summer vacay-what?
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
you notice all the memes and reels about nostalgia for summer vacation and being off school for july and august, and want to connect with that feeling of freedom…however, you never actually had a break.
you were the eldest daughter who provided free childcare for your sibling, so that your parents could still work during the summer
you had a full time job that started the day after school ended
you struggled in a school system that wasn’t built for you, and summer = summer school - which was an entirely different experience of academic hell
you didn’t ask for rides, money, help or anything that felt "inconveniencing" - you wanted to be seen as the “easy” kid in your family which resulted in walking on eggshells
you didn’t have a crush, and felt like an outsider when your peers talked about kissing and dating - you made up fake attractions to fit in and mask, and it was exhausting
for many of us, summer looked different as a kid.
you wanted the ease of having a break from school, but it was never truly a break.
as an adult, you notice the patterns still continue like a new buffet of exhaustion just with different menu items:
navigating the vacation matrix between you and your co-parent of having enough time off for adequate childcare
wanting to create a ‘peak summer experience’ but have zero capacity to take on any more planning this year
learning your new medication = you can NOT be in the sun
reflecting that you want to have a different relationship with alcohol this summer, and lean into sober curiosity and feel completely isolated and alone in that
your boss is taking five weeks off during summer, which results in you taking on more leadership and responsibility for the exact same compensation
you realize, you never really liked the sensory experience of sand
an ideal vacation is just everyone leaving you alone, and how impossible that can feel explaining to your loved ones who are planning for another family reunion
you’re pregnant and it’s a heat wave; enough said
if you have made it this far, i can imagine you see yourself in some of these examples. may this be heard by the small voice within than knows you are WORTHY of a break and...that can look different at this time of year. consider some small acts of resistance (therapy can be a GREAT place to explore this!) and leaning into a more unapologetic season in any way that you can
a toast (non alcoholic options included!) to all the ways you reclaim summer this year
If you are ready to begin therapy, you don't have to do it alone - you can email kristen (me!) directly for matching support for a therapist on our team:
