The Tea with Tina
The Tea with Tina is going to be your new favorite weekly chit-chat that will feel like a good, juicy sit-down with your BFF. This podcast isn't your average (and boring) radio talk show-styled podcast. We dig deep, get personal, and have lots of fun along the way. Hear some relatable stories and a different perspective on various topics from health and fitness to pop culture. I am Tina Wieland, a certified fitness trainer and nutrition coach. Grab your caffeinated drink of choice, get comfortable, and be ready to hear the TEA.
The Tea with Tina
225 | Sunshine Guilt: Finding Balance Between Indoor Comfort and Outdoor Joy
Send me a text about the episode!
Ever felt the pressure to bask in the sun just because it's a beautiful day? You're not alone. On this episode of Tea with Tina, I open up about my own struggles with "sunshine guilt," a term I've coined to describe the nagging feeling that you're wasting a sunny day by staying indoors. From my cloudy days in Pittsburgh to my current, sunnier life in eastern Pennsylvania, I'll talk about how this guilt has impacted my mental well-being, often leading to anxiety and FOMO. But don't worry—I'll share some effective strategies to manage these feelings, including how to reframe your thoughts, savor small outdoor moments, and practice self-compassion.
As a certified personal trainer continuing my education, I’m thrilled to share my latest milestones, including new certifications in yoga and Pilates. These practices have been transformative for my mental health, helping me manage anxiety and offering a mindful, inclusive environment for my clients. I'll talk about the unique ways you can incorporate yoga into your life, such as practicing in unexpected outdoor settings like sunflower fields or even peaceful cemeteries. Don't miss this episode, where we'll blend discussions on mental well-being, exercise, and innovative ways to find joy both indoors and out.
✅ Like the podcast? Leave a review!
💌 GET FREE DAILY HEALTHY RECIPES HERE
📝 APPLY TO WORK WITH ME
🌟 JOIN THE FREE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
📸 FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
🎥 FREE WORKOUT VIDEOS
💊 MY FAVORITE SUPPLEMENTS : CODE: 'TINAW' SAVES YOU $$$
Welcome to the Tea with Tina, your favorite podcast, where we talk all things health, fitness, lifestyle and maybe a little bit of tea gets spilled. We chat all about this in a super casual environment, so grab your beverage of choice, sit back, relax and enjoy. Relax and enjoy. Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Tea with Tina. Today we are talking about sunshine guilt. This is kind of a trendy term that you may have heard or not, but once I explain it to you you're gonna be like oh, this makes sense and it's kind of interesting. So we're gonna be chatting a little bit about it today because I do believe it's kind of interesting. So we're gonna be chatting a little bit about it today because I do believe it's kind of health and fitness related. Um, sunshine is important for our health, but you know, sometimes sunshine guilt can strike. I know I've been guilty of experiencing this and I'm curious if you have too. Um, don't forget, you can actually send me a message. There should be a little link in the description box below. So if you want to chat about sunshine guilt or something all different, all together, you should be able to click the link to send me a message and I will receive that. Okay, ask me a question, leave a comment, whatever. And before we dive into, just a little side note, that's really exciting is, um, you know, as a personal trainer who's certified, I do have to keep up with continuing education. Every couple years I have to stay CPR certified, aed certified and again just constantly learning new things, getting CEUs, continuing education credits and things like that. So I decided this time around that I'm going to get certified in yoga and it kind of came in a bundle where I get Pilates and then like a transformation specialist type deal too, which I think kind of helps with like mindset. So I'm really excited about that because Pilates is big right now. Yoga is big right now If you scroll back in the podcast, when I was dealing, like about a year ago, when I was dealing with my hip injury, I had to lean into yoga really hard.
Speaker 1:Um, I was getting a lot of anxiety. When I had before my thyroid medication was like adjusted and before I got diagnosed it my anxiety was crazy. Um, and yoga helped considerably. I remember during my first class I was actually holding back tears because just the way the instructor was setting the tone for the class and I forget exactly what she was talking about. I think she said that like pretty much like you're welcome here, you're meant to be here, um, you're meant to be you here, and it just felt so accepting. And I love the way that they teach it because it's like do the movement that feels good in your body and like everybody can move in a way that feels good to them. And, yes, you can do that through strength training and other ways of working out, which I try to encourage for my clients. But it sucks because I feel like the strength training gym culture often pushes, get, um, you know, push out of your comfort zone, get uncomfortable which is necessary. But I feel like that need for inclusion and doing what works best for you and having that accepting environment plus like the meditative state, the mindful state, has been really helpful for me and I love it. Um, so I'm excited to do that because then I'll be able to teach yoga classes, take what I've learned and kind of create that space.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of fun things that you can do with yoga. I just saw this one girl do yoga in the sunflower fields and I was like, ooh, I'm about that. I just did yoga in the cemetery not too long ago. I know that sounds crazy, but I have a nice big historical cemetery near me and it was so peaceful, so wonderful. I loved it. So we're vibing um, love, all those things very exciting.
