It’s summertime and the living is easy, but not for everybody. While many people look forward to this time of year, for some people it can also bring hidden mental health challenges. Summer is sold to us as a time of long sociable evenings on the patio or pub garden; of heading off on holiday, to festivals or for a day at the beach.
This can heighten the pressure to have the ‘perfect summer’, and drive unhealthy comparisons, a sense of failure or inadequacy, or even burnout. Here’s a look at this growing phenomenon, and how to protect yourself from its toxic influence.
Summer FOMO and how to avoid it
Summer is celebrated as a time of fun, freedom, and constant activity. Social media is flooded with curated snapshots of other people’s holidays, days out, weddings and barbecues. This can prompt the feeling that everyone else is living their best life, and your life is dull and empty in comparison.
Even when we are fully aware that social media is just the edited highlights, it can be difficult to avoid the sense that we are missing out on the fun, or not making the most of the season. FOMO (fear of missing out) can strike at any time, but in summer it can be particularly powerful and painful.
How to recognise summer burnout
Trying to live up to an idealised version of summer can even lead to burnout, which is more commonly associated with work pressures or exhaustive caring duties. It can feel tempting to overcommit to social events and accept every invitation, or plan more and do more to reassure yourself that you are in demand and ‘making memories’.
This can lead to a creeping emotional and physical burnout that you may not even recognise. It can show up the following ways:
- Feeling a sense of disconnection, numbness or disappointment during events or activities that are supposed to be fun
- Feeling constantly exhausted, even after rest or during an occasion that is supposed to be relaxed and chilled out
- Being more irritable, anxious, or tearful than usual
These may all be signs that you need to take a step back and start figuring out what really matters to you.
How to tackle summer FOMO
The first step is to recognise that real fulfilment comes from doing what your mind, body and soul craves the most. This might include quiet soul restoring afternoons reading in the shade, or time spent engaging with neglected hobbies or helping others.
Limit your social media time, or consider taking a complete break from it over the summer if you know that it has a hold over you. Remember that what you really want to be doing has nothing to do with what anyone else is doing, and comparison just breeds feelings of envy, shame, or loneliness.
If you are struggling to break a habit such as addiction to social media, or are battling with burnout or depression, our counselling service in Sheffield is here to help you. Please get in touch and we’ll be happy to provide you with more information.