Summer is a time that in the popular imagination is associated with well-being.. However, This is not the case for all people.. There are people for whom summer is a difficult time., and these cultural ideas can make us feel strange or misunderstood when we feel this way.
As in the previous entry, we reflected on what things about summer can help us feel good, Let's also see what things can make summer a complicated time.
- Socioeconomic level. The amount of money we earn, our class, our working conditions…, They are the basis when understanding any problem. Talking about summer when your work has suitable weather conditions and you have the right to vacation is not the same as when it does not..
- Connect with yourself. Summer for some people can mean coming into contact with emotions or sensations that we usually avoid during the year by being overwhelmed with tasks..
- Social comparison. On social networks we are exposed to idealized versions of influencer summers, friends or acquaintances and this can make us feel that our summer, compared to these sources, is dull and boring..
- body insecurity. For many people, summer clothing means exposing parts of their body that they are not comfortable with or that if they do not want to do so, they receive constant comments of “Aren't you hot?”?” These comments, They make us feel more singled out and therefore more uncomfortable.. Besides, This insecurity with aspects of our body can lead us to avoid spaces such as swimming pools or outdoor places..
- Coming into contact with annoying family members or acquaintances. In the summer you may have to go home to those relatives you don't get along with or those you know you don't feel comfortable with..
Surely you want quick solutions, but I'm sorry to tell you, that many of the factors that we have discussed do not have. Still, we are going to share some ideas that can help you get through this difficult time..
- Select well what information you want to receive and what not. Maybe that influencer who goes on incredible trips and has an impossible body is not the person you want to follow this summer.. Probably, not only in summer, It is better for you to follow people who do not give you a feeling of constant failure.
- Not everything we see is true. Many times on Instagram we see the idealized version of people's lives, not real life. Social networks are not a reflection of reality, sometimes they only show a part of this. Think, for example, of many of the photos you have taken of yourself smiling., Were you happy in all of them?? There are many things behind a photo that are not told and that make reality much more different than what a story shows..
- Try to find moments for yourself. Summer is a good time to reconnect with those things you like, that we often forget.
- Your body is a summer body. This is very hard to believe, because the media has bombarded us with bikini operation, lose weight so you can put on those pants… This makes it seem for many that it doesn't matter what we do, our body is never THE BODY., and therefore it seems that we have to feel guilty about it. That being said, The process of accepting our body is not quick or easy and it is important that you go little by little., respecting your rhythms. Therefore, If in summer there is something that you still don't feel ready for, Perhaps it is better that you discuss with your therapist how to do it before forcing yourself to do it “because it is what you have to do.”. What you have to do is follow your process at your own pace., regardless of what time it is.
Readings that I recommend:
The body is not an excuse. Sonya Renee Taylor
This book is about how we come to feel the way we feel about our body.. Although it is not written by a psychologist, hits the nail on the head about why we come to hate our bodies and proposes some interesting questions to reflect on our relationship with our image.
Movies
Manolito Gafotas
The film is about Manolito, a child from Carabanchel, in the time of the 90 and tells how the world looks from his eyes. It is interesting how he spends the summer with his family who cannot go on vacation and the adventures he has. For those more readers, It is based on the book series by Manolito Gafotas by Elvira Lindo.
