Summer always brings for me lots of difficulty. Mostly because it is crazy hot here in Arizona. But also because with the season change, I sleep worse, my appetite goes haywire, and while I have a newfound nesting energy, the heat is crippling and limiting. Being sans kids, we don’t have your typical “summer vacation” but instead we get to enjoy longer days of sunshine (at 100*+.)
I always need to extend grace to myself a little bit more in this season, especially seeing that all I want to do is camp out in a walk in freezer for the next 3-5 months.
So that begs the question, how can we extend grace and understanding to ourselves in the midst of internal conflict?
Step 1: Reflect on what your body is telling you
Where does the conflict live in your body? What does it want you to know?
Take some time to reflect on the messages that you are being sent. Write down in a journal, come back to it a bit later, re-read your entries, and decide what to do next.
Step 2: Talk to someone about it
If you live with a roommate or a spouse, this is the perfect time to open the lines of communication to how you’ve been feeling. Let them know that you haven’t been 100% and if there are times where you’re distant or frustrated or, let’s be honest, crabby, that you would like grace to be extended to you in that moment. Tell them that you are very aware of your feelings and you’re working on it.
Step 3: Actually work on it
This doesn’t mean to stomp all over your body’s cues and shut it out. NO. This is to find a compromise to what your heart and your mind will agree upon and move forward with that. Is it getting up a little bit early to activity outside? Is it changing up the foods you eat regularly so you don’t get kitchen fatigue? What about doing a day trip on the weekend to get a change of scenery?
Find what works best for you and take action on it! The summertime blues don’t have to stifle your sunshine.
