Summer is full on here in the Pacific Northwest and the heat is not playing around 🥵.
Full disclosure, I am not a fan of the hot weather. We don’t get on super well. I’ve learned over the years that my Norwegian blood does not feel at home in anything above 72°F (68°F is enough, thank you very much).
But there are gifts in this season. We can’t expend the same amount of energy during these heat waves. There’s a natural slowing down that takes place, thanks to the temperature and this being the season for many to take time away from school and work. It’s both more difficult and less necessary to move as quickly through our lives during the summer months.
During this season, our body also needs specific things like hydration and time to cool down, which don’t happen when we’re still doing all the things, at the same pace, all of the time.
Every season has wisdom for us if we’re open and curious to tune into it.
I’ve ignored said wisdom entirely in the past. Back then, I would have pushed my way through these months with a single-minded focus. My unconscious programming would be in the driver’s seat, doing everything in its power to keep me in ‘doing’ mode. There was a part of me that needed to be uber-productive at alltimes, even during these exhaustingly hot summers. It’s like I didn’t have an off switch. It wasn’t until I realized I had been basing my sense of self-worth on my external productivity that I was finally able to unhook from this pattern. Until then, my productivity was forced. My exhaustion, energy depletion, and lack of clarity were real, however.
Enter that blah feeling.
You know the one. The blah is when we can no longer muster the energy to do it all, or anything in the moment. When our brain fogs over and doesn’t operate with the same sharpness it can after we’re truly rested and resourced. It’s when we can’t decide one way or the other and, if we’re being perfectly honest, we don’t even care.
That blah feeling is your clue that something is ready to change. It may be time to shift gears and soften into this slower season. Softening can look like giving yourself permission to slow down or spend less time working if that’s available to you. Perhaps it looks like spending more time with your family or doing something you enjoy just for enjoyment’s sake (for me, it’s recently looked like spending time in places that have air conditioning… and books 😉). Because this can look different for each of us, the important part is to listen to your own wisdom here.
Don’t forget that even machines, like our computers, need to be turned off from time to time. They don’t work as well when they’re on 24/7, especially in extreme heat. Even machines slow down or stop working like they’re meant to. My laptop shut down on me last week. It overheated and wasn’t able to do even basic functions for a good few hours. We are no different.
So why not take this time to listen to the wisdom of the season, as well as your intuition, about what would serve you best right now?
Can you permit yourself to let go of some of the doing and see what emerges in its place?
What does it feel like to just be for a while?
I’m not suggesting you bring your life to a screeching halt. I’m inviting you to notice the shift in rhythm and quality of what you’re doing as you soften. As we come into being more present, our system has the opportunity to relax and reset (just like my laptop) and that’s a great time to tune into yourself. As you slow down, get still, and listen in, your wisdom becomes more available to you.
What wisdom does this season hold for you?
