It is official. It is Summer! Summer gives you permission to slow down. It encourages you to take a break from your usual routine. The most beneficial breaks occur when you physically leave the premises. Many people take advantage of this time and go on vacation. Summer provides an interval of rest and relief from your normal routine. It provides a healthy and delightful pause in your everyday obligations. It gives you the opportunity to get in touch with your soul and to access and evaluate your life. It gives you the opportunity to reflect and to examine where you are and where you want to be.
It gives you the opportunity to dream and create a different reality. It gives you the opportunity to try new things. It allows you to expand your horizons, do things out of the ordinary and to make new memories. Summer is a time to gain a new perspective and make changes in your life, if necessary.
Conversely, Summer is also a time to let your mind rest so it can recharge. It encourages and fosters idleness. A break in your routine can prevent a break down. It can restore balance and allow you to unwind, refresh yourself and recover from the vicissitudes of the previous seasons and events. There are many studies and statistics that confirm the value of vacations. They are built into the workplace agenda and into most jobs. There is also a trend towards “staycations” which appear to have the same benefits as destination vacations.
Summer should be a time of pleasure and recreation. Reward yourself and nourish and restore your spirit. Relinquish you inhibitions. Let go. Surrender to the season. Yield to your impulses. Take the time to chase butterflies, watch the clouds roll by, build sandcastles and let your skin breathe and absorb some sunlight. Let Summer beguile you.
Let it be a time of magical possibilities, fantasy and whimsy. Send me a postcard and maybe a picture.
Patricia Frank is a Licensed Psychotherapist. She can be reached at 305- 788-4864, Psychotherapy.a2z@gmail.com
