Want Summer Self Care Ideas? A Relaxation Bucket List

Summer Self Care Ideas – The Best Ways to Make the Most of the Warmer Months

Summer is a great time to make the most of the warm weather and simultaneously also level up your self-care routine for the summer. If you are not sure which summer self-care ideas make the most sense for you and your busy life, read on for some great tips.

What to include in your summer self-care daily routine

Your daily summer self-care routine will probably be very similar to your other self care routine for the other seasons. However, you just want to switch up some of the particulars and the basics you apply year round.

Odds are you already know you need plenty of good quality sleep and how important it is to prioritize your physical health by getting exercise. In the summer months you get to take advantage of the warmer weather.

For example, you can trade your Peloton bike for an actual bike ride and see the real sights. Or you can go for an outdoor swim in the pool and also get lots of Vitamin D.

You can also focus on your physical health with exercise, nutrition and also watching your water intake. Indulge in a new water bottle to encourage you to stay hydrated.

(Read more about eating healthier, lighter meals below too.)

Why you want to switch up your skin care routine for the summer season

For the summer season, you are going to want to emphasize a few new elements to your skin care routine. Summer is a good time to lighten up on the heavy moisturizers you might need to use in the winter months.

Sunscreen needs to figure prominently in your skin care routine no matter the season, but especially the summer months when you are outside more. My favorite sunscreen is SuperGoop for my face. I like it because it goes on smooth and isn’t sticky. However, just pick whatever sunscreen works best for you and that you will actually wear.

The main thing is to apply sunscreen on the regular and make it a part of your daily life. I carry extra sunscreen in my car as well so I always have some handy.

What are some of the best summer self care activities?

The best self-care tip for any season is to make your own self-care plan. If you aren’t sure how to create a self care plan, you can learn more about self-care planners.

One of the best tips for summer self care is to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather as much as possible. Here are some of my favorite ideas for summer self care activities.

Use your home space as a retreat

Your home can be (and is) your retreat from the world so treat it as such and expand your living space outdoors. Find ways to incorporate cozy resting places outside through the use of outdoor furniture, rugs, hammocks, etc.

Make your own mini-oasis where you can with the use of water features like fountains or bird baths, wind chimes and colors that make you happy.

If you work from home, try to take your notebook, calls, or laptop outside or to a local park. Anywhere you can be out in nature, will help your stress levels automatically.

Live seasonally

Try to live seasonally and eat what is in season. It is better for your wallet and the earth if we eat what is in season. WebMd.com has a great article if you want to learn more about “What to know about Seasonal Eating”.

If you want to learn more about what produce is in season and when, check out the July Seasonal Produce Guide. This guide can help you to learn what fruit and produce should be available from your local farmer’s market or grocery store per month. (There are guides for every month available too.)

Grow your own garden (nutritious, healthy, and beautiful too)

Or better yet, why not plan to have your own garden if you have room for it?

In the past, we have grown tomatoes and basil out of container pots. Now, we have several gardens around our pool with raised beds as well as some side beds by our house too.

You can use your green thumb and plant your own garden. When you grow something, you will find you not only nurture the plants but also yourself.

Whether you plant vegetables, fruits or a flower garden, there is something very rewarding about growing plants from seed and getting to enjoy the fruits of your efforts when you harvest it as well.

Some ideas of things you could grow include:

• Herbs – lavender, rosemary, cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano, and more
• Vegetables – tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and many more
• Flower garden – Why not grow your own bouquets of fresh flowers straight from your garden? A lot of flowers can be grown from seed (and directly sown so you don’t have to transplant them)
• Zinnias and Cosmos (like below) will keep you happily supplied with flowers for most of the summer season. I’ve also found Geraniums and Petunias are very hardy even when you aren’t the best at watering them regularly. (Ask me how I know?)  

Use the longer hours and enjoy the fresh air by cooking outside too

Now is a great time to grill outdoors while the weather is nice. Because there aren’t many people who enjoy cooking outside when there are rainy or cold conditions.

You might even be fortunate enough that your husband or significant other will do the cooking if it is on a grill (leaving you free to find some easy side dishes to go with what is grilled).

One easy way to make your house less hot is to cook outdoors as well. So fire up your gas or charcoal grill and make any number of dishes.

The longer days can also give you more light outside to make dinner and more time to plan healthy recipes. There are plenty of ways to find new recipes for lighter meals, but here are a few of our favorite summer meals.

Be by the water

Enjoy whatever outdoor activities you can, however some of the most restorative ones seem to be those around water of some kind. My favorite way to enjoy the beauty of summer is to be around any body of water.

Whether it is an ocean, a lake, a pond, a river or even a pool in your backyard, nothing says summer like being near the water.

Find ways to handle the heat

At night when the weather cools off, open your windows to get some fresh air and refresh your house at the same time. Use ceiling and window fans to really get some air circulating.

Maybe if you are lucky you will get a nice summer breeze or gentle rain to fall asleep too as well. And, if it gets TOO hot, escape the hot weather by enjoying the air conditioning in your home.

Even more ways to make the most of your summer with these summer self care tips

You can also boost your summer self care with these fun ideas for summer.

Find clothes that make you feel better and flatter you to improve your self-care

So refresh your wardrobe for the summer and lighten up in two ways. Now is the time to switch to lighter fabrics to stay cool like linen and other fabrics that will let your skin breathe.

Also, choose fabrics that are lighter in color to absorb the heat the way that black fabrics do – better options are white or lighter colors for this reason. And, no matter what your age, you can find clothes that both flatter and also offer relief from the heat (like shorts no matter your age). Not sure how to do that, check out “Outfit Formula’s“.

