By Taryn Doherty-Majewski, OD
As a sun child and social butterfly, I am fueled by the outdoors, clouds that puff up in the sky and spontaneous outdoor activities.
As a working optometrist, that part of me is not always fulfilled. In fact, it is often a little disappointing when I head to work on a beautiful summer day, knowing I will spend most of it in a dark exam room under artificial lighting.
Some may say it’s simply part of adulting and an occupational reality I must learn to accept. And they would be right. But after years of practicing without acknowledging the small, left-out, deprived feeling I often carried, it began to grow. What started as a little sadness slowly turned into despair.
It affected my mood and general happiness. I even began connecting my job to a broader dissatisfaction with how I was spending my days. It can be difficult to admit these feelings, especially when they seem tied to a profession we deliberately chose and spent a great deal of time, effort and money pursuing.
I want to hold space for those feelings and share some of the ways I have dealt with my own summertime sadness.
Getting curious about what was happening, naming my discomfort without judgment and taking the time to understand why these feelings existed helped me begin taking appropriate action. I learned how to fuel my outdoor soul while maintaining a career that often keeps me indoors and away from windows.
A RECURRING MORNING
On almost every bright, sunny and glorious morning, I would wake up, lift the shades and immediately think, “Of course it is a gorgeous day when I have to go to work.” This was usually followed by a frustrated eye roll and defeated exhale.
I would love to be the type of person who never has these thoughts, but I do. That leaves me with a basic choice: I can accept the negativity and spend the day feeling grumpy and disappointed, or I can choose to find time — no matter how little — to get outdoors and soak up some sunshine.
For many years, I chose the first path because I believed it was my only option. Over time, through desperation, experimentation and repetition, I began finding ways to enjoy the outdoors before and during my workdays. These small choices helped me stop feeling as though I were completely missing out on nature’s gift of a beautiful summer day.
TAKING IN THE OUTDOORS BEFORE WORK
For a long time, it seemed impossible to find any time for myself in the morning. Creating a routine of spending just 15 minutes outside, sometimes in pajamas and with full bedhead, gave me a small opportunity to embrace nature and feel connected to the outdoors before my adult responsibilities began.
Another opportunity is to change the way you experience your commute.
Do you remember the carefree summers of driving with the windows down and the music turned up to your favorite songs? When I close my eyes, I can still feel the freedom of that easier time. Recreating those moments during my morning commute brings pure summer joy into my day: the sunroof is open, the windows appropriately lowered so I do not arrive with a completely windblown hairstyle and the latest Taylor Swift album plays loudly. That energy then follows me into the exam room.
Even the short walk from my car to the office has become a small summer treat. I use those 15 feet as a miniature sensory walk. I listen to the wind blowing past my ears and allow it to remind me of being at the beach. I notice the warmth of the sun on my arms and against my closed eyelids.
By the time I reach for the office door, I can sense a shift in both my mind and body, along with a softness in my smile. Instead of walking inside feeling as though I am missing out, I enter with a greater sense of peace, energy and connection to something wonderful.
FINDING MIDDAY REJUVENATION
Many of us have heard the advice to take a walk during lunch. It is excellent advice, and walking has become an important way for me to clear my head, reset my energy and move my body.
Honestly, I have walked back and forth through a Kohl’s parking lot just to make it happen. Lately, with summer pulling at my heart and my skin craving sunlight, I have used a short lunchtime walk to ease my air conditioning-induced goosebumps, smell the flowers and take in the greenery that has become so lush in only a few months’ time.
Another way I have found happiness during summer workdays is by visiting a small business for a little extra caffeine, a refreshing iced tea or a quick seated lunch. I realize that not every lunch break allows enough time for this. On the days that it does, however, eating outdoors at a small business that has invested in its customers’ experience can fill your cup enough to help you pour back into a busy afternoon of back-to-school examinations.
A small café with beautifully colored plates, a Mediterranean restaurant that has planted flowers around its tables or a quaint coffee shop with a shaded patio where the birds chirp can all provide opportunities to reconnect with your playful summer self.
IT TAKES EFFORT TO BE INTENTIONAL
Reaching for these tools is not easy every day, and on some days, I need all of them. Still, these intentional choices and experiences help create a summer mind-body connection that makes working indoors feel more manageable and fulfilling.
The goal is not to pretend that I would not rather be outside or to shame myself for wanting something different. It is to acknowledge that part of me and offer it small, meaningful moments.
A short walk, an open sunroof, a few minutes of warmth on my skin or lunch on a shaded patio may not replace a full summer day outdoors, but together, these moments remind me that I do not have to completely miss the season simply because I am working.
With a little curiosity, effort and intention, we can bring pieces of summer into our workdays and begin saying goodbye to the optometrist’s summertime blues.
