When the weather’s good, we should feel good, right? Unfortunately, we know life doesn’t work like that.
It can be doubly difficult to feel low when the sun is shining. There seems to be more pressure to be out doing things, having fun experiences and enjoying the long warm days.
But the reality is the ups and downs of life still continue. Bad days at work, ruminating about whether you should have done things differently, feeling like your holiday should be about relaxation but that feels like the last thing you can do right now. Or perhaps wanting to draw the curtains, lie on your bed and just be.
Rather than turn this into a post which analyses all or any of this in some way, I was drawn to the concept of doing something nice just for yourself.
I know that this can be genuinely hard to do when you’re feeling low or out of sorts but it’s also when you need it most. Over time, small acts of kindness to yourself can add up. They can offer a small lift on a blue day or remind you that there are things you like and enjoy.
We’re not talking about expensive purchases or complicated experiences. Neither is this about the sort of mindless online shopping that’s really just self-soothing through consumption.
This is more about small purchases made in person or time out doing things you like doing.
Here are a few summer-y examples for inspiration:
Small purchases
Local strawberries from the greengrocer
Plants in vivid shades to give hot summer colour to your pots or garden
A bottle of rose recommended by your favourite wine shop
A new book from your independent bookstore
A change of scenery
A trip to a gallery or museum to see something inspiring – and enjoy the aircon!
A picnic – or just lunch on a bench
A walk after dinner around your neighbourhood
A spot of fishing in the evening
Make your choices low stakes. Nothing fancy, the simpler the better. They can be alone or with others, but the common thread is that you choose them for yourself.
None of these will fix a hard week or shake off how you’re feeling, but small acts of kindness to yourself, done in person, just for you, are a way of showing yourself you matter. And that might make tomorrow a little easier.
