Should I stop seeing my therapist now that my winter blues are sunshine and rainbows?

In the wintertime, we might experience a more dormant season of our lives, feeling low energy, less flow, and more weight on our minds and hearts.

As summer weather surrounds us, making our hearts feel lighter, and putting our minds at ease, we say goodbye to our winter blues. So, should you stop going to therapy during the summer?

Consistent warm weather and sunshine impact our mental health in such positive ways. We begin to receive more vitamin D, re-energizing our bodies, minds, and hearts, and restoring our creative flow. We might return to the natural world, allowing sunshine to embody us fully. During this time, we start to feel more positive, mentally and emotionally. It is often a time when clients decide to stop coming to therapy as they are feeling this abundance of goodness, light, and ease that comes with spring and summer months.

We have an idea that therapy is a tool to be utilized only in times of hardship. Seeking support for your mental health is courageous, especially when you’re struggling. And, this is a tool that can be used when you feel good, too!

What are the benefits of continuing therapy when things are looking good?

There are many! First, you deserve to have space to talk about the things that build you up, bring you joy, and make you feel good. Your mindset might be different, and honoring what that new mindset brings in a space where you can reflect, share, and be held emotionally and mentally, is such a gift to oneself. Not only is this a gift to yourself, and a true act of self-love, but coming to therapy during the warm months may help you to maintain your mental health in preparation for the ever-changing weather and winter months.

In the summer, you might feel a pressure to be nothing but positive and chill, you might experience FOMO, or struggle with body image. We know that feeling positive all the time is not a reality - for anyone. Summer can bring pressure to be happy, and push your emotional hardships to the side. Our emotional difficulties don’t disappear or shift into positivity just because the weather is nice. You shouldn’t have to act like this is the case, either.

Social media may contribute to your feelings of FOMO as you watch others travel to new destinations, or watch groups of friends get together for a seemingly perfect summer outing. You may ask yourself when your perfect summer is going to start.

Our society has contributed to many, if not all, the body image issues that we typically see people experiencing, especially during the summer months. You deserve to feel comfortable in your skin, always. Allowing yourself space to explore how body image issues fluctuate between the summer and winter months is a vital act of care.

Walking your healing path in the summer is a choice of self-love, acceptance, and honoring your journey, during all seasons.

Through continuing your healing journey, you offer yourself the potential to achieve long-lasting positive changes in your life, an opportunity to explore and honor all parts of yourself, and to expand upon the healing you have already done for yourself. In recognizing that your mental health may feel better during the sunny weather, you might be able to look at your healing path in a new way. Therapy is for all times, not just bad times!