Summer does often make people feel great. There’s a boost in Vitamin D, fewer responsibilities (for some), and exciting social activities. When your mood feels elevated, it’s very tempting to back off from more structured, scheduled tasks – including therapy. But staying consistent with therapy even through the best of times is more important than some might believe. Regular therapy appointments:

• Build on past progress
• Provide a safe space for reflection
• Keep goals on track
• Provide accountability
• Reinforce positive changes
• Help detect issues early
• Strengthen trust with therapist

Each therapy appointment builds upon the previous one as we work through core issues and build important skills. Compare it to a physical goal. If you have been working up to bench press a certain weight, you can’t stop going to the gym once you hit it and expect that to remain your baseline. Extended breaks more often lead to regression, and starting again can be more difficult than the first time. Of course no one wants to turn down summer fun to venture to a therapy appointment, but what if we told you there’s a way to have both?

Summer brings with it cheerful imagery, but that’s not how it feels for everyone. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is most known for showing up in the cold, winter months, but it can also impact people during the summer. Anxiety and other mental health conditions can all be amplified by heat and humidity, increased social pressure, and longer periods of daylight. Other summer-related mental health challenges can include:

Sleep Disruptions

The days of summer stretch longer than other seasons. This is wonderful for activities, but not always the best for sleep schedules. The extended hours of daylight can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm, making it difficult to fall asleep. Not only that, but schedule changes and an active lifestyle can lead to late nights and even insomnia.

Social Anxiety

The changing of the seasons doesn’t necessarily bring about a change in social anxiety. When summer plans gain momentum, anxiety can increase. Concerns about body image, unmet expectations, and crowded events can all cause anxiety to ramp up. There is often pressure to be happy and stay active, but your mood may not have gotten that memo.

Loneliness or Isolation

Throughout the school year, young people are surrounded by their peers every single day. Summer may bring an abrupt change to their social life when they no longer have that kind of access to their friends. Age, transportation, and planned summer obligations can put a damper on social interaction, making people feel lonely and isolated. Social media can make these feelings more intense, as watching others share the highlights of their summer can present the illusion that everyone else is having a perfect summer.

Routine Changes

Many people thrive with routine, but summer can take that routine away. Students are used to a daily schedule that they create their habits and lives around, but that goes away once school lets out for the season. Now they have idle time to fill and most likely a disrupted sleep pattern. This change extends to parents, too, who are adjusting to different daily routines and needs.

Increased Parental Stress

Summer break is exciting for parents, too. Having extra time to spend with your children is always a bonus, but there’s no denying an element of stress is involved, too. There’s suddenly time to fill, an increased pressure to provide entertainment, rides to give, extra snacks to provide, camps to pay for, and on and on. Summer is the perfect time for family connection, but that doesn’t erase the new stressors parents may face.