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Sunshine Guilt

All, Navigating Life

by Tori Roalef
July 16, 2024

Work during the summer poses its own set of challenges. If you work outside, you’re often working in sweltering heat that is difficult to escape. And, if you work indoors, you may get that guilty feeling in the pit of your stomach. A feeling that rises every time you look out the window to the green fields. You see the sun shining and the breeze blowing through the trees. The day is nice, yet you work indoors, and it feels like you're missing out on enjoying the sunshine.

The Idea of the Week

Sunshine guilt is related to a fear of missing out on what the great outdoors has to offer. In this 8-minute article, Verywell Mind breaks down what Sunshine Guilt is and how it affects our mindset.

The Practice of the Week

How do we beat this green guilt? It’s not always an option to stop working for the day and enjoy the great green outdoors, but there are some ways we can curb this guilt.

If you work on a laptop, take your laptop outside. Sit on a balcony or at a picnic table. If you bring a charger and have a charging station, you can work as long as you are able to work outside. If there are no ways to charge, then you can work in snippets: work outside until your battery is low, then bring it in to charge.
Schedule your work to align with working outside. Maybe not all your work can be done while you are outside. What tasks are you able to work on outside? Which do you have to be inside for?
After a big task or a batch of tasks, take a short break to step outside. Enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine. Use it to rejuvenate you for the next batch of tasks.
Have a meal outside. If you don’t mind food in your car, find a shady spot to park in, roll the windows down, and enjoy the outside with your meal.
Schedule green time into your day. Whether it means taking a 10-minute walk in the park or around your home, sitting at a picnic table or blanket for a bit, reading, or working outside. Find a 10-minute or even a 5-minute window of time in your day to schedule in green time. 5 minutes is a lot more than nothing!
Bring the green inside. You might not be able to make it outside every day, whether you get caught up with work, it’s way too hot outside, or the weather is acting up. For these days, you can still enjoy the greenery by incorporating plants into your home and workspace.
If you are spiritual and want to elevate your rituals, sign up for our Intuitive Herbalist workshop this Sunday, July 21st, 2024, from 3-4 pm. After the workshop, you’ll find it easy to grow or purchase herbs to add to your practice and invite more greenery into your life. Registration is below!
Guilt can be a very uncomfortable emotion, but try sitting with the guilt and see what it tells you. Ask yourself why you are feeling guilty. Is there a value you are not leaning into? Is there an action that your body, mind, or spirit needs? What do you need?
Reframe your thoughts. You do not need to be outdoors every minute of your life to enjoy your day. So, while you are indoors, focus on what is beneficial to you right now. What are you enjoying? Sometimes, we need to be indoors.
When you are outside, give yourself permission to lean fully into the moment and enjoy the outdoors.
Turn off social media, and stop comparing your life to others’ lives. If you’re on social media, you may see others having fun outside while you are inside on your phone. Stop comparing yourself to what you see online.