The Summer Slump

My team and I were having a conversation this week about the dreaded “summer slump”.

One of my employees is a psychology major in grad school, and she pointed out that there’s research to support this - one study has shown that the summer time is linked to an increased rate of “vegetative” depression symptoms, like insomnia, loss of appetite, and anhedonia, or the loss of pleasure in usual hobbies.

So how do you combat this?

Well, research would suggest spending time outside, and taking care of ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually.

I have a theory of my own: I think we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.

Though summer is supposed to be a time of relaxation, I find that many of my peers, my employees, and myself put a lot of pressure on ourselves.

Pressure to perform.

To use our free time “perfectly”.

To get maximum enjoyment out of the summer.

To pack every moment full of productivity.

It’s exhausting!

Especially when so many of us spend all year holding out for the summertime so that we can relax… and then we proceed to spike our cortisol levels anyway (oops!).

Let me know down below - what do you think causes the summer slump?

How do you deal with it?