How to Improve Mental Health This Summer

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In This Blog, You’ll Learn:

✅ What summer mental health is and how it affects daily life
✅ Types or signs of summer-related emotional changes
✅ Myths vs. facts about summer and mental health
✅ Common thought patterns that worsen mental health in summer
✅ Coping skills for managing mental health during summer
✅ How summer weather and nature support mental health
✅ A summer bucket list to boost your emotional well-being
✅ Why summer is a great time to start therapy
✅ How therapy helps with summer mental health
✅ Where to find the best therapy for summer mental health near you

Summer Mental Health and Why It’s Important

At Mountains Therapy in Montclair, NJ we know it's important to understand how the season can affect your mood, energy, and emotional well-being. When summer arrives, we often hear about vacations, sunshine, and good vibes but for many, this season can bring unexpected emotional shifts. Some people feel uplifted by longer days and warmer weather. Others may feel pressure to feel “happy,” experience heightened anxiety, or struggle with body image and social demands.

Mental health in summer matters because the season affects our energy, mood, routines, and stress levels, sometimes in ways we don’t expect. Seasonal shifts can impact your emotions, mindset, and energy levels. Summer may bring joy for some, but for others, it can trigger or intensify emotional and psychological struggles. The heat, social demands, and pressure to “enjoy the season” can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re navigating anxiety, depression, or body image concerns.

Common Summer Mental Health Challenges with Examples

1. Emotional & Mood Changes

✔️ Low Motivation Despite “Good” Weather

Summer is often portrayed as a time for joy, activity, and optimism. But for many, it feels like emotional disconnection or apathy. The contrast between your inner state and societal expectations can intensify guilt or shame.
Examples:
You feel guilty for wanting to stay indoors or sleep more even though the sun is out.
You hear others rave about summer energy but feel emotionally flat or low.
You’re not excited about vacations or weekend plans, and that concerns you.

✔️ Irritability & Mood Swings

Heat, overstimulation, and disrupted routines can create emotional volatility. You may find yourself more reactive or easily agitated without fully understanding why.
Examples:
You snap at loved ones more often during heatwaves.
Little annoyances feel amplified when you're hot, tired, or overstimulated

2. Anxiety & Social Pressure

✔️ Increased Anxiety or Social Overwhelm

More daylight, travel, and social expectations can leave you feeling overstimulated, especially if you’re introverted, neurodivergent, or managing social anxiety.
Examples:
You're anxious about attending outdoor gatherings or trips with little downtime.
Small talk or group settings feel more exhausting than energizing.
You worry about how you’ll be perceived in summer clothes or public events.

✔️ Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Summer can intensify the fear that you're “falling behind” or not living your life fully, especially when everyone else seems to be having fun online.
Examples:
You scroll through vacation posts and feel inadequate or invisible.
You say yes to plans out of guilt, even when you're burnt out.

3. Physical Disruptions That Impact Mental Health

✔️ Disrupted Sleep or Fatigue

Longer days, hotter nights, and changes in schedule can disturb your circadian rhythm. This directly impacts energy, patience, and emotional regulation.
Examples:
You struggle to fall asleep because it’s still bright out at bedtime.
You wake up multiple times feeling sweaty, restless, or foggy.
You notice a consistent drop in motivation or focus throughout the day.

✔️ Somatic Anxiety

Hot weather may heighten physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, or shallow breathing—often mistaken for anxiety or panic.
Examples:
You feel lightheaded or panicked during heatwaves or outdoor activities.
You confuse normal physiological heat responses with emotional distress.

4. Body Image & Self-Esteem Struggles

✔️ Body Image Concerns in Summer

More exposed skin, societal beauty standards, and endless highlight reels on social media can worsen self-judgment and body dissatisfaction.
Examples:
You avoid events involving swimsuits, tank tops, or shorts.
You obsess over your appearance or compare yourself harshly to others.
You cancel plans last minute because of how you feel in your body that day.

✔️ Disordered Eating or Control-Seeking Behaviors

Seasonal exposure may trigger attempts to “fix” your body through dieting, restricting, or overexercising.
Examples:
You feel pressure to lose weight quickly or “get summer ready.”
You oscillate between restricting food and emotional eating due to stress.
Food choices feel tied to self-worth or perceived social acceptance.

