Summer holidays are not just for the kids!

I know it’s hotter than ever right now, but try, if you can, to think back to the winter. 

Six months ago you may have been sitting at your desk, or sitting on the bus travelling to work, shivering a bit and dreaming of long, lazy summer days.

So then why is it that we usually spend the summer busier than we expected? Our dreams of hammocks and iced tea are replaced with sweaty rush hour journeys. Reading a good book in the garden gets substituted with much less relaxing activities that, often, we are not really sure why we committed to in the first place.

What’s going on? The simple truth is that leisure time isn’t just found anymore. We need to commit to ourselves a little too, by carving out our precious down time.

When the schools shut for their six week summer holidays, the kids are granted full permission to just be kids for six weeks. Do you remember what that felt like?

As a kid, I thought six weeks felt like forever - there was so much possibility stretched out before me and I could do as much or as little with my free days as I wanted to. I know that as adults work doesn’t shut down for six weeks, and of course we have more responsibilities, but we could take back our evenings and weekends... couldn’t we?

While the days are longer and the weather is inviting, it’s a great time to reconnect with nature and swap TV for time outdoors. We can bring a little bit of the spirit of the summer holidays into our daily lives.

Think back a little, maybe to last summer. When did you last allow yourself even half a day to read a good book under a tree, or to attempt to climb into a hammock - whether the outcome was successful or just plain silly!

Summer doesn’t have to be all computer screens, air conditioning and sweaty commutes to work. When we remember to check our work-life balance, there is a lot of fun stuff to be enjoyed too.

You shouldn’t need permission to have some summer fun, but if you feel that you do, then here it is. As a life coach I officially permit and encourage you to wear your flip flops, eat the ice cream, and wrestle with that hammock!

Please enjoy your summer - it’s not only for the kids.