Last week, I wrote about wellness during summer. If you read that post or not, how do you think you’re doing in terms of your wellness during these summer months?
While eating fresh foods, exercising, getting some sun and increasing our fitness is important, I also see summertime as a period where we can also focus on our relationships and friendships.
The “Summer of Love”
If you live in a climate where winters are stormy, wet, cold and snowy, you may notice that, in some places, people hunker down and are often less social during winter. We can hibernate in a fashion–just like bears–and when the winds are blowing and the snow is piling up, we sit in front of the fire, drink tea, and read books or watch movies as the winter storms howl. This can be cozy, but it can also cause us to isolate.
Meanwhile, summertime in many places can lead us to outdoor concerts, picnics with friends, baseball games, outdoor activities with our children, and other events that bring people together. (I know winter outdoor activities can be fun, as well, but socializing on a cold ski slope is not exactly the same as a relaxed conversation at lakeside.)
For me personally, I like to go camping, walking and biking with friends, and there are many opportunities here in the lovely city of Santa Fe, New Mexico for outdoor public fun. With free concerts four nights a week in the center of town, we see our friends and acquaintances regularly, either by chance or design.
Love and friendship can bloom in the summertime because our muscles are relaxed and we can shine like the sun above our heads.
It’s Up To You
However you “use” the summer to your own advantage, it’s really up to you. Perhaps you’re the type of person who likes to hike and go to the beach alone, or otherwise take in the loveliness of summer on your own. That’s perfectly fine. Whatever you do, make sure that you check in with yourself, make sure your needs are getting met on all levels, and allow the openness and expansiveness of summer to feed your soul, your body, and your mind.
