For many, summer brings to mind images of beach days, backyard barbecues, and carefree afternoons. But for parents and caregivers, the season can carry a different kind of weight: one that’s often invisible to others but deeply felt. With shifting routines, childcare logistics, limited opportunities for personal self-care, and the quiet pressure to create magical memories, summer can feel more overwhelming than relaxing.
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The Myth of the “Magical” Summer
Social media feeds overflow with curated snapshots of summer bliss: sun-drenched vacations, themed crafts, smiling kids in sprinklers. It’s easy to feel like you’re falling short if your summer doesn’t look that way. Behind those photos, many caregivers are navigating disrupted routines, financial stress, emotional exhaustion, and the challenge of simply making it through the day.
Trying to generate constant joy, while managing everyday needs like meals, sunscreen, and screen time, can lead to anxiety, guilt, and burnout. These emotional weights might not be visible, but they’re real.
When Summer Doesn’t Feel Light
While winter often takes center stage in conversations about seasonal mental health, summer brings its own set of challenges. Longer days and warmer weather don’t always lead to better moods. In fact, some people experience increased irritability, fatigue, or a sense of being overwhelmed during the summer months.
For caregivers, these struggles often show up as inconsistent sleep, overstimulating days with no built-in breaks, and the pressure to organize affordable activities for kids. Some even put their own therapy or wellness practices on hold, simply because there’s no time left for themselves.
The Mental Load That Lingers
There’s a kind of work that doesn’t show up on a calendar but still takes a toll: the mental load. It’s the never-ending stream of internal planning, tracking appointments, managing emotions (your child’s and your own), coordinating logistics, remembering sunscreen and snacks, and being the emotional glue that holds everything together.
This load often falls disproportionately on mothers and primary caregivers, and during the summer, it only grows heavier. Without time or space to process this ongoing strain, it’s easy to feel depleted without understanding why.
What Helps
Here’s the truth: it’s okay if your child is bored sometimes. In fact, boredom is good for your children (caveat: as long as there are limits set on screen time – we’re talking true boredom with no distractions), as research shows boredom is the very state that fuels creativity. It’s also okay if your kids’ summer doesn’t resemble a Pinterest board. And it’s more than okay to admit that this season feels hard.
Parenting was never meant to happen in isolation. Your well-being is not a luxury… it’s a necessity.
Coping might look like setting firmer boundaries, creating a flexible routine, connecting with other caregivers, or carving out a few quiet minutes for yourself. Rather than feeling like it’s on you to come up with something when your kids complain about boredom, make it clear that working through boredom is their responsibility, not yours. In other words, ditch the magical summer pressure. It doesn’t benefit your children, and it is detrimental to your own health.
Returning to therapy can also be helpful, even if it’s just to talk through the mounting emotional noise and feelings of guilt when your kids are complaining about your refusal to be their 24/7 event coordinator and party planner. Many caregivers pause their support in summer, but this season may be when it’s needed most. Therapy isn’t just for when things fall apart, it’s also for sorting through the everyday weight of trying to hold it all together.
Let Yourself Matter, Too
This summer, we invite you to gently shift the focus. Instead of striving for nonstop activities or idealized plans, ask yourself: What would support me right now? Again, keep in mind that your children will not only be ok if you don’t have a full slate of activities lined up: they will actually benefit from it!
If you’re feeling stretched thin, anxious, resentful, or just not like yourself, you deserve care. You don’t need to wait for things to get worse to seek support.
At LynLake Centers for WellBeing, our therapists are here to help you explore the invisible load you’ve been carrying and find ways to lighten it. Whether you’re facing burnout, loneliness, or the pressure to do it all, you don’t have to go it alone.
Let this be the summer you remember that your mental health matters, too.