Self-care Summer

‘Tis the season.

No, not that season.

The other one. The longer one. The hot one.

’Tis the season for long hot days, spending time in the water and time off with family and friends. And if you are a work at home parent like me, ‘tis the season to finally invest in those noise-canceling headphones.

For many of us, summer brings with it the highest expectations of the year. Have you ever noticed this?  When schedules are looser — as is the case for some corporate jobs and when children are out of school — we tend to raise our expectations for what we can accomplish.

How many of us plan to, I don’t know, “organize the entire house” or “finish my certification” or “lose 20 pounds” or “paint the kitchen” or…?  You know this kind of list: ambitious with a touch of dilution.

Last year, one of my most-read newsletters, and one that inspired many insightful coaching conversations with my clients, was Intentional Summer.  What came up in our coaching was the idea of thinking of summer not as a time to muscle through, but as a time to connect to how you want to spend your days.

This summer, instead of a to-do list – how would it feel to focus on what makes you happy?  For example, how can you put something joyful daily in your summer plan? Do you enjoy reading, cooking, enjoying a glass of wine with a friend? How can you DO more of THAT?

Are your juices flowing yet?

What about if you prioritized one small act of daily self-care?

Would a sunrise walk, or going to bed early, or that going to that classic movie series downtown with a friend… help you to feel really cared for?

To feel rejuvenated this season, tune into the activities and practices that help you feel really good. And then do them guilt-free.

MY joy-filled list of self-care this summer includes:

• using those noise-canceling headphones I just purchased,
• reading,
• doing yoga outdoors,
• mastering my new standup paddleboard,
• having a quiet cup of morning coffee on the deck and,
• spending long weekends at the lake with my boys.

THAT feels good just thinking about!

(And here’s a secret from your coach: when you spend time on your self-care, you have more energy for the other things in your life.)

What is on your joyful list for a self-care summer? Hit reply and let me know.

Do you want to explore your self-care needs in a complimentary coaching session? If you haven’t coached with me before, hit reply and let’s chat!

Here’s to a joy-filled and rejuvenating summer!