Now that the temperature is slowly starting to rise, it’s time to think about your summer plans. Usually you’d reserve this time of year to trips with friends and family. However, in the new normal, it might not be the best idea to travel as much as you used to.
Still, there are things you can include in your checklist to take advantage of the warm weather:
Take swimming lessons
If you’re already in a location near a swimming pool or lake, take this opportunity to learn a valuable skill that you can use later on. You can take free lessons from someone in the family who already knows how to swim, or you can find an instructor located within your community to teach you. Swimming is also a great form of exercise that you get to enjoy. Watch as your body improves as you swim more.
Change your color palette
From your clothes to your makeup, you may have gravitated towards a certain color in the past. Summer is the perfect time to make some changes, even if they are subtle, to have that visual cue signalling rebirth. After the difficult year that we’ve all had, this is the perfect time for you to reinvent yourself through your style. Of course, some essentials won’t have to change, such as your sunscreen for sensitive skin or your favorite moisturizer, but for eyeshadows and skirts, you can have one new grounding color. Follow the 80-20 rule of design: 80% should be in the shade of the main color, while 20% can be for the accent color.
Revisit your friends list
Social media makes everyone seemingly accessible, which is great for catching up with friends and family who live far away. However, social media may also awaken negative emotions in you, especially if you compare your life to the well-curated lives of others you follow. Take this time to revisit your friends list and only keep those you really consider as your friends. These are the ones who support you in your endeavors and who show genuine concern towards your wellbeing. Keep in mind that social media may make it seem like you are closer to certain people than you truly are, so it is important that you look at your actual relationship with those people before deciding if you’ll keep them on your list.
Plan for gifts
Gift-giving is a generous but admittedly costly affair. This is a cost that sneaks up on you especially during the end of the year because of the holidays. If you plan for it as early as now, you can start putting away a portion of your income so that when it’s time to buy the gifts, you will not have to worry about your budget for December. If you plan for it now, you may also start taking advantage of current discounts and sales. Just make sure the gifts you buy way in advance will not expire or be irrelevant when you give them away at the end of the year!
Summer is here, and though your plans this year may not be the same as your plans the previous years, this is still a great time to signal rebirth and change. Don’t let this moment just pass you by.
