Summer… This is it! Although summer is ideally characterised by warm sunny days which are in rather short supply at the moment, we can still benefit from the spirit of summer…you know … Enjoying the long days of daylight that start in the early hours of the morning and lasts until late hours of the evening encouraging us to do more with each day.

Summer is a powerful season that can be truly restorative and transformative if we allow it to; somehow, those extra hours of sunlight combined with warmer weather seem to shed a spotlight on the various aspects of our lives as we reflect on the year that we’ve had so far as well as the hopes that we have for the latter part of the year.

Connect More

We can boost our emotional and psychological wellbeing by connecting with others. Just the simple act of catching up with friends or family can boost feelings of contentment, through talking, laughing or simply just listening.

Make Spacesummer

Perhaps not all the intentions that we set at the beginning of the year have come to fruition, but we know that there’s always another opportunity to reset them-and somehow summer seems to allow for greater clarity… but only if we make space for it.

Acknowledge It

I know it might sound silly, but why not start each day by acknowledging its newness and the fact that it’s a summer’s day?

Press Pause

If you’re not going away, you can still have a summer that restores and replenishes you by pressing pause on your daily routines. More than likely you’ve had a busy and possibly intense year so far and you may be feeling as though you need some ‘headspace’… time to think, away from the often stressful daily routines of daily personal and professional life. Let’s be honest here… it’s so easy to get caught up in making our daily lives work, trying to balance it all… the ‘doing’ that we can forget about ‘being’.

Take Time

If you can, take a week or two off work… see if you can arrange some alone time, free from having to think about work or your usual routines. Allow your mind the freedom to wonder… Go off track for a day… go to the park, take a day trip out of the city… allow yourself to just be… you’ll be inspired! Do things that you’ve always enjoyed doing but haven’t done for a while. You can also find some unique and interesting experiences on places like groupon and wowcher.

Nature

Use the restorative power of nature. If you have a garden or outdoor space, use it daily to soothe yourself. If not, find a local park to visit a few times a week. Listen to the sounds of nature, feel the warmth of the sun, or watch the rain fall.

Do Some Writing

Maybe you started journaling this year, so why not shake things up a bit by writing a letter to yourself? There’s a lot said about writing a letter to your younger self, or to your future self, but you can also just write a letter to your current self. These letters are for you to have an honest conversation with yourself, expressing how you really feel about and everything, they can also act as a form of self-coaching and can increase your self-awareness and encourage you to see the bigger picture… you can choose whether to keep them to read in the future or destroy them. They’re yours.

Explore Fun Activities

Look for activities to do and events to go to that you wouldn’t normally do or that aren’t available in the winter months

Try Something New

Summer is the perfect time to start something new, something that has the potential to bring satisfaction, joy or passion into your life. It could be something that you’ve always dreamt of doing or something that you’ve only just discovered- whatever it is, get started now so that by autumn it’s already become a habit.

Let Go

It’s also a good time to let go of a habit or behaviour that no longer benefits you.

Summer is here and your future starts today, so don’t waste any more time … own your summer!

Denise x