to admit, even as a summer born baby I struggle with time of year. I always find myself longing for September and those fresh and frosty mornings of the autumn. Recently I’ve been learning more about the energy of each season and how it connects with other cycles such as our menstrual cycle and the moon phases.
Summer is linked to ovulation and the full moon, and is a very yang, outward facing, visible and doing kind of energy. It’s been interesting for me to reflect on how uncomfortable I feel in the summer energy with how uncomfortable I can be in being visible and outward facing!
Something I’m really working on is feeling that connection with each season, and for me, self care is a big part of that. It’s natural that as the seasons change our self care needs will change with them. Check out my self care ideas for spring post for more ideas and I’ll definitely be doing an autumn and winter posts later in the year!
If you’re not familiar with the basics of self care I encourage you to check out my post How to Practise Self Care Like a Boss, it’s the most viewed post on my site!
Before I get into the ideas, remember that you are your best guide, check out the end of this post to grab a copy of my free Ultimate Self Care Kit which will guide you towards your own personalised self care plan.
Here are your self care ideas for the summer!
Go wild swimming
Whether it’s the sea, a river or a lake, going swimming or even just paddling your feet in the water surrounded by nature is a wonderful way to feel connected, to relax and to gently move your body. Just be sure to check local safety guidance to find a safe wild swimming spot.
Have a home spa day
You could include this for every season of course, but in the summer when we’re all more likely to bear more skin it can feel especially nourishing and confidence boosting to have moisturised skin and painted nails.
Plan in some dates with your partner and friends
Especially for parents of kids off during the summer holidays – plan in some child free time with your friends and partner so you know you’ll have that downtime to reset. Let’s face it, taking care of a bunch of children everyday for 6 weeks can be challenging!
Experiment with some summer cocktails or mocktails
A great way to have fun and socialise with others is having a cocktail or mocktail night (also a great activity to do with kids – mocktails obvs) we all need some cooling drinks when it’s hot so might as well make the most of it!
Evaluate your career
Summer is generally the time when most of us take some time off work. That space away from the daily grind can give you some space to evaluate how you feel about work and your career. Is it fulfilling and enjoyable? Or are you absolutely dreading going back to work after your holidays? What can you do to make work fit your life and interests better?
Do something different with your Barbecue
It can be all to easy to just stick with the standard burgers and sausages but why not nourish your body a little more and try some veggie skewers or grilled salmon or chicken?
Treat yourself to a new swimming costume or bikini
This is one from my own list, my current swimming costume is about 10 years old and I really need something new. I have my eye on a high waisted black bikini and I know that will definitely give me an extra boost of confidence this summer. Let’s face it, it can be challenging enough wearing a bikini for some of us (although it 100% shouldn’t be) so you’d might as well get something that makes you feel as good as possible.
Make a summer playlist
Music can have such an amazing affect on how you feel, so why not create a summer themed playlist? I’ve always made one for the autumn and Christmas but never summer. Time to change that!
Stop giving a f**k what other people think
I think this is an especially good one for the summer. For me personally summer is a time when I can become overly concerned with what other people think, particularly of my body. Now might be a great time for you to evaluate how much you concern yourself with the opinions of others and give yourself permission to stop giving a f**k about what they think. Also a quick reminder, most of us feel like we’re being judged or thought about a whole lot more than we actually are. People are much more concerned about themselves than you, and even if they did think something unkind about you, why should you care?
All of these ideas are a great way to incorporate more self care into your life this summer, but maybe you’re reading all of these but don’t really know where to start? If that sounds like you you’ll love my new Ultimate Self Care Kit. It’s a free 12 page guide to figuring out your own self care needs.
Want a handy fillable pdf worksheet of this process plus a list of 50 self care ideas? Pop your email here to get it emailed to you!
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How will you be practising self care this summer?
Love this, Laura. I am definitely a summer girl but find that it can come with a lot of pressure to lose weight / have a (bleugh) bikini body or constantly be doing fun summer things. Really related to your Instagram post the other day about how its ok to do nothing so I’m going to be reminding myself of that this summer when I feel guilty for not being on a beach or a a festival etc! x