Supporting Energy in Summertime
For some of us, summer is a time to take a break: relax, enjoy the outdoors, slow down a bit, take vacations, hang out with friends and family. For others, it’s a really busy season, with tight deadlines, lots of extra work, personal projects, and social obligations.
Whichever way your summer goes, it’s important to prioritize our energy. So that you can enjoy the season, and survive its hecticness.
Do you ever want to get the most out of summer: go to all the outdoor concerts and family gatherings, hit up all the local ice cream shops, work on your fitness goals, catch up reading the books you wanted to read on the beach, book all the fun hot weather activities you don’t want to miss out on -
But instead find yourself sprawled out on the couch, under the ceiling fan, trying to cool down and gather the last bits of motivation to get up and do something - anything?
And then the MEAN VOICE kicks in: “get up, there’s still so much to do!” “Why am I like this? Why can’t I just get things done?” “I’m wasting so much time…”
Summer can be tough.
But it’s usually not a matter of having enough time - it’s a matter of having enough energy. Luckily, there’s lots we can do during the summer to support our energy, feel our best, and stay cool - so that we can enjoy all the fun things and avoid the unpleasant aspects of the hot and busy season.
Summer Energy Patterns
There are several conflicting energy patterns that we experience as a collective during the summer. Two of them to highlight:
The urge to do MORE, and
The need to work LESS
The urge to do MORE:
Historically, summer was the busiest time on the farms, with the most daylight and the most work to be done with agriculture and livestock. We have the genetic memory of needing to “make the most out of it:” be up as long as the sun is up, be out and about, and go go go, do do do, literally until the cows come home.
Today, that might translate to feeling the need to go above and beyond at work, stay late (“it’s still light out!”), take on more extracurriculars, stretch yourself too thin, or overestimate your energy.
The need to work LESS:
Even earlier in our genetic memory, we have the hunters-gathers, who could actually take it easier in summertime. Food was abundant: berries, mushrooms, wild tubers were easy to find in summer months. Plus, with no AC or fans, our ancient ancestors had to move less and stay in shade to remain cool.
This genetic memory still affects us, too. Think of the siesta: a time in the middle of the day when people rest in the shade. Summertime is a season of naturally wanting to work less, put in less effort, and seek water and shade.
These two conflicting energy patterns pull us in two different directions during summer months: “I want to get everything done, but I need rest, but there’s so much to do, but I’m too tired/too hot, but it’s still light out and I can squeeze in a bit more work, but…” and so on.
Understanding this helps us see our seasonal needs better and choose appropriate activities for our wellbeing!
We never want to “fight” the season. We want to work with the season. That means: acknowledging these societal patterns and urges, tuning into our own bodies for clues, and supporting our energy with season-specific practices.
Here are some recommendations for doing exactly that, by energy type.
PHYSICAL ENERGY
Low physical energy is most common in summertime. This is the feeling of “I’m jello spread out on the couch” while everyone else seems to be out having fun.
Typically, this happens if we: 1) overheat, 2) overwork, or 3) dehydrate.
Physical energy is all about the body’s resources! In summertime, we want to focus on conserving the body’s resources in high heat, replenishing them, and making sure they flow throughout the body.
Some practical ideas for conserving resources:
Rest: take the time to rest, get plenty of sleep, rest when you feel you need to rest.
Keep your body cool: lay down on the floor (heat rises), breathe slowly and deeply.
Try contrast showers.
Splash water on your face, neck, and shoulders several times a day.
Outside the house, spend more time near water (it tends to be cooler close to bodies of water).
Go outside when it’s coolest (early morning or late evening)
Practical ideas for replenishing resources:
Drink water with minerals (easiest way: add lemon or lime juice and a pinch of salt to filtered water).
Drink plenty of water (especially if you’re a coffee drinker or enjoying alcohol).
Eat plenty of hydrating seasonal fruits and vegetables: watermelon, cucumber, berries, zucchini, tomatoes, peaches, plums (aim for at least once a day!)
