Sun’s out. School’s out. Let the long-awaited summer begin.
Cue the golden beach sunsets, aesthetic matcha drinks, spontaneous nature hikes, and the perfect tan line.
But wait – not so fast.
The picturesque summer recharge is suddenly interrupted by a cloud of uncertainty.
Because beyond the filters and the feed, something ain’t right.
There’s the haunting nudge to get a summer j-o-b.
The unmotivated doom scroll of reels till my phone dies.
The dazed expression while watching your friends zip around the globe.
Or even the lingering reminder that I still don’t even have my drivers license yet.
And suddenly, I’m crashing out.
Doubting myself. Comparing myself.
Like I missed the memo about the summer glow up.
Maybe summer is not about the “corporate-girly 9-5.”
Maybe it’s about balance.
About showing up genuinely, imperfectly.
Because you can’t give summer your 100 percent when you’ve only got 5.
Maybe it’s not the perfect “hot girl summer.”
But it can still be my summer.
Kids Help Phone (KHP) is honoured to share creative content submitted by youth from coast to coast to coast as they Feel Out Loud with us. We thank the Feel Out Loud Community Creator of this piece for their contribution to youth mental health and well-being in Canada. For more information on the Feel Out Loud Community Creator Space and / or how you can submit your own creative content for possible publication, you can visit the submission page.
