June has come to a close, the 4th of July is behind you and your lofty list of “fun things to do” has turned into “things to do” with a side of anxiety. When the summer starts off you are excited, looking forward to all of the fun summer activities. You are dreaming of outdoor summer concerts, hiking Mt. Timp with your friends, floating down the Provo river, or making smores up the canyon under the stars. You start off with enthusiasm and a genuine joy for the season. And as times starts to fly, you start to turn this fun list into your new task list & you are treating it like your homework for the summer semester. If this shift feels all too familiar, therapy for anxiety in Salt Lake City can help you untangle that internal pressure and reconnect with the kind of joy summer used to bring.
You Feel Frustrated with Yourself.
Why does your brain always take things & turn them into a task that makes you feel like a pass/fail approach. You start to feel like you can’t even do “fun” the “right way”. You haven’t always been this way, you can recall times from earlier in your life or in your childhood where you were able to go with the flow or appreciate a good plot twist that ended up changing the plans or sparking a new adventure. But these days, you feel like a plot twist only leads to frustration, disappointment, or feeling annoyed with yourself or others.
You want to return to the days where “relaxing” or “having fun” used to come with more ease or spontaneity. And you’re wanting to know how you can get some semblance of those earlier days back into your life. Here are questions to pose & tips to help you enjoy the last weeks of summer without all of the negative tension & head chatter.
1. Are You Planning Fun for Yourself, Your Friends, or Your Tik Tok/Social Account?
Planning things for others can be fun now & again or if planning brings you joy- feel free to keep on planning. However, sometimes people plan because they feel like they “should” or planning can get taxing and lose it’s spark- don’t be afraid to tell your people to take a rotation so that you can all enjoy varying events without stress
If you area planning things with the idea that it has to be posted or social media worthy so to speak, it can add a layer of external or internal pressure about the event, the level of fun, your appearances and all of the things. These factors can keep people out of the moment or detract from being in the moment. Give yourself permission to have a social media free night, week, or activity.
2. Are You Comparing Yourself to Your Ideal Self or How You Actually Function & What You Find Fun?
Are you someone who is a spontaneous person or natural idea generator for fun events? I think most people need group energy to bounce ideas around before landing on a plan. Being the idea generator or active participator is not better or worse, both have their place. Also some brains are much better at finding ideas for fun things outside of the moment than in it- so if you are that person (and I totally am), then drop ideas into your phone when they randomly show up & then you can look at that list in the moment to help you kick start an summer evening or weekend.
3. Do You Equate Summertime Fun = Specific & Ongoing Plans?
I find that high achieving or highly driven people think they must be on the go or following a certain way of doing “fun” that can sometimes defeat the point. Give yourself permission to have a tentative list of your “top 5” things for the summer or the month, and be wiling to only tick off a few items and allow other options to pop in, including time with nothing on the calendar and see what comes to you
4. Do You Find Relaxing to be Valuable or Do You Secretly Hold Judgement that You are Being “Lazy” or “Unproductive”?
Oh this one is way more common then most people want to admit, especially if you have a history of past or current perfectionism. It is also common in your family or friends have a hard time relaxing without feeling guilty or passing judgment on themselves of others who are well practiced or guilt free while doing it. When I was in college I was more guilty of this one than I cared to admit. But the more I challenged my perfectionism and actually practiced doing only the “fun” thing in the moment (aka not multitasking while watching a movie), or giving myself permission to not be doing homework on the weekends, my self-judgments started to subside and my fun factor went up while my guilt started to melt away.
Anything we do takes practice, and for some of us, that may include guilt-free activities that are leisurely not “lazy.” Words matter—if you can’t kick the guilt to the curb yet, try swapping out words that hold less judgment. Vacations, fun, leisure, and even boredom can lead to increased relaxation, creativity, connection and improve our mental well-being. If this sounds familiar, working with a perfectionism therapist in Provo, UT might help you start unraveling these deeply wired beliefs and shift your relationship with productivity and rest.
If you are realizing that you have a hard time relaxing or having fun without guilt, high self-expectations, rumination, judgment or increased anxiety, you are not alone.
Many people struggle with this, especially those who are driven and high achieving or prone to internal pressure or anxiety. This mix of perfectionism and anxiety is incredibly common—and very treatable with the right support. We are here to help, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to family & friends who can support you & give us a call 801-699-6161 or www.insidewellness.com
Feeling the Pressure to Make Summer Perfect? What If Therapy for Anxiety in Salt Lake City Could Help You Loosen Your Grip?
You don’t need to do summer “the right way” to enjoy it—you just need support that gets how perfectionism and anxiety can steal your spark. If you’re caught in the loop of overthinking your plans, comparing yourself to your “ideal self,” or feeling guilty when you try to relax, you’re not alone. Therapy for anxiety in Salt Lake City can help you release the pressure, reset your nervous system, and reclaim what actually feels good to you. Because your peace of mind matters just as much as your productivity.
At Inside Wellness, we specialize in compassionate, evidence-based care for high-achieving individuals who want to feel more grounded, connected, and present in their own lives. You don’t have to earn your rest or your joy. Here’s how to begin:
Book a free consultation or contact us at 801-699-6161
Meet with a skilled, supportive anxiety therapist who understands the hidden weight of “keeping it together”
Start navigating summer (and life) with more calm, clarity, and self-trust—on your terms
Other Services Inside Wellness Offers in Provo and Salt Lake City, UT
Feeling anxious about how to “do summer right” isn’t just a personal flaw—it’s a sign your nervous system and inner dialogue might need some care. At Inside Wellness, we offer more than just eating disorder treatment or body image therapy. We support high-achievers and deep feelers through therapy for anxiety, perfectionism, and the emotional weight of keeping it all together, using a grounded, whole-person approach. Whether you’re struggling to relax, caught in the spiral of comparison, or just exhausted by the pressure to always be “on,” we’re here to help you find more ease, more self-compassion, and more permission to enjoy your own version of summer.
Visit our blog or FAQ to learn how therapy can help you bridge the gap between what you know and what you feel—with less pressure, more presence, and support that actually gets it.