Top Tips for a Flourishing Summer
12 July 2021 - All
Here we are, about to break up for what will hopefully be a sunny summer holiday and whilst there may still be some Covid-19 restrictions in place, it does not mean that we cannot use this time to focus on wellbeing. It can be easy for us to use this lengthy amount of time to stop, exhausted from the hard work put in this year. Whilst rest is very important, we should also be encouraging a summer of flourishing.
Here are Miss Blunt’s top tips:
- Focus on relationships
Margaret S. Clark, a social psychologist and professor at Yale University, explains that to flourish in relationships it is important to engage in mutually beneficial activities as they can lead to growth for all involved. So, get your teens out of their rooms and start a new TV show as a family, eat dinner together to catch up on what each other has done that day or learn how to bake a new cake at the weekend. It does not have to be anything big. It can be the little moments that create the most loved memories.
- Encourage focusing on the self
The Human Flourishing Programme at Harvard encourages students to practise gratitude, acknowledge the positive in their lives and create a future vision for their best possible selves. The summer holiday is the perfect time to try out something new like this. They say it takes 30 days to make a new habit and building in time for reflection and for counting the good things would be a brilliant habit to start.
- Show a little kindness
Kindness is the best option in every scenario, but the science shows that it is also great for a person’s health. Going out of your way to be kind to another, multiple times a week can make people feel less anxious and more connected. Finding a way to volunteer, to give back or demonstrate kindness over the summer can provide a young person with a schedule that is not solely focused on the self but is focused outward too.
- Explore the great outdoors
Some may be travelling in new countries this summer, whilst others may be staying a little closer to home. No matter where you are there is always something to explore and time to spend outdoors. I will be learning how to lay paving slabs in my garden and finding new walks with my dog Luna. These are simple things that are a world away from my travels pre-covid, but being out in nature allows us to disconnect from the online world which we have all had to spend more time on recently. It also reduces stress, makes us happier, relieves attention fatigue and increases creativity. All wonderful ingredients to create a summer of flourishing.
Miss Sophie Blunt
Wellbeing Co-ordinator