14 ways to have a soft and intentional Summer

The long-awaited Summer break has finally arrived! At least on my side of the world. Friday was officially the last day of the school year for both teachers and students. Though at the end of every school year I tend to feel the bitter sweetness of time passing, I also feel elated. For a while, there will be no deadlines or teenage drama and the days will belong entirely to me. There is nothing more nourishing and luxurious than being able to move through my days at the rhythm and pace of my own nervous system. I am ready for a soft & intentional Summer filled with goodness!

A time for deep rest

I love my job and I’m always excited to try new lessons, create new materials and interact with the kids… But I must also admit that at the end of each school year, I have nothing left to give. My patience is minimal, my brain overwhelmed and very often, I feel emotionally drained. Being a teacher is a work of HEART and if your heart is not in it, you won’t be able to keep yourself standing. This is the case for nearly all teachers but even more so if you’re highly sensitive.

So this is why rest, deep, meaningful rest is such an important component of teaching, or any other job for that matter. You can’t give what you don’t have. And an overwhelmed brain and nervous system won’t be able to produce anything meaningful. Creativity needs time and slowness in order to manifest itself.

What is a soft and intentional Summer?

It means that we take time to put some thought into what nourishes us. What makes us be present and fully alive? What sparks our curiosity and stimulates our well-being? What makes us soften into our bodies? What sparks our creativity and ‘joie de vivre’? Which situations, things or activities inspire us to live well and boost our life force?

What are the things that make us want to get out of bed in the morning and allows us to be kinder to ourselves and our environments?

What fills our cup?

Once we know what the answers to those questions are, we can intentionally plan our days around those activities. Even when we still have to work this Summer, we can still integrate one or two things into our days.

1. Keeping a gratitude journal

Gratitude journals are an excellent way to be more intentional. It allows us to focus more on all of the abundance we have in our lives instead of what is lacking.

The truth is that our brains evolved to focus more on negative things and scarcity. This is called the ‘negativity bias’, which had a huge evolutionary advantage for us as a species. Because if our ancestors’ brains, who lived in a very different reality than most of us do today, would automatically shift the lens to danger, it would increase their chances of survival.

Though cultural evolution tends to happen fast, biological evolution does not. We still have more or less the same brains as our ancestors did but our environments have become much more safe and predictable. Yet, our brains (the subconscious) tend to forget this and automatically shift the lens to danger and scarcity. Which means that we have to intentionally and consciously shift the lens ourselves.

Every morning, while having your morning cup of coffee or tea, grab your gratitude journal (just a regular notebook) and write down a couple of things you are grateful for. Be as specific as possible and elaborate on why it makes you feel grateful.

For instance, instead of saying: ‘I am grateful for all the women in my life’

You would write:

‘I am grateful for all the women in my life because they inspire me to become a better version of myself every single day. They encourage me and make me feel seen and safe. We lift each other up and that makes life a lot more pleasant and inspiring. I feel empowered by the presence of these women in my life’.

2. Flowy dresses and bright colored nails

Of course it doesn’t just have to be about activities or places. It can also be about what we choose to wear or which color nail polish we put on our nails that elevates our outfits and confidence. Maybe it’s picking a new signature scent for Summer.

There’s almost nothing I love more about Summer than to be able to wear light and flowy dresses. One of the things I really enjoy doing on a rainy Summer day, is cleaning out my wardrobe and have an inventory. I try everything on (Summer things) and decide what stays and what goes. I also make little outfits, which quite frankly, I’ve been doing since I was 10 years old and I have no intention on stopping.

3. Beach days and collecting beautiful seashells

When growing up, the beach played a big role in my life. I lived in Portugal until I was 10 and long, warm Summer days spent at the beach were my most treasured days. We would go really early in the morning, with a cool box filled with sandwiches, fruit and juices (you know, the cute ones with funny crocodiles on the packaging) that would last us for an entire day. I would barely come out of the water unless I saw a dog or wanted to collect shells.

To this day, the beach is still one of my favorite places to be and collecting shells is something that I find to be extremely therapeutic.