Change your environment by switching out the heavier curtains and bedding for more lightweight options

Exchange your fall/winter decorating for lighter, breezier colors and weights that work for Spring/Summer. At my home, we switch out the grey curtains for fall/winter for the white curtains for spring/summer. The same is true for accessories around the house too.

Plan relaxation time such as your own at-home spa day

Some ideas for things you could do include – yoga outside on your patio, meditate and go on a long walk, listen to relaxing music while taking a detox Epsom salt bath, etc.

Schedule a retreat

You don’t have to leave home to have a self-care retreat. Learn how to create your own retreat tailored to your needs with “Retreats 101 – Why You Need One”.

Exercise your brain too

Try a new hobby for the summer. If you can’t think of anything new you want to try, check out this list from “Bored, How to Find Your Next Hobby”.

Take care of your social self-care needs

Plan some fun, exciting, and unusual things on your summer calendar to make great memories.

Summer Activities (that also double as self care)

Some of these self care ideas for summer have become essentials to add to my list each year. There are lots of hours in the day for these summer wellness and other fun tips, so enjoy as many as you can.

• Check out any nearby park to see if they are hosting any special activities in the great outdoors -maybe a nature walk or a hike at sunset
• Summer fun could include trips to the beach, a waterpark, or lake to replenish your energy levels with some soothing water sounds
• Put cucumber slices in the fridge to help depuff your eyes and feel rejuvenated too
• After the sunsets watch the fireflies
• Lay on a blanket in your backyard and watch the stars
• Watch one of your favorite movies outside on an outdoor projector and screen

Summer challenges you may run into as a Mom

Summer brings the promise of long days and golden hours of sunshine spent by the pool relaxing with a fruity drink in your hand. Until you have heard “Mom” for the 500th time that day, and the reality of a summer with kids having free time on their hands and not sure what to do with it – rears it’s ugly head.

With the kids home from school, you might be dreaming of having your best summer with them yet. Then the reality of trying to pack in all the summer activities becomes too much and you want to give up without even trying.

If you feel like you are in this place, read “Summer Activities for Kids” for some help. It is possible to create memories, set expectations and still manage to maintain some sort of schedule for family time too.

If you decide to take a road trip to someplace new and make memories with your family, the thought is you and your family can destress while relaxing and vacationing. (Not sure you need a vacation, read “Why You Need a Vacation“.)

However, when you are planning vacation time, try to not overbook yourself. The idea is to come back more refreshed then stressed and needing a vacation from your vacation, right?

If you are not going on vacation, you can still do fun things this summer. For example, have your family each pick something old and new they would like to do for the summer.

Something old might be the baseball game you attend every summer, and something new might be going to an outdoor concert or a zoo.

Because the years go by fast, cherish the summer for your own sake too

​For your emotional self-care needs and mental health, try to treasure your family time. The summer is some of the most precious time to spend with your family.

You don’t often get to have several months of uninterrupted kid time (once they are in school anyway), so relish your summer break.

Try to make those family memories and layer on the traditions. You can cook the favorite foods for dinner that mean summer to you, go on picnics, play outdoor games, and just enjoy being together.

Above all try to enjoy quality time with your family members. The older I get the more I realize how important this is. You feel like you have all the time in the world, until you don’t.

Like when your children go off to college soon (ugly Mom cry here). It goes by fast, so do whatever you can to slow down and enjoy the present moment.

Enjoy any special occasions that are held in the warm summer months like weddings, family reunions, camp trips, or birthdays too. The summer is some of the best time to make family memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.

The Relaxation Bucket List and Summer Self-Care Checklist

• Read a good book in a hammock – check out a new book from your local library and enter a summer reading contest too
• Journal about what you would like to do this summer or dream about what you want to do in the future
• Paint or draw outside
• Nap on a lounger in the sun
• Indulge in a new water bottle to encourage you to stay hydrated
• Make healthy meals and healthy eating a priority (use your local market and fresh produce to make it even easier)
• ​Enjoy seasonal beverages like iced tea, iced coffee, and infused waters
• Take a break from social media (perfect time for a social media detox) – limit the amount of screen time
• ​Switch up your exercise routine – swim, go for a walk in a local park
• Hobbies – that you can only do in the summer months
• Nature – all the outdoor things you can do this summer season
• Camping, parks, outdoor concert, fairs and festivals, summer holidays, backyard BBQ and picnics
• Outdoor movies – drive in, outside projector at your home
• ​​Give yourself a pedicure with a summery nail polish 
• Bring the outside in with fresh flowers from your garden
• Create a summer bucket list – so you can make sure you do all the things you want to do over summer break
• Make your own ice cream – if you have never made your own, you need to!  You can add whatever flavors, use whatever milk base you want and make your favorite flavor.
• Listen to your own summer playlist
• Taking care of your mental health during the summer can be as simple as spending time with loved ones
• Indulge in some outdoor yoga or meditation to care for your body and soul
• Try some of the new self-care activities on this list for example

What will you add to your own summer of self-care?

To have your best summer yet and feel your best self too, what will you be adding to your own list?

Whatever makes you happy and feels like you are taking care of yourself is probably the perfect way for you to fill a beautiful summer day.

Leave a message in the comments below on what you have in mind for this summer. Enjoy this time of year!

Curious about Self-Care Ideas for all Seasons? Here you go!

Fall Self-Care Ideas

Winter Self-Care Ideas

Spring Self-Care Ideas

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