Myths and Facts About Summer and Mental Health

Myth: Everyone feels better in the summer.
✅ Fact: Some people experience more anxiety, depression, or seasonal affective symptoms in warmer months.

Myth: If you’re not happy during summer, something is wrong with you.
✅ Fact: Mental health is complex and doesn't follow the seasons. It’s okay to struggle—even when the sun is out.

Myth: Summer break always improves mental health.
✅ Fact: While breaks can help, lack of structure may worsen symptoms for some, especially teens or those with ADHD.

How to Cope With Mental Health Challenges in Summer

Simple strategies to protect your mental and emotional well-being, especially when the pressure to feel “good” is high Even though summer is often associated with joy and freedom, the season can surface unexpected emotional challenges. These therapist-recommended strategies are designed to help you stay grounded, regulate your mood, and prioritize mental wellness during the warmer months.

Maintain a consistent sleep schedule—even with longer days
Longer daylight hours can delay your natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to fatigue and irritability. Prioritizing rest helps stabilize your mood, increase energy, and support emotional resilience.

Normalize talking about stress or sadness—even in summer
There’s often a silent pressure to feel “fine” or upbeat during summer. Naming your feelings and talking about them—whether with a therapist, partner, or friend—validates your experience and reduces emotional isolation.

Use headphones and a sound machine to avoid background noises and improve sleep
If outdoor noise or late sunsets make it harder to wind down, using calming sound aids can help reset your nervous system, promote deeper sleep, and reduce nighttime anxiety.

Stay hydrated and avoid excessive caffeine or alcohol
Heat, dehydration, and stimulants can spike anxiety, fatigue, or mood swings. Drinking plenty of water and limiting substances helps your body stay balanced and emotionally regulated.

Practice mindfulness, grounding, or short breathing exercises outdoors
Being present in nature even just a few minutes a day, can reduce racing thoughts and help you reset emotionally. Breathing exercises also calm your nervous system and restore focus.

Wear comfortable clothing and set body-positive boundaries
Summer fashion and social expectations can bring up body image concerns. Choose clothes that help you feel safe and empowered, and decline situations that make you feel uncomfortable or judged.

Limit social media to reduce comparison and pressure
Constant exposure to curated highlight reels can trigger low self-worth or the fear of missing out (FOMO). Taking breaks or curating your feed can protect your mental space and self-esteem.

Spend time in nature for mood enhancement
Natural environments have been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and boost serotonin levels. Whether it’s a local park, beach, or backyard, getting outside supports mental clarity and inner calm.

Book a therapy session to process complex feelings
If summer surfaces emotional confusion, loneliness, or past trauma, therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore those feelings, build coping tools, and move forward with support.

How Summer Weather and Nature Support Mental Health

Spending time outdoors and soaking up the natural benefits of summer can have a powerful, positive effect on your mental health. Here’s how:

☀️ More Sunlight = More Vitamin D
Sunlight increases your body’s vitamin D production, supporting mood regulation and reducing depression symptoms.
🌿 Nature Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Green spaces lower cortisol levels and support nervous system calm—great for stress relief and emotional balance.
🌊 Outdoor Movement Elevates Mood
Warm weather makes movement easier—walking, swimming, and biking all release feel-good endorphins.
🌬️ Fresh Air Enhances Mental Clarity
Being outside improves oxygen flow to the brain, which supports focus, emotional clarity, and energy.
🌸 Sensory Experiences Ground You
Nature provides grounding through touch, smell, and sound—helpful for calming racing thoughts or anxiety.