The Belgian beaches are mostly not that big and are very crowded, especially during the Summer months. The worst part about Belgian beaches though, is that dogs are not allowed on the beach for most of the year. So, I drive an hour and a half to the Netherlands to have a relaxing beach day with Marlow (it’s his favorite place in the world). It’s a beautiful white, sandy beach and both dogs and humans are welcome. In addition, it’s rarely crowded and there is a cozy snack bar too. In my mind, I pretend to be in Cape Cod!

4. Spend quality time with the dogs

I love being a dog mom! From very early on, I told everyone that would listen that I wanted a house filled with dogs. Well now I know that three is more than enough if I want to preserve my sanity. I’m kidding! I love them and chances are that if I weren’t married, the house would be packed with one-eyed or three-legged dogs. The husband keeps somewhat of a balance in this household and keeps an eye on me so I don’t overwhelm myself (don’t tell him that I said this).

That being said, being home for most of the Summer blesses me with plenty of quality time with the pups. We go on walks, they join me whenever I am gardening or doing anything else in the garden like read and write. There is more time to play and prepare healthy homemade meals for them. But there is also more time for beach days, adventure days and all-day-in-bed days (on a rainy and stormy day).

When I am calmer, they are calmer and the slowness of the Summer months, creates the best framework for this.

5. Spend the day tending the garden

Picture this, you slowly wake up in the morning WITHOUT a furious alarm clock ringing in your ear, you stretch and rehydrate with a big glass of water that you put on your nightstand the night before. You go downstairs in your pijays and you kiss the pups on their noses.

Once you’re done with the puppy smooches and the ‘good mornings’ and the ‘did you sleep well’s?’, you let the pups in the garden. Then you make yourself a delicious cup of coffee or tea and you join the dogs outside in de garden.

Evidently, with your cup in your hand, you ‘check’ the garden for either, overnight miracles (a zucchini appeared, seemingly out of nowhere) or overnight disasters (the zucchini plant has been devoured by vindictive snails).

Followed by an entire day of gardening. Pijays still on, straw hat and sunglasses on, fancy gardening belt filled to the brim with tools and off you go.  Watering the vegetables in the early morning, deadheading the flowers, some weeding, making beautiful bouquets for inside the house… And only coming for air to prepare a meal or eventually shower and wear a flowy Summer dress that matches the flowers in the garden.

This. To. Me. Is. The. True. Definition. Of. Summer. Luxury!

6. Make refreshing alcohol-free drinks

Making delicious lemonades made from fresh fruit and garden herbs that look like pretentious cocktails? Yes please!

I usually make these during the hottest part of the day, when I am forced to come inside in order to find some relief from the heat. I’ll share some recipes and ideas on the blog soon.

7. Go to the farmer’s market and buy fresh produce

Here in Belgium there are farmer’s markets all year round and nearly every town has a weekly market. I consider myself to be blessed because of this. There is nothing more luxurious and yet simple at the same time, than to buy fresh produce from the market and prepare a flavorful and nourishing meal for me and the people (and dogs) I love.

From fresh artichokes, to juicy peaches and apricots, to the most creamy goat cheese that’s ever been made… There is plenty of goodness to be found to create a lavishing Summer meal. Or if I want to create a ‘lazy girl’ dinner or lunch, then the farmer’s market is the ideal place to find inspiration to create the most aesthetically pleasing AND delicious cheese board (or fruit board, or dessert board…). Infinite possibilities really and you only have to assemble the food, instead of being behind the cooker for hours.

8. Eat seasonal fruit

Watermelon! The ultimate Summer fruit. But also apricots, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries… and the list goes on. I want them all and preferably all at once! I’m actually not kidding on this one.

That’s why I grow many of these in my garden. One of the best ideas I ever had to be honest, because tasting a freshly picked berry from the garden is one of my biggest Summer joys.

9. Travel to somewhere new

Ahhh travel! I could write an entire blog post on travel alone, which I will eventually do I’m sure. Doing new things, tasting new food, experiencing new environments and sceneries, hearing foreign languages… This is such a massive boost to our brain and well-being as it sparks novelty and this novelty will in turn, spark creativity. And to me, creativity is an integral part of living well and intentionally.

