A 30-Day Summer Self Care Challenge That’s Doable
Summer is supposed to feel good, right? The long days, good food, and fun vibes. All the things that make it amazing. But a good summer can end up on the back burner because of all the travel plans, cookouts, and last-minute weekend trips.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached the month of August feeling like I hadn’t experienced the summer at all.
I don’t want to experience that every summer, and neither should you. So this summer, we’re doing a self-care challenge to make sure you’re present for all of it and not just a bystander.
You deserve to be part of your own summer, too.
Table of Contents
- What’s the Purpose of This Summer Challenge
- The 30 Day Summer Self Care Challenge
- 30 Days to Your Best Summer Self
What’s the Purpose of This Summer Challenge?
A lot of self care challenges are a list of random things to do that you usually forget about by day three. This is not one of those. I’m not going to tell you to wake up at 5 am to spend your summer mornings journaling, meditating, and sipping a matcha.
This is a realistic, doable summer self-care challenge for the version of you who’s juggling real life while also trying to show up for yourself. So, we’re going to do that by focusing on your mind, intentions, energy, environment, and body. We’re taking a holistic approach to make sure you have your best summer.
Last summer, I didn’t do enough to prioritize myself. I kept saying I would do all these things, like take a vacation, try a new restaurant, or just do something different and exciting. It never happened. Looking back, this is the self care challenge I wish I had.
The 30-Day Summer Self-Care Challenge
This summer self care challenge is for 30 days and has been broken out as:
- Days 1-6: Clear Your Mind and Reclaim Your Mental Space
- Days 7-12: Design Your Summer With Intention
- Days 13-18: Stop Depleting Your Energy
- Days 19-24: Create an Environment That Supports You
- Days 25-30: Show Up For Your Body in Simple Ways
Days 1-6: Clear Your Mind and Reclaim Your Mental Space
Summer is loud. Between plans, obligations, and the mental load of just keeping up, your mind can get cluttered fast. You want to know how I quiet the noise? Music and word searches.
It sounds super simple, but that’s the point. When I listen to my favorite songs, the rest of the world melts away. It’s a complete reset for my whole nervous system. And the word searches allow me to focus on something I find rewarding and satisfying.
Clearing your mind doesn’t mean emptying it forever. It’s about creating space so that your thoughts don’t feel overwhelming.
Imagine it’s a Tuesday, right before noon. You’ve already finished your first task of the day, read and responded to 7 emails, and paid 2 bills from your phone. Instead of pulling out your to-do list to plan the weekend, how about you pull out your headphones and get lost in your favorite song for 3 minutes.
It’s really that simple.
Day 1: Do a brain dump to clear mental clutter. Grab a notebook and write down everything sitting in your head. All your to-dos, worries, and random ideas. Don’t worry about organizing it or giving it structure. The goal isn’t to solve anything. You’re just trying to get things out.
Day 2: Try a new coffee shop solo. Order something you’ve never tried and bring a book or just people-watch. Let yourself just be somewhere for a little while.
Day 3: Create a summer playlist. Build a playlist that captures how you want to feel this season. You can go for carefree and nostalgic or focused and calm.
Personally, I like to mix it up because I love to feel all of my emotions.
Day 4: Watch a documentary on something you know nothing about. Curiosity is underrated as a self-care tool. When you learn something new for the pure joy of it, it gives your brain a break from its usual loop.
Day 5: Play brain games. Word searches, crosswords, sudoku, whatever you enjoy. You don’t need to be good at these. The challenge is what makes it fun.
Day 6: Pick a limiting belief and argue against it. Write down a story you’ve been telling yourself that’s been holding you back. Think about it for a minute. Then write a counter-argument against the belief.
Days 7-12: Design Your Summer With Intention
Summer flies by for me every single year. I blink, and it’s Labor Day. The frustrating part for me isn’t that it went fast. It’s that I let it go by so fast without being intentional. Here is your chance to do a quick summer reset and decide what this season is going to feel like before it’s over.
