It’s summertime, so why isn’t the living easier?

When temperatures rise in the summer, so can anxiety and stress. Juggling jobs, bored children and often hard-to-find, expensive child care can impact summer sun and fun. For many, it becomes difficult to view summer through rose-colored glasses.

Why is summer so stressful, and what can be done to reduce negative impacts?

While students often love to be out of school, the lack of schedule and structure can impact mental wellness for some. Parents may feel stress arranging things for children to do or places for them to be while they work. Expectations for summer trips, social gatherings and fun can add pressure to already-disrupted schedules.

A lack of structure can also lead children to a perceived loss of purpose and direction, resulting in emotional distress and exacerbating issues such as anxiety and depression.

While unstructured time away from school can be good, it can also result in more time for social media, less time sleeping, less structured nutrition through school meals and less socializing with friends and peers, causing some to feel isolated and lonely. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, summer months, often when teens have less supervision, are the peak months for teen drinking and drug use.

CLIME

Keeping regular routines like bedtime, mealtimes and activities helps children know what to expect and reduces anxiety. Routines with expectations and activities (even chores) benefit both children and parents by helping to teach children responsibility and self-control.

When you feel over-scheduled, seek out only activities and plans you enjoy. Resist the temptation to overcommit. The key is finding balance.

Speaking of schedules, disrupted and erratic sleep routines due to activities and longer days are linked to stress. Keeping children’s school sleep schedule will also help with the transition back to school in the fall.

Summer weather can increase stress. A study by the American Physiological Society found that people are more likely to have higher levels of stress hormones in summer than in winter. Hot temperatures impact mental wellness, causing issues with memory, attention, reaction time and sleep. Allergies from pollen can cause inflammation, and extreme weather like hurricanes can result in PTSD.

To support the impact of heat on your mental well-being, limit outdoor activities to early mornings or late in the evenings to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Wear sunscreen and hats and drink water to prevent dehydration. Look for indoor activities with air conditioning.

For storm anxiety, limit exposure to social media and news about impending storms, talk about feelings and stay calm, as children mirror your moods and reactions. Focus on what you can control, and give children tasks to prepare, such as putting a flashlight in their room or keeping a pet calm.

Expectations to maximize fun can result in splurge spending on vacations, eating out and other expenses. In addition, parents may have to pay for camps and activities to keep children occupied while they are working. Try to stick to a budget and look for free activities, such as library programs. Creating memories by playing games or doing crafts with your children encourages family togetherness and can lessen FOMO (fear of missing out).

Summer also marks the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another, such as changing grades and schools. Anxiety about going away to college, starting a career after college, or starting elementary, middle or high school may intensify while waiting for fall.

Help plan for transitions by ensuring you have everything you need and helping children and teens know what to expect. Validating feelings of anxiety during transitions and change helps children and teens process their emotions.

The good news for mental health in the summer is the availability of more sunlight, which increases mood-boosting vitamin D and serotonin, as well as sleep-boosting melatonin. Outdoor activities, rest and relaxation and quality time with loved ones afforded in summer also benefit mental well-being.

While seasonal anxiety affects everyone differently, prioritizing mental wellness during the summer includes taking one day at a time, practicing self-care and compassion and seeking help when needed. ¦

— Sharon Clime is a licensed marriage and family therapist for Elite DNA Behavioral Health. Elite DNA seeks to provide accessible, affordable mental health care to everyone and has become one of the largest mental health providers in the state, providing in-person and virtual behavioral health services to children, adolescents and adults at more than 30 locations across Florida. For more information, visit EliteDNA.com .

The post It’s summertime, so why isn’t the living easier? first appeared on Charlotte County Florida Weekly .