5 Summer Activities That Can Boost Your Mental Health

The sun’s out, the temperature is rising, and… you’re feeling depressed. While people typically experience the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the fall and winter months, this condition can also cause some individuals to feel depressed in the spring and summer. Whether you have SAD or you’re feeling depressed due to other life circumstances, here are five activities you can try to boost your mental health this summer:

1. Head outside to try a new outdoor exercise like walking, swimming, or playing tennis. Even if you don’t feel up to exercising,  or unable to due to pain or illness, relaxing outside while reading a book, bird watching, painting or crafting, or picnicking with loved ones can improve your mood.
2. Create a summer playlist filled with upbeat, catchy tunes. The playlist can include songs from a pleasant, memorable time in your life.
3. Change up your space by planting some flowers (if you don’t have any outdoor space, try looking for a local community garden). Or, create a space in a sunny area of your home- such as adding a plant to a windowsill, changing your curtains, or adding a wind chime to your porch.
4. Attend a local fair, watch an outdoor movie, or spend the day at a nearby amusement park.
5. Pick up some fruits and vegetables from a local farmer’s market (and maybe even use them to try a new recipe).

Does Your Mental Health Still Need a Boost?

If you’ve tried the summer activities listed above but found that your mental health could still use some improvement, contact us today. We’ll be happy to schedule an appointment with one of the experienced therapists at our practice. Once we’ve learned about the symptoms you’ve been experiencing, we’ll be able to recommend some strategies that are customized to your unique needs. We are happy to offer therapy in Middlebury CT, and therapy in Southbury, CT, as well as therapy and medication management via tele-health across the whole state of Connecticut.