And be specific. A lot of people skip this part. Saying that you want to have fun this summer is not enough. Fun doing what? With who? The more detail you put into it, the more likely you are to make it happen.
The reason summer feels like it slips away is because we aren’t designing our summers. We’re reacting to it. I already mentioned my personal summer intentions in my best summer post, but just to reiterate, here are the things I want to do:
- Take more trips to bookstores and spend as much time as I want in there
- Go on lots of movie dates with my partner
- Try new teas and coffees, at home and at coffee shops
Day 7: Write down your summer goals and intentions. This is not your to-do list. You’re going to list your actual goals. What do you want to feel by the end of August? What do you want to have accomplished or experienced?
Day 8: Set a word or theme for the summer season. My word for this summer is “ease.” So my focus is to slow down and stop overcomplicating things. Pick yours and let it guide you.
Day 9: List out your summer bucket list activities. Write down everything you actually want to do this summer, even if it feels silly or small. Don’t worry about editing it because if it’s on the list, you’re at least somewhat interested in it.
Day 10: Map out an ideal summer weekend. What would a perfect weekend look like for you? Write it down in detail, including the timing, the activities, and the vibe. This can help you realize what you actually value this season.
Day 11: Write down two new summer habits you want to tune into this season. Keep it realistic. Two habits you can see yourself doing over the next couple of months. I’m not talking about a lifestyle overhaul.
Day 12: Identify the one thing you most want to have accomplished by September. Just one. The one thing that would make you feel like you showed up for yourself this summer. Write it down and put it somewhere you’ll see it, like in your bathroom mirror.
Days 13-18: Stop Depleting Your Energy
Listen, it’s hot outside. Our bodies are already working harder to stay cool. The last thing you need is to let people, your scrolling habits, or any unnecessary obligations steal what’s left of your energy.
One thing I’m doing is limiting myself to one hour max of social media a day. And I mean max. I’ve spent too much time mindlessly scrolling for hours. Since cutting my time down, I’ve had more peace, a clearer mind, and more time to work on this blog. You don’t realize how much social media is taking away from you until you limit it.
While I mentioned limiting your screen time, protecting your energy goes beyond that. It also means being choosy about events you agree to attend and the people you hang around. I wholeheartedly agree that summer is supposed to be fun. But there is nothing fun about showing up in spaces that drain you. These six days are about changing that.
Day 13: Say no to a summer activity you find draining. Choose one thing on your calendar that you’ve been dreading, and give yourself permission to decline it. You have to learn to say no to some things. It feels uncomfortable, but push through.
Day 14: Take a solo day-trip somewhere just to recharge and reset. You don’t need to go far. The next town over, a different neighborhood, or even a park you’ve never been to, counts. The point is to go somewhere you want to go just because.
Day 15: Unfollow social media accounts that throw off your vibe. If an account is always posting drama or mess, unfollow. If it makes you anxious, it has to go. We have to be intentional when it comes to curating our digital environments.
Day 16: Spend the entire day doing nothing. Not productive nothing. Actual nothing. Rest. No plan or purpose. This is hard for some people (especially my partner). But this is why it’s included in the challenge. To challenge yourself.
Day 17: Go to bed an hour early tonight. Just one night. See if it makes any difference when you wake up in the morning. I know I’m not the only one who tends to stay up later on summer nights than at any other time of the year.
Day 18: Have an honest conversation you’ve been avoiding. Unresolved issues take up your energy, even if you’re not constantly thinking about them from day to day. Attempt to clear the air or tell someone how you feel. Whatever it is, just get it off your chest.
Days 19-24: Create an Environment That Supports You
Everybody is hanging out in the summer. Which means you’re spending more time around people, and it’s likely it’s around some people you don’t mesh with. And since you can’t always control who’s in the room, you can control your personal space. Spaces where you live, rest, and recharge. Those spaces deserve the most attention.
