Five Things to Try This Month (Summer travel hacks / Identify your personal style)

I love the work of the brilliant writer Robertson Davies, and in his essay “Three Worlds, Three Summers,” he observes, “Adventures are what make a summer.” I’m enjoying thinking about the grand and modest adventures I want to enjoy this summer.

5 Things to Try This Month

Design Your Summer in the Happier app.

The first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is June 21st (but for many people, it begins whenever the school year ends). If you’re looking for inspiration for activities to make the season stand out, try the “Spin the Wheel” feature in the Happier™ app. All month long, you can get ideas for rest, play, adventure, and connection.

Train for a tough transition.

On a recent episode of Happier, we shared this hack: When facing a challenging period or transition in your life, think about how you might shore up your resources, support systems, and healthy habits to get through it. We received many responses from listeners about how they’ve used this strategy—for pregnancy or parenthood, the “open door” or “empty nest” stage of life, starting a new job, the death of a loved one, a surgery, a military deployment.

Identify your personal style in three words.

This idea comes from stylist Allison Bornstein: Choose three adjectives that define how you want to show up in the world—one practical, one aspirational, and one emotional. These words can be a helpful guide when clearing out your closet, shopping for new items, and putting together outfits. My words? Simple, sophisticated, and saturated (I love to wear beautiful colors).

Return to an activity you loved as a child.

What did you do for fun as a child? May’s theme for The Happiness Project: Revisited course was “Play,” and participants enjoyed discussing this Know Yourself Better question. Consider how you might incorporate a favorite childhood activity into your life now. Some ideas from course participants: Build a pillow fort, go fishing, do a crossword puzzle.

Summer travel hacks.

In episode 485 of the Happier podcast, we shared listeners’ hacks for summer travel. Some highlights:

Buy a book as a souvenir
Take notes to help remember details
Choose a signature scent for the trip that will evoke memories
Bring an extra light tote—use it as a beach bag, shopping bag, or as extra luggage
Pack your sense of humor—One of my Secrets of Adulthood: Mishaps make the best memories.

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