Summer Self-care

With Summer being a frenetic season with a lot going on, it’s the perfect opportunity to intentionally create space to slow down and listen in. Again it is only as hard as you want to make it, so I’ve put together a guide to invite and encourage you to take the time, as I know sometimes everything else seems to come before us.

Again, I love being super practical, so here is a breathing exercise you can try to create more space and time to listen to your heart. It takes less than 5 min, so I know you can do this – even if it’s while you are still laying in bed in the morning after hitting the snooze button.


Practices

Stillness while you Snooze

Do you ever hit the snooze button on your life? Instead of dozing back off to sleep, how about you use the time to focus on your breath and enjoy some stillness, all from the comfort of your cosy bed. Mmmmmmmm, now that’s a nice reason to hit snooze, just don’t be late for work!

Spacious and Sensational Shower-time

I don’t know about you, but I really savour my time in the shower. I’m all for conserving water, but how about you use the time whilst you are getting your suds on to create some spaciousness in your day? It’s one of the best places to focus on your senses as there is often so much going on. See if you can completely focus your attention on the sensations, the look, feel, touch, smell and sounds of whatever you are doing and create some space in your mind for it to relax and unwind.

Heart Breathing

I love this practice as it allows me to bring my attention to my heart space and feel supported to release what I don’t need to hold onto anymore so I can let more of life in. It doesn’t take long and it can give you an opportunity to reflect and listen in to what you need. Try it here.

Compassion

Summer is the season of the heart and for moving on from past hurts. Often what keeps us stuck is a lack of compassion for ourselves or others. Need some help with moving on and creating more space in your heart for gratitude and kindness? Check out the compassion guide for some helpful reminders.

Gratitude

One of the easiest things you can do to connect with the joy, growth and abundance of Summer is to be grateful. I’m all about keeping it easy and meaningful. It doesn’t have to be writing it down every day (although that helps) it can be as easy as sending a text to a friend letting them know how much you appreciate them. A nice warm hug for your partner first thing when you see them after work or thinking for a moment about all the people that contributed to providing the food on your plate. Make it meaningful and incorporate it often and see how much more content you feel with the abundance of what you already have.

Journaling

If you don’t already have a journal or you struggle with consistency than I totally get it! The last thing I want you to do is to add another thing onto your to-do list if you are feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps you could try it once a season, or even once a year as part of your preparation for the new year? I’ve designed a journaling series to make it easy and simple to make the time for self-discovery.