How to Thrive in Summer
Do you find that you or those around you have a shorter circuit in summer? Are you noticing more irritability? Less patience? More road rage? Less common courtesy this time of year?
As the climate we live in gets hotter so do our tempers.
We are connected to nature and so naturally, a rise in heat outside means a rise in our internal heat as well. Too much internal heat aggravates our bodies, just as it does our entire planet. Irritability, anxiety, anger, and more aggressive behavior are a few of the ways too much heat impacts our lives.
Compound that with the planet heating up more and more each year and it makes sense why we as a species are experiencing more inflammatory issues, endocrine issues, and general overwhelm than ever before.
On top of that the season of heat means it’s the season of fire. And as you know, fire spreads.
Someone is irritable, which makes someone else irritable, and that person makes someone else irritable, on and on and on. It reminds me of being in an auditorium this morning with my two children. As the live bubble show was about to begin a couple kids whispered, “SSHHH!”. All of a sudden hundreds of kids were whispering, “SSHHH!” and the noise in the auditorium only increased!
If we can remember the concept like attracts like and opposites bring balance life gets a whole lot more enjoyable! I’ll say that again, like attracts like and opposites bring balance.
What does that mean for not just surviving summer, but thriving in summer? It means we get intentional about chilling out and dissipating our internal heat.
Did you know that summer is the most important season to slow down and de-stress?!
Stress that’s been hanging around for a few months (or a few years) has a bigger negative impact on you in summer than other seasons. That’s because working too much, running around to much, and doing too much in general, when temperatures are at their hottest, raises your internal heat even more - leading to all the issues mentioned above, and more.
In summer we want to work less and relax more. Spend time at the country, spend time at the water. Get away from hot and dry or hot and humid environments, away from pavement and stale air. Surround yourself with blue sky and green plants. Breath the fresh air coming off those hydrated plants. Take time to NOT do anything.
Give yourself a break from being driven by what’s logical and clear and masculine and reconnect with the feminine. Spend time in what’s watery and cloudy. For this season be less about data and more about dreaming. Let life be less about pushing, pushing, pushing and more about flow.
Receive something that wants to flow.
Nourish yourself by rediscovering what it is for you that is based in pure enjoyment…not in a specific result or outcome or agenda, but the pure sensation of being alive.
If at this point you really can’t handle hanging out and doing nothing or if you really can’t break away for too long from being inside, at a desk, producing something, then at least begin to take short breaks, go outside and notice nature…no strings attached.
And if you just have to DO something, go outside to get the mail and while you’re out there walk once around the home or office building you’re working in or simply stand there for a few minutes staring at the clouds!
If you live in an urban environment get to a park. Cities have intentional green spaces. Get to one! Go to the Farmer’s Market and just stand there among the vegetables! Stand among the abundance of nature. A side benefit is that you’ll learn real quick what foods are in season so you’ll know what is best to eat any given week! Bring home a bunch of whatever is in season and display it beautifully in your kitchen so your home becomes apart of the enjoyment and the aliveness of nature.
Remember that rest is what your body craves in summer, it’s what your physiology needs in order to thrive. When we blow off rest, we build more and more heat. And when things get too hot they burn up. When we get too hot we burn up our bodies, our relationships, our
immune systems, indeed our lives.
The time is now to get out of stress and into joy…into fullness…into a full state of being.
Interested in living physically light, mentally clear, emotionally grounded, and spiritually connected all year? Register for a series of Free Talks happening July 27th-August 17th.
