Summertime sadness: how to embrace your summer

During the summer, our social media feeds become consumed with photos from people’s latest travels, which can feel out of reach for many of us. While it goes without saying, social media is selective and oftentimes presents us with a distorted version of reality it can be difficult to keep this in mind after countless hours of scrolling.

It seems that truly everyone is visiting new countries and having amazing adventures, and this may not resemble our own summer. Comparison is natural and the disparity between our summer and the summer we see online can lead to feelings of unhappiness. The pressure and desire to keep up with these manufactured standards can be difficult. For many, traveling is simply not possible perhaps due to work commitments, financial constraints, or other limitations. 

However, exploring closer to home can be just as fulfilling and exciting as jetting off to a new country. Perhaps try and become a tourist in your own city for the day, visit that museum you never got around to or try out a new lunch spot! It is easy to become complacent in your own city, after a while things lose their novelty and become monotonous but try to overcome this and rediscover the magic of your own home. Small acts will help you see your city with new eyes.

Or if you’re eager for a bit more adventure, try looking for day trips nearby. Grab a train to a nearby city, you’ve never been to, or if you have a car go on a road trip! Summer travels do not have to be extravagant to be fulfilling. Exploring closer to home omits the long travel days, the exhausting jet lag and many more cons of long-haul travelling. 

It’s important to remember that real life will not resemble your Instagram feed and that’s okay. Embracing your own summer, in whatever form it takes, is far more fulfilling than chasing after a digital illusion.