Speaker 1:But let's kind of dive into sunshine guilt. So pretty much what sunshine guilt would be is the fact that it will be sunny outside, it's a nice day and and you can't go outside or you just don't really feel like going outside. So you get guilty about it because you feel like you should be taking the opportunity to enjoy it. And it's funny because I've experienced this in two different ways. I used to live in Pittsburgh and, if you don't know, pittsburgh actually is the cloudiest area in the United States. It actually gets less sunny days than Seattle, seattle Washington, who is infamously known for being gloomy, overcast. But let me tell you, out there, the gloomy overcast is a vibe Like. It feels bright, plus you have the pine trees and the mountains and the nature. So it feels good Pittsburgh, something about it.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's the pollution, I, I don't know. It just feels like a bowl of gloom, like when you get a cloud front, it stays for days, okay, um, and and even the days it's supposed to be partly cloudy and you see blue skies a lot of times. The way the clouds sit, it's still gray like. I'm actually looking outside at the sky now where I'm at, and it kind of looks like that, but it's supposed to rain, um, but it would stay like this. Like I remember, gray skies was just kind of the norm, like if you actually saw blue skies with sun, it was like a rare occurrence and everybody would like float outside there. They have their corvettes, um, with the tops down and it was like a holiday okay. So definitely out there I got some sunshine. Guilt if I was stuck working inside or I couldn't go outside or I just didn't want to on the only sunny day because they didn't come around often, I definitely felt guilty.
Speaker 1:But out here, now that I'm in eastern PA I don't know why we looked it up they get on average, I think, about 80 more sunny days, which is crazy, very significant. We're closer to the coastline, so that could be why the front there's less mountains. Well, we're in the mountains, but the way the mountain ranges are it's not necessarily a bowl, so I feel like fronts move through a little bit quicker. But let me tell you, blue skies is like the standard around here, like if it's a gray, rainy day we might get like fronts of it like oh, like we've actually been lacking rain. So the fact that it's gonna rain is nice right now, but it'll be like, oh well, it's gonna rain for like one to three days, okay, um, and then we we get sun. Like like sun is definitely the baseline here.
Speaker 1:You could tend to take it for granted. I don't just because of where I come from. I'm just like, oh my god, it's sunny and the sky is blue. That's wonderful, but it still does create that guilt. I've been finding myself especially as someone who loves walking outside. I like for my walks, if it's sunny out, maybe I get out of the habit of walking outside. I like, for my walks, if it's sunny out, maybe I get out of the habit of walking outside. I'm just like, oh, I could be walking outside right now and taking advantage of this nice weather. But I'm like, oh well, I have work to do. I actually did that today, even though it's not sunny, I still was like, oh well, I could be out walking. And I'm like, oh, I have stuff to do and I don't want to like push it off. So you kind of get that guilt right. So I have an article pulled up here. This is the article that kind of inspired this podcast episode. But what is sunshine guilt?
Speaker 1:Sunshine guilt refers to the pressure you feel to make the most of a sunny day, whether you're stuck inside because of an indoor commitment like work, or would just prefer to relax inside at home. I do this, too, where I'm like I just want to play video games. Maybe this comes from like when we're little kids and you know we would play video games or watch tv and your parents are like it's nice outside, go outside, right? Um, but sunshine guilt is that little voice in your head whispering everyone else is outside enjoying the sunshine, except you. So get, get out there ASAP. Experts say there are many potential reasons for it. There are both societal and personal expectations that good weather should be enjoyed, creating a sense of obligation to be outside and make the most of it.
Speaker 1:I will say a lot of this, too, I feel like comes from social media. So, again, I will encourage you to go through your social media and mute or unfollow people that make you feel bad about yourself. Even if they're nice people, they just make you question yourself. It's okay to mute them, unfollow them, clean up that social media list, because you're really just seeing everybody around the world's like highlight reel. Um, you know, a lot of times you could photoshop the skies too for pictures like you don't know when these people took these pictures. There's instances of people who take like a ton of pictures over a week span and they like post them for the rest of the year. Um, you don't know if people are just faking being happy in these photos.
Speaker 1:I know I've taken photos where I smiled and it was like a miserable day for me but wanted, you know, to take the photo. Um, I don't really do that on social media, though I would say more just like to take photos like right of something, just be like. Oh, I gotta smile even though I'm having a crappy time. I want to remember this time I went here or something you know. Um, a lot of the times if I'm having a good time, I'm actually really terrible at taking photos and documenting and I have to remind myself I'm somebody who's in the moment like I just I just don't take my phone out. It feels like a burden. Maybe I'm just old school because of that, but I definitely am that person.
Speaker 1:Um, but social media, like you know, if there's an event in town, you know, you see all your friends there and you're like that looks so cool, um, I don't know, though I feel like it depends on the person. I'm that person like what's a good example, like those big carnivals and festivals you know where, like Taylor Swift plays at, or like the EDM festivals and everybody's dressed up really cute and they have all these nice lights, like let me tell you, whether it's in the desert or the woods, like it looks cooler than what it is. I feel like, unless you're really into it, like it looks so fun, but unless you have a ton of money and you're glamping, um, it's really sweaty. People are on drugs, like the weather sucks, your outfit might feel uncomfortable, you lose your spot, like there's all kinds of downsides that you don't see. You're just seeing like the highlight, highlight reel, and there's probably about a million and one other scenarios of that. Um, you know that aren't festivals and just being hit with that like every day. I feel like, indirectly, it just it shows us like, oh, everybody else is having fun and their lives are so good and mine sucks, um.
Speaker 1:But moving on with the article, it says a scarcity mindset, the outlook that there are only a limited number of resources, like a sunny day, could also be driving the pressure to get outside. Some of us are susceptible to having a scarcity mindset, believing that if we don't seize the day now, then who knows when the next sunny and 75 day will be. Definitely true, especially when I lived out in Pittsburgh. Not to mention spending time outside a positive, positive impact on cortisol levels, anxiety and depression, and general mental distress. Many people associate going outside with positive things like being active, spending time with others or even going on vacation.
Speaker 1:I definitely felt this at the beach a little bit like when we went. We went out in the evenings or the mornings, but during the day it was just so hot, even though it was beautifully sunny out. I was like I'm gonna hate this, so let's not. Um, so you kind of get like the FOMO, the fear of missing out, right, because like, oh, everybody else is at the beach, should? Am I weird because, like I don't want to. But FOMO also occurs when we see others enjoying a sunny day. Um, it's easy to feel like everyone else is making the most of this fleeting, beautiful weather, except you and our brains blowing it out of proportion. Of course, like that's not the case, there's plenty of other people in the same situation as you. Um, you're just focusing on the people who are outside. Okay, so let's talk about how to cope with sunshine guilt.
Speaker 1:Navigating sunshine guilt starts with reframing your thoughts. For example, instead of focusing on what you're missing out on, you can focus on what you're gaining. Maybe staying indoors is helping boost your productivity or allowing some time for much needed rest, and this is something that I remind myself of quite often, because I'm somebody that, like in this go go go society, I tend to rest, and that's what I remind myself of. Or like oh, I am getting my work done. You know it needs to get done. If I put it off, I'm gonna be rushing and I'm gonna regret going outside. And, plus, staying in doesn't have to be all or nothing. You could actually squeeze in five to ten minutes, and I've done this before as well. I take my little kitty out on his harness, we sit on the porch or something and I read or play on my phone for like 10 minutes I'm like okay, I got some fresh air. It's not a full blown hour walk, but it is something Okay. And if you're busy and you still feel that FOMO, maybe you can open a window, play music that makes you feel connected with nature, have plants I'm a plant lady so I have a ton of those um, all that stuff can really help.
Speaker 1:And at the end of the day, if you're experiencing sunshine guilt, it's also important to practice self-compassion. You're allowed to feel disappointed. I think this isn't drilled into our brains enough. Um, I like the term that you make sense like, whatever you're experiencing, whatever emotions you're experiencing, whatever reaction you're experiencing to something, has happened hundreds of thousands of times with humans in the past and what you're experiencing is valid, it's normal. Um, it's okay to feel negative emotions. Go watch inside out, and inside out too, if you haven't, because you can't have happiness without sadness and anger. Um, and then the quote-unquote negative emotions that people don't want to experience. And you know, if you never experience the lows, you don't get to appreciate the highs as much, because if you're happy all the time, it's like that's the normal and it doesn't feel as special. So it's okay to feel that FOMO a little bit okay.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, nice way to kind of wrap up the sunshine guilt. You know, maybe you didn't even realize this was a thing and now that I brought it up, you're like oh okay, feel free again to send me a message. Like I said, the link is in the show notes. You can be like oh yeah, I feel sunshine guilt. Or if you just want to like chat and about the show, whatever your experience, be sure to follow the podcast to never miss an episode again. And with that, guys, I'm going to be peacing out. It is a gloomy day here, so I will not be getting some sunshine today, but I hope maybe, where you're listening, you can go out and get some sunshine and if not, don't get FOMO about it. Alright, guys, peace out and we'll chat soon. Bye.
