Hot temperatures, wildly shifting kid schedules, routine crashes,
all while trying to have a fun, festive summer!
Soothe those summertime mindset crashers and Rock your summer with ease and class.
1.GET GROUNDED
Embodiment, or tuning into the physical sensations of being in your body, will immediately ground you into the present moment, and provide a sense of stability. By reminding yourself that you have a body and that you reside in that body, you will instantaneously bring yourself to yourself, where all is actually well. With all the hustle and bustle of summer life, it’s easy to get stuck in your head, literally. If you are thinking about the future, or the past, you are NOT present. By reminding yourself that you have a body, and by spending a moment to feel yourself seated within your body you can immediately shift into a better place.
2. SCHEDULE DOWN TIME
This summer, give yourself permission to change up your activity schedule to include less activity too! Consider the Yin and Yang of your schedule. Infuse the actions planned in your schedule with ample chunks of down time. All down time is not the same for all people. Downtime is meant to provide a rest to your mind, body and soul. If chilling in bed and reading a book is boring and creates restlessness, find something else to do. For me, down time requires a rest from intellectual or contemplative thought. When I need down time, I do household chores, take a nap or take a long walk with a close friend. My husband finds his down time out in the yard, and my kids really enjoy screen time as their R n R. Discover what kind of down time nourishes you most. Then schedule it!
3. GAGE YOUR STRESS LEVELS
Most human beings are trained to ignore stress until it has already had a chance to wreak havoc on our nervous systems. Get in the habit of gaging your level of stress. An easy method is to check in at a time of base line, or average stress and see where you are on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being the highest level, and 1 being the lowest. You can also use color. Red hot might signify a 10 on the gage and white can be your “1”. Get creative, this is your gage! The goal here is to identify your base line then to notice when your stress levels are getting high. By checking in daily, you will begin to tune into your levels of stress and notice more quickly when your are crossing over your threshold into too much stress. When you notice elevated levels of stress, take the time right then and there to give yourself what you need to reduce your levels of stress to a place of balance. The more you do this, the more it will become a component of your inner fortitude.
4. DRINK MORE WATER
Hydration is key to your inner flow. Yes, in the summer, it’s hot so you need to replenish the fluids you’ve lost in the heat. We all get that. Water is also a powerful conductor of energy, the better hydrated you are, the better you’ll feel in body and mind. Being hydrated provides the flow you need to get through tricky or frustrating situations, and recover more quickly from playful summer activities. Water is good for the efficient running of all your body’s systems. So, honor thy temple, and drink a nice tall glass of agua.
5. BREATHE DEEPLY
It’s funny that we have to remind ourselves to breathe deeply in our day to day, but we do. Sometimes when I get stressed, the reminder to breathe provides the perfect pause in the moment to bring us back to center. And talk about giving yourself a true break. This is the quickest and easiest way to instantaneously give yourself and all the cells of your body a break. Breathing deeply calms the nervous system, increases the body’s ability to detoxify stress hormones, while stopping the flow of stress chemicals to the body. It also gives you an envelope of time to pause and consider new options. Options that would not have been thought without the space made by the time it takes to breathe. When taking your deep pausing breaths, be sure to breath in slowly, filling your lungs fully, then slowly let the breath completely out. Stay present with the sensations you are experiencing in your body while you breathe deeply. Stick with it until you notice a softening in the body and mind. That will be your indication that you’ve successfully shifted your mindset.
6. SET INTENTION TO HAVE FUN MORE
We humans can get a little bogged down with the hustle and bustle of life. In that activity, we can lose track of the importance of fun. Intentions are a quick and effortless tool for creating more fun in your life. On a quantum level, the intention is what initiates the change. You don’t even need to be concerned with how the fun will come, just start to trust that simply by setting your mind to have more fun, to want to lighten up, it will start to happen. You can intend for anything at all, and trust, it’ll start to show up! And THAT is FUN!
7. MEDITATE DAILY
Meditation can get a bad rap, primarily because it can be a somewhat elusive state to attain for the average person. Meditation, in this instance, does not have to be difficult. In this instance, meditation is mean to soften the activity of the mind to a softer focus. This takes place differently for different people. By doing this daily, you strengthen your consciousness and meditation becomes easier. Here are a few ideas. Please note, if one does not work for you, try another one. It’s meant to be easy and fun.
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Sit comfortably and focus on the in and out of your breath. If thoughts come in, softly focus back on the rise and fall of your breath.
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Body sensations start with the feet and gradually move your awareness through your body. Softly return focus to body part that your focused on.
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Focus attention on a steady sound like a white noise machine, rain, a babbling brook or the ocean, or an imaginary tone in your head.
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Focus on an image or object.
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Listen to a guided visualization/meditation app or on Youtube.
- Thought and feeling inventory with detached curiosity. Just let thoughts and feeling float into and our of your awareness with detached curiosity. Do not intervene, just observe.
- Mindful movement with a partner. This can be dancing, moving in coordination, and can include erotic or platonic movement. You get to choose.
8. MOVE YOUR BODY
Your body was designed to move. It wants to move. You came to this planet to experience life in a physical body, so go ahead and move it! Whether dancing with the kids in the living room, taking a yoga or fitness class, or walking around outside, moving your body will improve the overall quality and wellness of your life. If you have parts of yourself that don’t feel so good when you move them, move the parts that do feel good to move. There are almost always modifications for every level of fitness. Become committed to moving every single day. I do a short Kundalini warm up every morning after a 20 minute seated meditation and 15 push ups. This gets my blood and oxygen flowing and starts my day off right. Consider what you might do to create a great morning routine that starts your day off well.
9. SPEND 2-5 MINUTES APPRECIATING
This goes something like this: “I appreciate this morning, I appreciate the feeling of these cozy sheets, I love to snuggle in and have the time to wake up gradually. I’m s glad I have allotted enough time this morning to have my morning routine. I love this cup of coffee, it’s so delicious, I love holding my mug and looking out at the trees. I love that I can be outside and hear nature in action, the birds and the breeze in the trees is so lovely to listen to. By spending just a few moments appreciating things that are easy to appreciate I’m your immediate surroundings, you will be optimizing your day; optimizing your mindset. Notice how doing this more frequently will improve how your summer unfolds.
10. PRACTICE BEING WITH THINGS YOU TEND TO CRITICIZE
Most of us have strong inner critics. Your inner critic is that voice that keeps criticizing you in your head. Some have more critical inner critics than others. Some of us have relentless inner critics. Sometimes the voice of the inner critic can sound like the voice of a nagging relative replaying and looping negative self talk like a broken record in our minds. It’s common to hate this inner critical voice. The thing is, it’s actually there to help you, but it’s just misguided. Think, early childhood programming. By meeting the inner critic with an objective observer point of view, you can actually initiate a relationship with this aspect of yourself. When you are able to be in the presence of your inner critic without reaction, you can start to ask the inner critic what it’s purpose is. When you allow an exchange between the current self and the critical self, you will likely find that the critic is open to negotiating a new way of being that is more helpful and positive. Contact me if you’d like to work more with your inner critic.