As summer is flying by, your days are full of activities and plans as you try to capitalize on the longer days and warmer weather. Summer is the season that can be so exciting yet exhausting at the same time. With late summer comes a wave of urgency. The pressure to squeeze in as much fun as you can into the season, before the brisk cold, darker days and fall commitments whisks us back. By late summer, your rhythm can be thrown off.
You may be feeling burnt out, overstimulated or overwhelmed with feeling off track. You may have spent so much time saying “yes” and maximizing summer, that you have let go of your personal rituals, causing our rhythm to be thrown off.
Suddenly, your closets are overflowing with clothes baskets and unpacked suitcases from weekend trips, you haven’t been able to get to our regular workout classes, our to-do lists are growing, all while your days keep filling up and you barely have time to slow down. Our rhythm is a sacred state that enables you to achieve what you need to. Rhythms are developed through growing a greater understanding of what you need to do in order for your physical and mental health to be supported. Oftentimes, such rituals enable us to have the capacity to pour into ourselves and others.
Here are some grounding techniques to implement in order to reclaim your rhythm and your energy.
- Tidy up your space. Having a clean space can improve your sense of calm and comfort in your home. Set a 20 minute timer to do a clean up of your space. Allowing yourself to check something off your list, and enhance your surroundings.
- Go for a mindfulness color walk. Go on a walk without distractions in order to center yourself in your surroundings. While on your walk, look for a specific color to discover around you. This helps send your attention to your environment, and release alternative thoughts that may be flooding in.
- Cold Hands, Warm Heart. Run your wrists under cold water or hold an ice cube. This shift pulls you out of overwhelm and into your body. This activates your vagus nerve which calms and regulates you.
- Go barefoot outside. Allow your feet to touch the grass, sand or dirt. This is an instant sensory anchor and nervous system reset. This grounding technique helps lower your cortisol, improve mood and recalibrate your energy. This is a great practice to do after spending too much time indoors or on screens.
- Lay down for one song. Pick a calming song and lay down in a comfortable position. During this time, there is no phone, no scrolling, rather close your eyes in complete stillness for the duration of the song. This is a micro-reset which calms your adrenals and gives your brain a chance to process the stimulation.
- Sensory Reset (5-4-3-2-1). Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This works to anchor your mind in the present moment and your body’s current experience.
- Phone free-bedtime. Prioritizing sleep hygiene is essential for reclaiming your rhythm and energy. Set a boundary with yourself to not use your phone in bed, or an hour before falling asleep. Going on phones before bed keeps your brain psychologically engaged and can negatively affect rapid eye movement (REM sleep). Setting this boundary enables your mind to slowly unwind and prepare yourself for deep sleep.
- Carve out time for you. Take some time to set aside moments for you. Having an intentional block of time where you can check in with yourself and slow down. This can look like a few minutes, or longer. Reminding yourself to slow down, and have time with no expectations.
It is possible to soak up the summer while maintaining your rhythm. You deserve to pour into yourself, to take moments for grounding. Trying these methods will support you in regaining energy, prioritizing self-care and maximizing the goodness of summer.
