The Pressure to Have a Successful Summer

Every year, I put an insane amount of pressure on myself to have a “successful summer.” 

Beach. Pool. Rooftop bar. Farmers Market. Happy Hour. Bus. Club. Another Club. 

But then reality hits. I’m an adult who works inside an office 40 hours a week at a client-facing, energy-draining job (I love my job, I really do, but wow, I am drained sometimes). I also live in New Jersey, where everything is expensive, there is a random thunderstorm whenever it’s hot (which is all the time), and people drive like nutjobs, so going anywhere feels like starring in Fast and the Furious. 

I am being dramatic, I know. But this is all to illustrate how much I don’t want to do things sometimes. Even though it’s summer and I spent the end of fall, all of winter, and most of spring waiting for this season. Waiting for UV high enough to wear a bikini and lay out by my parents’ pool. Thinking of dresses and skirts while wearing leggings under my jeans. 

So, then I feel guilty. I have to go outside and spend every weekend doing something that I might miss when the temperature drops. Even if I’m tired or stressed and miserable when I do it. Right?!

Wrong! 

The pressure to have a great, successful summer makes me hate summer. Feeling left out or like I didn’t live life to the fullest just because life got in the way. Well, not this summer. I am looking at the glass half full. My sunglasses are on, and I am looking at my hard iced tea half full.

Outdoor dining. 8:30 sunsets. Not having to wear a jacket. Just a few of my favorite summer things. 

Even at work, I make an effort to go outside at some point during the day. Whether it’s getting a coffee, picking up lunch, or taking a lap around the parking lot, I force myself to get outside and enjoy the sun. Even if it’s for five minutes. It’s something I won’t want to do November through February. 

Because that’s the true mark of a successful summer. Doing everything you won’t want to do once the days get shorter, and you’re checking the weather app, crossing your fingers that you won’t have to wear a heavy jacket and leggings under jeans. 

Some things just feel better in the summer. Iced coffee. Reading. Walking instead of driving. All things I have easily done and enjoyed over the past three months. So maybe the key isn’t going and doing - the key to a successful summer is simply enjoying it. 

And photosynthesizing. I would say tanning, but I truly use the sun as an energy source.