June often marks the start of some sunshine in the UK (although with British weather you can never be sure!) With the sunshine comes great days out, BBQ’s, holidays, and time spent with love ones however, this isn’t always the case for some. If you find yourself getting down and what can be described as ‘summer blues’ then this post is for you.
There are a number of reasons to why you may be feeling down during this time. Its okay to have these emotions however we do not want you to stay down. As you keep reading, you’ll hopefully find some solutions and coping mechanisms.
1)Disappointment
Often we make plans for summer whether it be to a health journey goal, a holiday, a creative project taking off and if it doesn’t go the way we hoped. It can effect our self esteem and mood. You may be disappointed with yourself or even others. It could be that the feeling of being let down is overwhelming you.
2) Money Issues
During summer we tend to spend more money as we may be going out more, increased childcare costs, keeping up with everything and everyone can get expensive.
Tip: Try your best to plan for summer in advance by putting money aside where you can. No matter how small each penny will help you budget better.
3) Body Image Comparison
With summer comes more pictures of people in bikinis, swimming trunks, summer dresses etc. If you’re not in a healthy place with your body image or you had a goal you didn’t initially reach, you may start to compare yourself to others and begin to feel negatively towards yourself.
Tip: We encourage you, to believe in yourself, take pride in who you are and what you do. Embrace you!
4) Exam results
During summer many are graduating, receiving GCSE/A – Level results and are either being accepted or unfortunately rejected by their chosen universities. The pressure and anticipation alone of receiving results may be bringing on anxiety. If you didn’t get the grades you were hoping for, it may very well be getting you down and utterly upset.
Tip: Don’t give up! Theres no shame in retaking an exam or academic year. Although this could also be a wonderful opportunity to change direction if you are inspired to. As Albert Einstein said..’You never fail until you stop trying’.
5) The Ending of Summer
You may have had a great summer filled of life and fun, so now as it draws nearer to the end you may be feeling melancholy.
Tip: Be intentional and plan some other exciting things you can do in the next coming weeks that will keep you looking forward for whats events in your calendar.
6)* Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that you experience during particular seasons or times of year. You can find more details about this stated in our useful links section below. We would urge you to look into this if you think you may be dealing with this as it is a genuine health concern.
If anything mentioned resonates with you, we’d advice you to try and do some of the things that you love. Developing a self care plan can really help. Never hesitate to speak to someone professionally, get in contact with one of our therapist today.
Take care of yourself,
Bennu
Disclaimer: In some circumstances further action is required. If you are emotionally or mentally struggling and in need of help please do not hesitate to get in contact with one of our therapists. If your enquiry is urgent please contact Samaritans 24 hour service here and refer to further useful links below.
*Not all images are our own, all credit to the original designers
Useful links
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/