Don’t think that creating an environment where you practice self care is just an aesthetic. It’s more than a clean room and a pretty candle. You want your space to soothe your nervous system. You should be able to decompress when you need to. So, is your space supporting or draining you?
I’ve been through stretches where my space felt chaotic. Stuff everywhere. Things not in the right place. And for a long time, I believed that it didn’t have any impact on me. But the energy instantly changed once I organized everything, opened the window, and lit my frankincense-myrrh incense.
Day 19: Pull out your summer essentials. Make your summer must-haves easily accessible. Get your sunscreen, sunglasses, sandals, and shorts ready to go. Now you’re really ready to enjoy the summer.
Day 20: Cool off your space. Crank up the AC, add a fan, and put up blackout curtains. Do whatever you need to make the space feel physically comfortable. You can’t relax in a space that’s uncomfortable.
Day 21: Find a signature summer scent for your home and other occupied spaces. Choose a signature scent. If you need ideas, you can try lemon, coconut, citrus, or fresh linen. Personally, I love fresh linen. Scent is tied to memory and emotion. So picking something that makes you feel absolutely amazing is the way to go.
Day 22: Create an outdoor space where you’d want to spend your time. Having an outdoor spot that feels intentional means you’re more likely to go out and use it. So adding something as simple as a comfy chair, a plant, and a table can make the outdoors feel like you. Then let nature do the rest.
Day 23: Swap out your bedsheets for something lighter and more breathable. Your sleep quality matters. Put some light-colored cotton sheets on your bed to stay cool while you rest.
Day 24: Add a flower or a plant to your favorite space to shift the energy. Living things can change the energy of a room the way decor alone can’t. And yes, a fresh bouquet of flowers from the grocery store counts.
Days 25-30: Show Up For Your Body in Simple Ways
Earlier in the post, I said it’s hot out and that our bodies are already working harder to stay cool. Think about it. If you’re out and about more, you’re moving more, sweating more, and your body is working harder than usual.
One of my main struggles is drinking enough water throughout the day. I know how important it is. And still. What actually helps me is keeping water bottles visible in my space. For me, out of sight, out of mind, is very real when it comes to hydrating.
So showing up for your body this summer is going to go beyond your typical fitness routine. We’re focusing on the small, consistent basics. Think hydration, rest, sunscreen, and food that makes you feel good.
Day 25: Buy more sunscreen. Seriously, you can never have enough. SPF is self-care, and it’s non-negotiable. Protect your skin.
Day 26: Refresh your appearance. Try a new makeup look, hairstyle, or new lip color. I love wearing deep plums and purples in the summer. No need for a total makeover. You just want to be intentional.
Day 27: Drink your water goal. Pick a daily water target and hit it today. If you need to make it taste more interesting, add fruit or lemon.
Day 28: Stretch for ten minutes before bed. Especially in summer when you’re more active than usual. A simple stretch before sleep gives you time to relax and get in tune with how you’re feeling. Go to YouTube and find a simple 5- minute routine.
Day 29: Have a cookout with your favorite foods. Nourishment and pleasure are self-care. Enjoy a meal with people you actually like while eating food that makes you happy.
Day 30: Make a delicious fruit smoothie. Celebrate the last day of this challenge with a delicious, fresh fruit smoothie. My go-to ingredients are frozen bananas and pineapple, vanilla almond milk, heavy whipping cream, and 1-2 packets of stevia.
30 Days to Your Best Summer Self
Congratulations. You just completed the 30-day summer self care challenge. You got intentional about what you want this season, you protected your energy, and cleared the mental clutter.
And you made sure that your spaces were supportive while showing up for your body in simple, real ways.
If you skip a day, just go back to it when you can. The point is to choose yourself consistently and purposely. Never perfection.
Now go share this post with a friend who needs it, save it for later, or drop a comment and let me know which day you’re starting with.
Wishing you the best summer ever!