🪣 Summer Mental Health Bucket List

Boost your mood and emotional well-being this summer with intentional, grounding activities:

Take a barefoot walk in the grass or sand
Watch a sunrise or sunset and reflect on a goal or intention
Visit a farmers’ market and try one new seasonal food
Spend a screen-free afternoon outdoors—read, sketch, or cloud-watch
Go for a walk or light hike near water or in nature
Try outdoor yoga or stretching in the park
Pack a picnic and invite someone who makes you feel safe
Make a summer playlist that lifts your spirits
Journal outdoors about what summer means to you
Buy yourself a cooling treat like watermelon or fruit sorbet
Host a no-pressure gathering (games, potluck, or chill hangout)
Create a screen-free wind-down routine to protect sleep
Say no to one thing that drains your energy
Start a daily summer “feelings check-in” habit
Try a new coping skill from therapy outdoors
Celebrate small wins (like setting boundaries or asking for support)

Why Summer Is a Great Time to Start Therapy

Use the slower pace of the season to focus on your emotional wellness

Summer can be the perfect opportunity to begin or return to therapy. With longer days, a more relaxed routine, and increased time outdoors, many people find it easier to explore their emotions and set personal goals.
Whether you're processing recent changes, managing anxiety, or simply trying to feel more like yourself, therapy during the summer can offer powerful momentum for growth.

Here’s why summer therapy makes sense:

More flexible scheduling: With vacations and lighter workloads, it may be easier to carve out time for yourself.
Support for seasonal triggers: Therapy can help you manage body image struggles, social pressure, and emotional fatigue that may arise in summer.
Space to reflect and reset: The quieter pace of summer allows you to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and clarify your priorities.
Build healthy habits: Working with a therapist now can help you establish mental health routines that carry into fall and beyond.
Address deeper emotions: If memories or stress resurface during this season, therapy offers a safe place to explore them.

How Therapy Helps With Summer Mental Health

Therapy offers a safe, supportive space to unpack seasonal pressures, emotional shifts, or stress. At Mountains Therapy, we tailor our approach based on your unique experience of summer mental health—whether it’s about anxiety, body image, or just feeling off. Our team offers trauma-informed, inclusive, and affirming care.

Types of Therapists We Have for Summer Mental Health Support

Acceptance and Commitment Therapist – ACT Therapy
Our therapists help you accept difficult emotions and guide you in living according to your values during seasonal transitions.
Attachment-Based Therapist - Attachment Therapy
Our therapists support you in exploring relationship patterns and building secure emotional connections, especially when summer intensifies feelings of loneliness or disconnection.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist – CBT Therapy
Therapists work with you to identify and reframe negative thought patterns related to body image, productivity, or pressure to feel “happy” during summer.
Dialectical Behavior Therapist – DBT Therapy
We teach emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness tools to help you stay grounded and reduce reactivity during stressful summer situations.
Emotionally Focused Therapist – EFT Therapy
Our therapists help couples and individuals strengthen emotional bonds, improve communication, and work through relational tensions that may surface during summer transitions.
Mindfulness-Based Therapist - Mindfulness Therapy
We guide you in developing grounding skills, mindful presence, and body-based coping strategies to support your mental health outdoors and throughout the season.
Narrative Therapist - Narrative Therapy
Our therapists help you explore and re-author internal stories shaped by comparison, self-doubt, or cultural expectations tied to summer.
Psychodynamic Therapist - Psychodynamic Therapy
We help uncover unconscious patterns, emotional conflicts, and past experiences that may resurface in less structured or nostalgic summer moments.
Solution-Focused Therapist – SFT Therapy
Therapists focus on your strengths, resources, and goals to help you make meaningful and achievable changes—especially when summer throws off your rhythm.
Trauma-Focused CBT Therapist – TF-CBT Therapy
Our therapists support children, teens, and adults in processing trauma triggers that may be activated by summer stressors, travel, or sensory experiences.

FAQs About Summer Mental Health

Q: Why do I feel more anxious in summer when everyone else seems happy?

A: It’s common to feel overwhelmed by changes in routine, heat, social pressures, or body image expectations. Therapy can help you explore this without judgment.

Q: Can hot weather really affect my mood?

A: Yes. Heat can lead to irritability, fatigue, and poor sleep—all of which impact emotional regulation and overall wellness.

Q: Does therapy help with summer stress?

A: Absolutely. Therapists can help you process your feelings, manage triggers, and build supportive routines that work for you.

You Are Not Alone!

You don’t have to carry this alone. Whether summer feels overwhelming, emotionally complex, or unexpectedly difficult, Mountains Therapy in Montclair, NJ is here to support your journey toward wellness and clarity.