When Summer Does Not Feel Like Summer: Difficulty Unplugging from Work and Finding Rest
- Clayton Falk M.A
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
Have you ever reached partway through summer and felt like summer never really started?
The weather has changed. The days are longer. People are talking about holidays, camping, patios, and getting outside. Yet internally, you may still feel tired, overwhelmed, or mentally tied to work.
For many business owners, leaders, professionals, and others who carry a lot of responsibility, summer does not automatically feel like a break. The calendar changes, but the responsibility continues. There may still be clients, staff, projects, finances, emails, decisions, and problems to solve. Even when you are physically away from work, your mind may still be planning, scanning, and preparing for the next demand.
This can make it difficult to feel present. You may technically be off, but still checking messages. You may be sitting outside, but thinking about the next issue or task that needs to be handled. You may be with family or friends, but part of your mind is still at work.
As a business owner and leader, I have noticed that disconnecting does not always happen automatically. It often requires a deliberate effort. For me, that can mean planning specific time away from checking emails, messages, and work-related tasks, and reminding myself to trust the team I have worked hard to build. Rest needs to be planned and protected rather than assumed.
Difficulty Unplugging from Work: Rest Often Needs a Plan
It may sound strange to plan rest, but for many leaders and business owners, unplanned rest is easily overtaken by work. A “quick check” of email, or the thought that “this will only take a minute,” can turn into twenty minutes of problem-solving. A day off can become a day of mental planning. A vacation can become a change of scenery without a real break.
For many leaders and business owners, difficulty unplugging from work is not about a lack of care for family, friends, or personal well-being. It is often connected to responsibility, habit, pressure, and the mental load of leadership.
One helpful question is: “Am I actually resting, or am I only physically away from work?”
If the answer is that work is still taking up most of your mental space, it may be useful to create clearer boundaries. This could include choosing a specific time to check messages, turning off non-urgent notifications, identifying what can wait, and clarifying who is responsible for what while you are away.
For leaders, this also involves trust. If you have worked to build a team, part of truly resting may be allowing that team to function without constant monitoring or check-ins. That does not mean being careless or unavailable in a true emergency. It means recognizing that always being “on” may not be sustainable.
Small Moments Can Still Help
Rest does not always have to mean a long vacation or a major trip. Sometimes it begins with smaller moments that allow the nervous system to slow down, even briefly.
That might mean sitting outside with a warm drink, watering plants, looking at a tree in your yard or sitting under it if you have one, walking through a park, spending time near a pond or creek, or getting out to the mountains, a lake, Kananaskis, Banff, or another favourite place when possible.
Being active can also help, especially when it is realistic. A walk, bike ride, scooter ride, gardening, gentle stretching, or any of the many other ways to be active can support mood and stress regulation without becoming another performance goal.
It can also help to notice the thoughts that create pressure. For example: “I should be doing more,” “I should be available,” or “If I step away, things will fall apart.” These thoughts may feel true, but they can also keep the mind locked into work mode. A more balanced question might be: “What actually needs my attention right now, and what can wait?”
When Support May Help
If summer does not feel restorative, it does not mean you are failing at rest. It may mean that your mind and body have been carrying too much for too long.
Counselling may be helpful when it feels difficult to unplug, when worry is hard to quiet, when sleep is disrupted, when irritability or low mood are showing up, or when guilt makes it hard to rest. It can also be helpful when leadership, business ownership, caregiving, or professional responsibility begin to feel like they leave little room for your own well-being.
Summer does not have to be perfect to be meaningful. It also does not have to be busy to be well used. Sometimes making summer feel more like summer starts with small, protected moments of rest, clearer boundaries, time outside, movement, and the willingness to recognize that you do not have to carry everything alone.
If you are noticing that stress, worry, low mood, or difficulty unplugging are getting in the way of rest, counselling may be a helpful place to start. At Airdrie Counselling Centre, our team includes counsellors and psychologists who support adults, leaders, business owners, caregivers, and others who are trying to better understand what they are carrying and find a healthier way forward.
About the author of the article:
Clayton Falk, MA, Registered Psychologist & Canadian Certified Counsellor
Clayton is a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, one of the founders, and the current owner of Airdrie Counselling Centre. He works with adults and couples and has clinical interests that include stress, anxiety, burnout, relationships, leadership demands, and life transitions.
To learn more about Clayton or the team at Airdrie Counselling Centre, please visit:
