The changing of the seasons can often be met with a desire for a reset, a challenge to ourselves, or a certain need to be a better version of ourselves. We all have our favourite season, but we all live each year through four (writing this from Canada).
Summer is here, and with that so are you. What does summer mean to you? What’s the first emotion you feel when you think of this word? Do you hold expectations on how these next few months will be? Does it feel like your life will get easier or harder?
Often it’s easy to focus on all of the things we’re going to do and accomplish and forget about taking care of ourselves. Here are some ways to create a beautiful balance for this summer ahead of you.
Remember routines can be broken
It’s a weird title I know but stay with me. Routines do give us a sense of stability, predictability and ultimately tells our brain we are safe with knowing what our days are going to look like. In summertime, often that routine gets impacted. Look for ways to embrace the change, but also keep in mind what your values are around your physical and mental health, your relationships with others and with yourself. Check-in often with yourself to see if your day was one that served you or got away from you.
Practice: Here are some journal prompts for your summer routine:
What’s the most important thing for me to do each day? What does it mean if I can’t do it? Is it true? What are some ways I can balance this into my summer? Do I forgive myself easily if I can’t accomplish this thing? Why or why not?
It’s okay to stay in
I’ll say it again, it could be the most beautiful day and you may just want to stay inside, that’s okay! Often when you notice that you’re feeling pressure to do something take a step back and ask yourself where is the pressure coming from? Then ask yourself if this is how you want to be living your life, out of pressure to do things because you ‘should’ or out of love for yourself to validate it’s okay being inside EVEN during summertime.
Practice: I want to clarify I’m not recommending that you don’t go outside ever, just to be mindful that when your actions are based on pressure from others to take a second to reflect on why you are doing what you are doing. Again a great way to sort through some of these pressures or expectations is to recall your values:
Physical well-being
Family relationships
Intimate relationships
Mental/emotional health
Friendships/social relations
Employment/career
Education/training/personal growth
Hobbies/recreation
Spirituality
Citizenship/community
3. There’s nothing wrong with an unplanned weekend
When was the last time you had a weekend just to do nothing? Summer often feels like a more relaxed, vacation-vibe season, but I often see the opposite. It can feel that if you don’t have a busy weekend or plans this summer that you’re behind the pack. This is not true, even though at times it can feel like it is. Slowing down is a practice. Letting go of control over your weekend is hard. Having a day of rest can be foreign to you, but it doesn’t mean that it's wrong.
Practice: It may feel that you only have 8 weekends to enjoy the summer so you want to do everything, and say yes to every party, bbq, cottage weekend, and bike ride. Before you make your next decision ask yourself, am I being motivated out of love or fear? Often the fear of missing out causes us to burn the light at both ends (so to speak). Do you really think that if you say no to a summer party that you won’t be invited to something in September? Do you have any proof or evidence of this?
4. Give yourself permission to be silly
I’ll keep this one short. Don’t take yourself too seriously, try new things, sit in the discomfort of being a beginner and recognize that it’s okay if you’re not perfect the first time. You can be silly, you can take risks. Humble confidence is knowing who you are and being okay with the learning process. Being silly also gives us space to laugh, find joy and tap into the present moments with ourselves, others and the world around us.
5. Relationship with self
No matter how old you are, you will always hold memories of yourself, how you looked, what you did, who you used to be. Summer can feel often discouraging if we only focus on how we looked last summer, or five summers ago.
Practice: Instead of spiraling into your dissatisfaction with self, try focusing on your current connection with self. What do you have to work with? How is your current view of self? Is there anything you could say to yourself in this moment that would be true and loving? Often if we think of ourselves as children we can invite a bit more compassion into the internal dialogue.
I believe the theme for this whole article is love versus fear. Are your thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviours based in love or in fear?
Space, Grace at your own Pace
Xo Unapologetically You
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