You don’t need a vacation to embrace a sunnier state of mind.
Summer may be a few weeks away, but Memorial Day weekend is often when people start asking if you have vacation plans. And for many reasons, including work demands or a tight budget, the answer might be “nope.”
But you can still find ways to enjoy the summer even if you can’t get away, whether it’s getting more ice cream into your life, bringing flowers from your backyard to work, or taking a nightly firefly walk.
The trick is to look for small opportunities to appreciate the season, said Peter Economou, an assistant professor of applied psychology at Rutgers University. “You do have to create them,” he added. “They won’t just fall into your lap.”
So I asked him and other experts for advice on how to savor the summer.
Create a summer ritual at work.
If you work indoors, see if you can move any tasks outside, such as taking a call or a meeting in the park, said Cal Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of “Slow Productivity.”
Working outside, he said, varies your day, connects you to nature and can unlock more interesting thoughts.
If you can’t work outside, eat lunch outdoors, Dr. Economou added. On warm days, he said, sometimes he’ll take a break to watch pups at a nearby dog park.