Incredibly Easy Ways to Calm Mom Anxiety This Summer
If you’re a mom who’s secretly dreading summer break, you are so not alone. But long days, no routine, and “what the hell do we do now?” shouldn’t steal your peace.
Sure, there’s no more morning rush or homework battles. You can hit snooze and soak up a slower pace. But then comes the panic: What the heck are we supposed to do all day, every day, for 10 straight weeks?
That’s the unspoken anxiety many moms carry as the school year winds down. We crave rest but fear the chaos. We want to enjoy our kids, but we know our patience has limits. And beneath it all is the quiet guilt: Shouldn’t I be more excited to spend time with my own children?
We have ALLLLL been there. But the solution doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here Are Easy Ways to Calm Your Anxiety During Summer Break:
When the anxiety of summer schedules hits hard
I still remember that first summer I was home full-time. I had just left my job to start my private therapy practice, and suddenly I was staring down 10 unstructured weeks with my two young kids and zero plan.
As a former therapist in community mental health, I used to run summer psychosocial skills groups for kids. We taught things like emotion regulation, communication, impulse control—you know, the kinds of things all kids struggle with at some point. I had tools. I had strategies. But when it came to my own kids? I was spiraling.
So I did what any anxious, Type-A mom would do: I made a plan.
I started by picking a simple word. The word was CHANGE. I then built simple (and I mean simple) weekly lessons around each letter of the word.
The first week began with a conversation about change to help build resilience. I also discussed changes with them, such as transitions from playtime to bedtime, to help build some frustration tolerance around those routines. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and talked about transformation. We made crafts and learned our new address (we’d just moved), and the move was a big change. The second week’s theme was the letter H and we chose the word HELPING as our focus. We used “bucket-filling” worksheets from a free download site and looked for ways we could be helpful to one another.
Looking back, I can see how my anxiety was driving the bus. But it worked. That summer was actually full of memories, connection, and—yes—sanity.
A plan was so helpful to make sure we ran our summer and our summer didn’t run us.
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Now it’s YOUR turn!
A Simple Summer Routine That Supports Emotional Health
If you’re a mom staring down summer break with clenched fists and a tight chest, here’s a lifeline: Add some simple structure.
Try this therapist-approved, mom-tested strategy to bring some ease and purpose to your summer days:
Pick a theme word.
Choose a word that represents a value or skill you want to help your kids develop this summer. Think: FAMILY, KIND, POWER, CHANGE, GENEROUS, GROWTH. Each letter becomes the focus for a week of simple lessons, stories, discussions, and activities.
It doesn’t need to be perfect—just meaningful and intentional.
Build weekly mini-lessons around each letter.
You don’t need a teaching degree to do this. Here are some starter ideas based on commonly used therapeutic themes:
A = Apology, Anger management, Accountability
B = Breathing techniques, Budgeting basics
C = Compassion, Conflict resolution
E = Empathy, Emotion regulation
F = Friendship, Family roles
M = Mindfulness, Mindset
P = Pause, Patience, Planning
S = Sharing, Self-control, Saving
Pick one letter a week and create a rhythm: read a book, do an activity or craft, go on an “adventure” (like the library or park), and reflect on what you’re learning. You can find free worksheets and book lists online or on Pinterest or use Teachers Pay Teachers for low-cost printables.
Theme Word Example:
My word was CHANGE. If you follow a weekly lesson for each letter, here’s what it could look like:
C: Courage
H: Helping
A: Adaptability
N: New Beginnings
G: Growth
E: Empathy
KISS – Keep It Simple, Sanity-Saver
Don’t try to make it Pinterest-perfect. I used to prep on Sundays using materials I already had. Librarians and YouTube are your best friends here. Keep the vibe relaxed and low-pressure—this isn’t homeschool, it’s just healthy structure.
Bonus tip: Type your chosen word for your family into ChatGPT and ask it to generate ideas for themes and lessons you can do with your kids! Make sure to include that you want it to be SIMPLE so that ChatGPT doesn’t come up with a stressful summer plan.
Therapist Tip: Emotionally Healthy Summers Start With You, Mama
Let’s be real: your kids don’t need a camp counselor. They need you—a mom who’s grounded, present, and modeling emotional regulation. When you give them a rhythm, even a simple one, it actually gives you more breathing room, too.
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters, in a way that works for your real life.
Summer doesn’t have to be a survival game. With a little intentionality and a whole lot of self-compassion, you can shape a summer that nourishes both your kids and your nervous system.
What Now? Follow us on Instagram at @thecitymoms as we share ideas and activities to do this summer! Tag us if you share ideas of your own!
