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.