For many of us, the warmer weather and more hours of sun each day call for summer relaxation. But we all have different ways of doing this. What’s more important than HOW we do this, is the fact we make time to do so in the first place.

When it comes to relaxing in general, I usually read nonfiction, motivational type books. These tend to have biographical information about people who are highly motivated, successful, and driven. I love a good success story.

By the way, while we’re talking about books, have a look at this recent post where I discuss Personality Isn’t Permanent, a new book by Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D.

My go-to for summer relaxation

But now it’s summer and I crave something different.

For summer relaxation, I crave a good story that requires me to “suspend disbelief.” The genre that I am really drawn to is young adult literature. As a kid, I was a voracious reader. It all began with Nancy Drew mystery books. No one would confuse literature with Nancy Drew books. They are formulaic.

But Nancy led an exciting life. She had her boyfriend Ned, and a couple of girlfriends who all hung out together and solved mysteries. And it was a series that my mother had read when she was young too. There were many, many books, so I had a relationship with Nancy for a long time. (In Sweden and France Nancy was named Kitty… odd, don’t you think?)

Books for brain escape

Summer relaxation and sitting by the pool reading for me requires an escape book…not formulaic, but some young adult literature with a mystery.

I hear a new movie is being made from the Rick Riordan series, Percy Jackson. That will be fun. I think I will reread those. And I still have The Apothecary by Maile Meloy which I read before as well.

Do you have funny idiosyncrasies like that as well? Do you know what motivates you to select a certain book or TV show that will relax you and help you to rejuvenate?

Summer calls for rejuvenation. Summer relaxation is all about restoring our inner momentum, our inner “rocket fuel” for the fall.

Relaxation can be productive

There’s an archaic belief that relaxation is counterproductive to productivity! How about that?

But the truth is if you want to truly be productive, rest and reset time is just as important as actually doing the active tasks you set out for yourself. And usually, the more productive you can be during your working hours, the easier time you’ll have getting into summer relaxation mode.

If you’re like many of us adjusting to working from a home office or if you’ve always worked that way, I want you to take a look at my new book, Power-Up Your Productivity.

It shows you how to create an effective environment, establish functional boundaries, and develop the right attitude to get more of the right things done in the right time frame. Click here to get the eBook on Amazon.

Why does summer relaxation matter?

In order to stay motivated, we need time to unplug and relax.

Let go of the usual stressors and think about summer topics (like if we have enough sun cream on and am I getting a strange tan line with this swimsuit and how can this farm-fresh corn be so incredibly delicious).

August is the cusp month.

Time to really enjoy the heat of the summer, while our minds are preparing for “reentry” as the French call it. When we get back to reality and the seriousness of life, work, school.

Summer is our break.

Make sure you use this time to do what you are supposed to do: break.

Unplug. Chill. Enjoy it guilt-free. Your brains need this time, your body needs this time, your soul needs this time.

And if you know what rejuvenates you, all the better! For me, it’s young adult literature. For my husband, it’s the hot tub, for my mom, it’s gardening. Everyone has their own thing. The key is to name it and enjoy it.

The time is now.

Go to it! (At a nice, leisurely summer pace!)

Did you enjoy this article? Take a look at these other posts too:

Forget Finding Your Purpose… Enjoy What You Have Now.
How to Easily Change Your World View
Fly the Plane Before It’s Ready

This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2020 just for you!