With summer quickly approaching, guides preparing for bathing suit season are abundant. While diet plans, exercise routines and self-tanning regimens can make you look a certain way on your beach vacation, social media can make you feel a different way: insecure.
If spring break was any indication, explore feeds this summer will be populated by Instagram models and the tropical vacations and bikini bodies that accompany them. Summer can naturally feel like a time of decreased confidence, and being surrounded by what can feel like unattainable perfection only adds to the problem. VALLEY understands the pressures brought about by the summer months, but we also know that your respite from school should be a carefree time to relax. Banish the summer blues this year by changing your approach to self-care.
Take Care of Yourself
While it’s easier said than done, learning to change your mindset in regards to why you’re hitting the gym and eating better is important. For many, the reasoning behind a new summer regimen is a no-brainer: wanting to look better at the beach. However, shifting your mindset from wanting to look better to wanting to feel better will have an impact on both how you look and how you feel.
Taking care of yourself rather than obsessively nitpicking your appearance can replace bad habits with healthier ones. For example, making sure to eat three good meals a day rather than restrict your calorie intake in anticipation for a pool day, or listening to your body rather than pushing yourself too hard at the gym. Make healthy decisions this summer, but make them with self-care as your motivation rather than self-hate.
Know Yourself
While having goals is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it’s equally as important to be sure that your goals are realistic. Deciding to eat more fruit or start running is different from wanting to lose 20 pounds to look like someone with an entirely different body type from you.
As we’re told from kindergarten on, no two people are exactly the same. While you may aspire to look like certain Instagram models or fitness gurus, focus on goals for your body rather than trying to turn it into someone else’s.
Treat Yourself
Summer is a time for relaxation. After grinding away during the school year, you deserve to unwind in whatever form that may take. Treat yourself to a guilt-free trip to the ice cream shop, or buy the new top you’ve been eyeing in honor of making decisions that will make you feel good rather than allowing yourself to stress out over comparison.