Practical ideas for helping the flow of resources though the body:
Daily movement! Keep your walks to shady areas, go out into nature as much as you can. Early in the day, if possible, or later in the evening.
If you tend to overheat, focus on gentle movement instead of HIIT or intense cardio.
Try water sports or get a local pool membership.
In summary, for physical energy, we want to focus on: rehydrating the body with mineral-rich drinks and seasonal fruits and veggies daily, getting plenty of rest, daily movement, and taking extra care to stay cool when it’s hot out.
EMOTIONAL ENERGY
Summer is a very social season, and socializing is all about emotional energy.
Emotional energy can be low in summertime if we: A) overcommit to too many social events, or B) don’t have enough fun social plans.
If FOMO gets the best of us and we say “yes” to too many social events, it can lead to exhaustion and overwhelm. On the other hand, if you’ve got too few social gatherings coming up, you might feel unmotivated and stuck, at work and on weekends too. This is the feeling of summertime sadness, that weird dull ache, longing, like something’s missing: “life’s happening, out there, but not for me.”
The best thing to do for both cases is to tune in to your own personal needs.
For too many social obligations, this can look like:
Checking in with yourself before and after the party: “what do I, personally, need right now? What would make me feel good today?”
For those with a blank calendar, this can be:
Weekly (or even daily) checkins with yourself: “What do I enjoy? What do I love doing? How can I do something I love this week?”
Giving yourself fun experiences makes the FOMO go away, because it’s no longer “they’re having fun over there” - it’s now “I’m having fun over here!”
Emotional wellbeing requires us to “come back to ourselves” - whether that means paying more attention to our needs, getting in touch with our wishes and dreams, or taking the time to do what we enjoy.
Mental Energy
Do you notice that summer is a really busy time at work for you? Perhaps you just happen to take on way more than usual, or maybe it feels like the whole company suddenly has SO much to do?
Since it’s natural to want to work harder during the long summer days, we can go too hard at work and get mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out.
Unlike in the centuries of farming, which was primarily physical work, the work most of us do nowadays is mental work.
So we want to support our brain during the busy season and make sure we’re NOT overloading our mental capacity.
Ways to support our mental energy & wellbeing:
Take frequent breaks: look up from your computer, stand up, stretch, walk and get a beverage.
Be wary of how much you take on at work, or say “no” to more things if possible.
Create a cutoff time for work, such as: no work after 7pm.
Turn off email, Slack, and other notifications during non-work hours.
Go out to nature! Maximize your nature time during the summer months, and practice being present and mindful when out in nature.
These are all things you can do without a vacation, and I encourage you to practice these things outside of vacations. Our brains need regular pauses in order to function best, and it’s up to us to create those pauses when we’re busy.
Spiritual Energy
Supporting spiritual energy means feeling satisfied, fulfilled, and deeply content.
There’s nothing specific about spiritual energy in summer. It’s all dependent on what’s going on in your life right now.
However, since summer is the halfway point in the year, it’s a great time to reevaluate your goals and direction for this year.
Your spiritual energy might benefit from these practices during the summer:
Journal it out: thoughts, worries, troubles, emotions, what’s bothering you, what’s frustrating you - take it out of your head and onto paper
Make sure you’re resting, taking care of yourself, paying attention to your needs
Revisit your goals from January and see how well you’re doing
Reevaluate what you want to focus on for the second half of the year
Schedule any necessary doctor visits, therapy sessions, acupuncture, dental care
Also, never underestimate the value of talking to someone. If you haven’t reached out to friends or family in a while, here’s your reminder to do so.
These practices, for all 4 types of energy, are what I am doing all summer long. I’m emphasizing emotional replenishment and supporting my physical body, as well as taking the time to identify what I want to focus on for the rest of my year.
I’m also helping others with their seasonal energy strategies. We’re all unique, have unique needs and situations, and require unique approaches. This is not always easy to find on your own.
If you’re craving some support with implementing these ideas or creating your own custom plan to beat overwhelm, tiredness, and summer blues, I’d love to help you out. Click here to fill out a form and book a free consultation call.
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