Why Summertime Can Be Hard for Mental Health (And What You Can Do About It)
Everyone assumes summer is the season of joy, freedom, and ease. But for many, the longer days can bring unexpected waves of anxiety, loneliness, or burnout. If you’re not feeling “summery” this year, you’re not alone—and there’s nothing wrong with you. Reaching out for counselling or speaking with a trusted counsellor can make all the difference.
When people talk about summer, the usual words that come to mind are “carefree,” “relaxed,” or “happy.” Social media is full of vacations, family outings, and sunny moments that seem picture-perfect. But what happens when summer doesn’t feel that way to you?
In therapy, we see this all the time: clients feel out of step with the season. While others seem energized, they feel stuck, anxious, overwhelmed—or even depressed. And that can feel incredibly isolating, like you're doing something wrong. The truth? You're not.
Let’s talk about why summer can be emotionally challenging, and what you can do to support your mental health through it—with or without professional counselling.
Why Summer Can Be Emotionally Challenging
1. More Sunlight, More Pressure
With the longer days come increased expectations to do more, be more social, or enjoy life more. If you’re already emotionally exhausted, these pressures can feel suffocating.
2. Disrupted Routines
For students, parents, or anyone affected by the school calendar, summer often brings a major routine shift. Routines that once provided stability may disappear—leading to sleep issues, lack of structure, and emotional dysregulation. This is something many people work through in counselling sessions.
3. Body Image Anxiety
Summer often means more skin, swimsuits, and the ever-present "bikini body" talk. For those struggling with body image or disordered eating, this season can feel hyper-exposing and triggering. Talking with a registered clinical counsellor can help unpack the root of these body image challenges in a safe, non-judgmental space.
4. Social Comparison
Summer often amplifies comparison. Whether it’s watching others travel, socialize, or thrive—those highlight reels can intensify feelings of loneliness or “not enoughness.”
5. Financial Strain
Summer activities, vacations, and camps can be costly. If you're already stressed financially, summer can feel less like a break and more like a burden. This strain—along with financial guilt or pressure—can be explored in therapy to help you manage expectations more realistically.
6. Changes in Childcare or Responsibilities
If you're a parent or caregiver, summer may mean juggling more—kids at home, fewer breaks, and shifting priorities that leave little space for rest or self-care. Many parents find counselling support especially helpful during these seasonal shifts.
And let’s name this, too: parent guilt is real. You may feel like you're supposed to create a magical, memory-filled summer with endless energy for outings, snacks, and playtime. But if you're running on empty, that expectation can feel impossible—and defeating.
It’s okay if you don’t have something planned every day. It’s okay if screen time happens. You are not failing your children—you’re showing up the best you can. Sometimes the most meaningful summer moments come from slowing down, not speeding up.
7. Seasonal Affective Disorder (Summer-Onset)
Yes—it’s real. While most people associate SAD with winter, a smaller group experiences it in the summer, triggered by heat, excessive light, or changes in routine. A trained counsellor can help assess if seasonal depression is affecting you and support you with strategies that work.
How Summer Can Be Hard on Relationships
Summer isn't just about personal stress—it can also put unexpected pressure on our relationships.
Increased Time Together (or Apart)
More time at home or on vacation might sound ideal, but it can bring underlying tensions to the surface. Without the regular distractions of school or work, couples may notice communication issues, mismatched expectations, or differences in energy levels.
On the flip side, summer can also mean spending less time together—especially if one partner is traveling, working long hours, or busy with kids. That disconnection can leave both people feeling unseen or unsupported. Couples counselling can be an important space to reconnect.
Different Ideas of Fun
Not everyone enjoys summer the same way. One person might want to be out hiking every weekend, while the other craves quiet evenings inside. When partners have different ideas of what “a good summer” looks like, it can lead to frustration or resentment—something that can be gently unpacked in couples therapy.
Family Visits and Social Pressures
Summer often brings more social obligations: barbecues, reunions, in-laws visiting. These can stir anxiety, unspoken boundaries, or old wounds—especially if one partner feels obligated while the other feels overwhelmed.
Parenting Stress
If you have children, summer can mean navigating child care, sibling conflict, screen time, and lack of downtime. That stress often spills over into the couple dynamic, leaving both partners feeling depleted.
What You Can Do to Support Your Mental Health in Summer
1. Let Go of the “Shoulds”
You don’t have to love summer. You don’t have to go camping, host barbecues, or enjoy every sunny moment. It’s okay if summer doesn’t feel like your season, or maybe it’s just not your season this year.
