3 Easy Ways to Fill Your Summer Health and Wellness Bucket

Summer’s here and I’m so curious to know how you feel about that? Whether you love it or loathe it, now is the perfect time to make your summer health and wellness plans by creating a Summer Self-Care Bucket List. 

As a lifelong summer lover, I adore almost everything about this season (except that it’s far too short). From the early years of backyard inflatable pools and popsicles, to endless beach days at the family cottage, to camping adventures near and far, I’m smitten.

Yet I know, not everyone is as summer loving as I am – all the more reason to fill your summer health and wellness bucket. 

And maybe it’s not even summer where you live (hello, southern hemisphere friends!) Now is a great time to create your winter bucket list too.

Let’s fill YOUR summer health and wellness bucket FIRST, to make the most of the season. 

As a fan of simplifying to amplify results, I use the season’s abundant wisdom. Each season’s distinct energies and experiences can help you work with your own natural rhythm. Download my free “Simple Seasonal Self-Care Guide” to learn more. 

And for today, our focus is summer. We can connect with our feelings and experiences of summer – to simplify and amplify our self-care, and to create our bucket list. 

What do you notice about yourself and nature on a typical summer day?

Bring to mind what you see, smell, hear, touch and taste? Notice the activities around you. How are you feeling and thinking? For me, it’s the quintessential summer day today so all I need to do is stand on the deck and take it all in. Alternatively, you can close your eyes to yourself experiencing summer. 

With these details about how you feel about and interact with summer fresh on your mind, you can use them as a reference point to create your unique Summer Self-Care Bucket list. 

3 Easy Ways to Fill Your Summer Self-Care Bucket

With a piece of paper that you can hang on your fridge, or a digital notes tool that you can easily access, here’s how you can create an epic list by considering how you are most, least and not aligned with the summer season. 

1. Most Aligned – What do you love most about summer? What favourite activities can you put on your list to replenish your body, heart, mind and soul? How can you adapt your wellness practices to include more of the qualities of summer that you most enjoy? Put these on your list. Ex. Be in and around the water daily; Work outside to enjoy the “warm” and “spacious” vibes of summer. 

2. Least Aligned – What do you least enjoy about summer? Considering the activities you dislike, what will you do instead to take good care of you? How can you adapt your self-care activities to be more gentle and compassionate with yourself regarding the characteristics of summer that aren’t your favourite? Add these to your list. Ex. Put up the screen tent to enjoy bug-free evenings; Anticipate my shifting mood in late August when I get irritable about summer ending, and plan to be gentle with myself. 

3. Not Aligned – What are your “hard no’s” in the summertime? What non-negotiables do you have about how you’ll spend your time and energy? How can you set boundaries for yourself to be mindful of your needs? List these as actions that feel nurturing or energizing. Ex. No working overtime, so instead: Enjoy weekends and holidays by taking true breaks from work; No regrets about missing summer opportunities, so instead: Check in weekly with myself about how I’m enjoying my summer. 

And just like that, you have your Summer Self-Care Bucket List designed just for you! 

But that’s not all . . . From a business perspective, you can use this idea to make a specific list to guide your work activities and experiences. Not only is it fun to create, but even more fun to work in your business that’s aligned to your unique preferences. And this will mutually benefit your self-care too.

Writing a Summer Business Bucket List will help you double down on thriving in business AND wellness!

Don’t forget to keep your lists handy, check in with them regularly to fill your bucket first for a self-care summer to rememember. And if you’re curious how to further reap the rewards of nature on your own health and wellness journey, read this blog to find out why a walk in nature is good for you and your business.

Now all that’s left to do is to stop writing your bucket list and start living it!