5 Ways To Take Care of Yourself This Summer

Ahh! The days are getting longer and your attention span is getting shorter. The most awaited season is here — it’s almost Summer! This season couldn’t have come at a better time. Honestly, we all need bursts of life and leisure after being cooped up inside our homes for far too long. And even though most of our summer plans were either canceled or re-booked, there’s still a lot we can do to enjoy everything this warm weather brings. 

Which brings us to barbecues with your quarantine team, plunges into the pool, hiking, adventures to locally secluded areas, or even beach runs (but with safe social distancing of course). It’s also about getting more time in the day — meaning looser schedules, scheduled time offs, and more time to focus ourselves. 

Here are 5 easy ways you can do to practice self-care during the busy and adventurous days of summer:

Get some sun (but not too much!)

There’s a reason why vitamin D is called the “the sunshine vitamin!”. Sunlight plays a major role in your mental health — when we get healthy sunlight, it cues special areas in our eyes which releasing serotonin, helping boost our moods during the day.

But not all sunlight are great for the body. The best time to soak on some sunlight is mid-morning. This is the period in the morning when your daily activities start and when the heat of the sun is not yet torrid on the skin. However, in many places, it’s really hot and humid in the summer (even during mid-morning) so it’s best to not push yourself to spend too much time that what you’re comfortable with. Instead, listen to your body; it will tell you when you’ve had enough sunlight. Plus it’s always good advice to hydrate and wear some sunscreen before and after getting some action under the sun.

Tip: In the morning, you could do at least 5 minutes of yoga in your backyard! Or you could also do some sunbathing during the afternoon for 10-15 minutes while sipping your favorite iced tea and listening to your favorite jam. 

Enjoy more fruits and vegetables!

Tropical fruits and fresh veggies for the win! Summer is the time of growth and what better way than to take advantage of the abundance of some delicious produce during this time of the year. You could whip up some berry smoothies together with summer tomatoes and corn on the cob. Or create refreshing salads you won’t usually have a chance to whip out during the colder months. Filling up your body with delicious and good-for-you fruits and veggies during the summer keeps your gut, heart, and mental health happy. 

Tip: Start off with this one-step fruit smoothie recipe: Gather your favorite fruits (1 each), ¾ cup vanilla yogurt, and 4 ice cubes! Place the fruits and the ice cubes into a blender. Pour in the vanilla yogurt and puree until smooth. Voila! You got yourself a refreshing summer smoothie with your favorites

Remember that a happy tummy is a happy you – and there’s no better way of self-care than making yourself happy!

Take a break from social media or technology

Taking even a short break from social media, the 24-hour news feed, intrusive text messages, and so on, can give you some much needed emotional respite! You don’t have to take a week-long hiatus; maybe try turning off your phone for a couple hours and try different activities – like whipping up a new recipe, taking a power nap, or unleashing your creativity!

Tip: Have you ever tried water gun painting? All you need is poster paint, water, water pistols, and a canvas! You could try this with your family and kids for more fun! We all know that making art can increasingly reduce stress and in this way, you could release that stress and negativity off your body for a while. The procedure is simple, mix 50% of paint, 50% of water and fill your water pistols with it! The next step is to fire and have fun!

Read something for fun

Summer’s a great time to grab a copy of that best-selling novel you’ve been dying to read or make some headway on the stack of books you’ve already bought (and haven’t had time to read.) Not sure what to read? Check out this summer reading list from Goodreads!  Also, audiobooks are a great option if you just prefer to listen. Get your bookworms on! 

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/2020-summer-reading-list

Exercise

There are many ways to exercise during the summer when the weather is warm and inviting. Jogging, swimming, and bicycling are all popular summer workouts. Exercising is not just for keeping off the pounds–it is also a good way to take care of your brain. A good cardiovascular workout can improve circulation in your brain and promote balanced brain chemistry.

Tip: Lightweight, breathable, and wicking clothes during summer exercises is a must. It helps you pull moisture away from your skin. Additionally, take a shower – it may look odd to take a shower before working out but the cold water will cool you down, and popping your hair in a bun will keep you feeling refreshed!

We hope these will help you take care of your needs and have a relaxing, fun, and refreshing summer! On top of all these, we have included a little calendar of fun activities for you to try!

If you do try this, we’d love for you to take pictures and share them on social media and with the hashtag #summerselfcare (or #theraboxsummer) and tag us! 

HAPPY SUMMER!