Summer Blues Got You Down? You’re Not Alone. Here’s How We’re Managing Them.
by Candace Taylor
photo by Toa Heftiba for Unsplash
“How I’ve been feeling made me think about those of you out there who may also be carrying summertime sadness and don’t know what to do with it. ”
I don’t know about you, but summer makes me nostalgic AF every year. The second the temperature starts to rise and my neighborhood starts to bustle with the hubbub of more activity, warm memories of the years prior start to flood my mind. Lots of outdoor time. Lots of time with friends and loved ones. Spontaneity and joy are hallmarks of the season.
This year however, my mind has been wracked with emotions that feel very un-summer-like. Even with giggles of kiddos in the park as the soundscape of the world around me, I’ve found myself multiple times sobbing in the shower submerged in grief. I lost my grandmother on the new moon in September 2022, and on the full moon that followed, I buried her. The sadness in my spirit feels just as potent now, if not more than it did in those weeks when I first mourned her physical loss.
Navigating grief isn’t even the worst part of how I feel. What’s worse is the ping pong ball of energy that comes from being human. I’ve been in a season of lots of personal and professional growth and change. Up and down. Down and up. Day after day. It’s exhausting and feels impossible to manage.
How I’ve been feeling made me think about those of you out there who may also be carrying summertime sadness and don’t know what to do with it. There’s the outside world that’s full of bright, bubbly energy. And then there’s your inner world that doesn’t match. I know. I feel your pain.
Part of holding a multi-passionate and revolutionary identity is that you live and thrive in the both and. You know that pain and darkness isn’t everything even when it seems like it is. Just like you know that the summer with its light and long days isn’t the entire story either. You know that setting boundaries in service of your needs, values and desires is sometimes hard, but necessary. Just like you know you’ll bend your own rules for the sake of a spontaneous joy infusion!
As I sit with my own feelings, I want to share three soul care tips to navigate the highs and lows of summer time that are inspired by something that gave me great joy as a kid: my years at summer camp.
Learn and discover more about the nature and purpose of light
To reveal, to warm, to grow. The pages of your summer beach reads can’t run from the light’s rays, nor can your skin or a seed planted in a garden. All will be illuminated, kissed with warmth and nourished by light without asking for it. The nature and purpose of light is to give so that the things and people that encounter the light are edified. You don’t have to ask for it. Lean into the inner knowing that even if you aren’t actively embracing the “light” energy of summer, you will receive it anyway.
Pick a summer bff
If you’ve ever been to camp, you know your “survival rate” increases exponentially the moment you make a friend—someone to walk into the dining hall with, someone to save you a seat around the campfire, someone to be your partner whenever you are asked to pair up for an activity. This summer, choose someone who you will share every secret with, who you will invite to join you as you try out new experiences; someone you’ll form a bond with that will somehow collapse time and fill your life with comfort despite the discomfort.
And remember, it’s okay to have people in your life for seasons and reasons. This may be a person who enters your life and stays forever but does not have to be. This may be someone who really just aligns with where you are right now. I am currently experiencing a big spiritual awakening, so I hired a psychic mentor to guide me through this journey over a four-week period of time. I don’t know if this is a forever relationship, but for this season and reason she feels integral to navigating the downs and ups of this chapter, so this was a summer bestie no brainer!
Combat confusion and complexity with gratitude
You’ll never be able to explain or put into words the fullness of your emotional experiences. Especially the painful ones. The heaviness of this reality sometimes leaves us feeling frustrated. Let gratitude be your anchor. A sweet mantra like, “I’m proud and glad to be me” can be the exact grounding that you need in the rougher winds of life.
We are often quick to look to gurus on social media to guide us through hard moments, and I understand why. We’ve been socially conditioned to look outside ourselves for answers to life’s challenges. This is the biggest soul care blunder I see folks make. Going back to your own lived experiences is the richest well of wisdom around. And sometimes going back to cherished memories can allow the soul to soothe your inner child with exactly what it needs to bring you the peace and ease you desire most. It’s my hope that reading this inspires you to look inward and tap into the strength and magic of your own soul.
For now, I’ll leave you with this. May you embrace the joy of discovery and surprise throughout this season like dancing in the cool, calm of sprinklers or a lake warmed by the sun’s rays. May you approach this season with child-like wonder and honesty. And may you always remember, you don’t have to ignore your truth even if the season seems to call for something else. You’ll always have your dream doula here to hold you in integrity. I’m just one message or call away.
P.S. I’m hosting some summer breakthrough coaching sessions to help you clear any mental or emotional energetic debris you are holding. Yes, you are strong enough to withstand challenging moments in life, but that doesn’t mean they have permission to live rent-free in your mind and heart indefinitely. We’re way past the recent college grad energy! If you are craving a quick win of clearing energetic clutter in your life, I got you. Book a session today.
Read More:
The best summer fun there is: Leaning into your Power and Desire
Got a busy mind? These might help.
If you’re in perimenopause and in pain, you could have a fibroid