Instead, ask yourself:
What would feel good—or at least manageable—for me this week?
2. Protect Your Routine (Where You Can)
Even loose structure can offer grounding. Aim to wake up and go to bed around the same time. Plan meals, movement, or breaks that help you feel steady.
3. Limit Social Media
If seeing everyone else’s “perfect” summer is affecting your mood, take a step back. A break from constant comparison can restore perspective—and reduce anxiety.
4. Reconnect With What You Truly Enjoy
Instead of chasing someone else’s summer, lean into activities that actually nourish you. That could be reading in the shade, taking a solo walk, or enjoying a quiet morning coffee outside.
5. Make Space to Feel What You’re Feeling
Give yourself permission to not be okay—even when it’s sunny. Journaling, talking to a trusted friend, or meeting with a counsellor can help you process feelings without shame.
6. Reach Out for Support
You don’t have to go through this alone. Therapy is a safe space to talk through how you're feeling, explore what’s coming up for you, and learn tools to cope in a way that fits your life and relationships.
You’re Not Alone—Even If It Feels That Way
Mental health doesn’t take a summer break. If you’re struggling right now, that doesn’t make you broken—it makes you human.
Whether you’re carrying anxiety, burnout, relationship tension, or a deep sense of disconnection, you deserve support. You deserve rest. You deserve care.
And it’s okay to seek help—even when the sun is shining.
What Are the Real Benefits of EMDR Therapy? Here’s What to Know
Struggling to move past old memories or anxious thoughts? EMDR therapy offers a unique, research-backed way to help your brain heal from emotional wounds. In this post, we break down benefits of EMDR and why so many people are turning to it for relief, clarity, and lasting change.
If you've been dealing with anxiety, trauma, or just feel stuck emotionally, you might’ve heard about EMDR therapy. At first glance, it might sound a little odd, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing?
But don’t let the technical name fool you. EMDR is actually a powerful (and surprisingly approachable) way to work through tough experiences and get some real relief. Let's break it down and talk about the actual, real-life benefits of EMDR.
So What Is EMDR?
It’s a therapy method that helps your brain reprocess traumatic or distressing memories in a healthier way so they don’t have the same emotional charge they once did. It’s like your brain’s way of finally finishing the “processing” on experiences it got stuck on.
Think of EMDR like your brain’s way of clearing out old emotional “files” that never quite got closed properly. These can be anything from a traumatic event to a smaller, painful memory that still lingers.
During an EMDR session, a therapist helps you revisit the memory in a safe, controlled way while using bilateral stimulation with eye movements, tapping, or sounds. It’s not magic, but it’s pretty amazing how effective it can be.
The Benefits of EMDR (And Why People Swear by It)
1. You Don’t Have to Talk Through Everything
This is one of the reasons many people love EMDR. Unlike traditional talk therapy, you don’t have to explain every detail of what happened. EMDR focuses more on how the memory feels and helps your brain process it in the background.
If you’re not ready (or just not the talky type), this can be a huge relief.
2. It Can Work Faster Than Traditional Talk Therapy
Some people notice changes after just a few sessions. Of course, everyone’s different, but EMDR often helps people feel real progress a lot quicker than they expected especially when it comes to old trauma or deeply rooted beliefs.
3. It’s Not Just for Trauma
While EMDR is best known for helping with PTSD, it can also used for many other presenting issues such as:
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Phobias
Grief
Low self-worth
Stress from difficult relationships
Negative self-beliefs
Basically, if there’s a memory or belief that feels “stuck” and keeps messing with your present, EMDR might help loosen its grip.
4. You Can Finally Feel Free From the Past
One of the most powerful benefits of EMDR is how it helps you change your relationship with painful memories. After working through them, most people say the memories are still there, but they don’t hurt anymore, they have less “emotional charge” and they are not triggered by them in the same way.
5. It Builds Real Resilience
EMDR doesn’t just help you heal old wounds, it also helps you feel more grounded in who you are now. You might find it easier to handle stress, be present in your relationships, and stop second-guessing yourself all the time.
Thinking About Trying It?
The idea of therapy can feel intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before (or had a bad experience in the past). But EMDR is different and worth considering if you’re tired of carrying around the same emotional weight.
The benefits of EMDR go beyond just “feeling better.” It’s about understanding your past, making peace with it, and finally moving forward.