This Summer, the husband and I will be travelling to Zakynthos (Greece) for a couple of days. Not really to do anything too adventurous but rather de-stress and recalibrate. I love the Greek islands and their history, fresh sea food and beautiful hotels. The beauty of the Ionian sea with its deep cobalt blue water never seizes to amaze me.

We also planned to go to France for a couple of days by car. It’ll be a short road trip and we’ll stay in several places. I want to visit the coast in Normandy and visit the house and garden of the famous painter Claude Monet in Giverny.

You don’t have to travel far to visit beautiful places though, even visiting a cozy town an hour away from where you live, can be very enriching.

10. Make art

On a beautiful sunny day, grab your paint brushes or favorite pencils, a sketch book or canvas and step out in the garden. Make yourself a cozy little nook that is aesthetically pleasing to both your eyes and your heart. Make it comfortable with soft blankets and pillows if you choose to sit in the grass, play some soothing music in the background or listen to nature’s sounds and revel in the deliciousness of the moment.

It’s not the end result that matters, it’s the process of you experiencing joy and softness while making your art. It is about being in the moment and connecting to yourself in this soft and nourishing environment you created for yourself. If you don’t have a garden, you could do this at the park or the beach.

You could do this by yourself or plan a day to do this with your children or girlfriends. Intentional time spent together while creating something, can have a positive impact on your connections. Activities like these are not frivolous or childlike, this is intentional and creative play. The importance of play to our well-being and creativity has been well established in the field of neuroscience.

11. Read books in the sun

I’ll be honest, you’ll never find me sitting in the blasting Summer sun for too long. At least not without huge sunglasses and a big straw hat and lots of water. I’m exactly like my grandmother in this way. She knew she would end up with a nasty migraine if she just sat there for too long and unprotected. It’s exactly the same with me.

What I do enjoy very much is to sit in the early morning sun or at dusk, when the sun is slowly going down. That to me, is the best time to soak up some warmth and light while enjoying a good book.

11. Make lavender bouquets

As long as lavender doesn’t have to sit in heavy wet soils for too long, anyone can grow them in the garden or keep them in pots.

I absolutely ADORE this beautiful scented herb! Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, they also smell delicious. Lavender is ideal for making soothing teas before bedtime (or anytime really) which has been known to calm our nerves. You can also use them to make delicious Summer desserts. More on that on the blog later.

I love adding lavender flowers to my little garden bouquets to bring inside the house. But I also take my time to make lavender only bouquets and dry them. You could also dry the flowers and make beautiful scented sachets to add to your linen closets. This reminds me of both my grandmothers and long French Summers.

12. Road trip with your bestie

By car is probably my favorite way to travel! You can bring whatever you like, no scale will be used to check how many pairs of shoes or dresses you’ve packed. You can stop whenever and wherever you like, which means if you see a beautiful town or flower or water stream… you can actually stop the car and have a look. To me, traveling by car is the ultimate way to feel free.

Europe is ideal for road trips but so is the States. A couple of years ago, the husband and I travelled through New England by car and this is by far one of my favorite trips ever. Don’t even get me started on the beauty and deliciously cozy towns of Cape Cod.

Of course, road trips don’t necessarily need to last weeks or even days. You could grab your car, your bestie (or besties) and explore a town or place you’ve never been to before. Enjoy some girl talk, hysterical laughter until your belly hurts and sing along with songs that remind you of your teenage years. Oh yes! This is exactly what we all need from time to time to bring us back to ourselves when life overwhelms us with too many have to’s.

13. Daily yoga practice

Yoga is not that complicated like many people think it is. I first started being interested in yoga at thirteen. I know, that’s young and back then it wasn’t even the hype that it is today. I have been doing it ever since but unfortunately not as consistently as I would like, or as my body and mind would like.

But Summer is the ideal time to grab our mat and start the day with yoga in the garden. Soothing to our muscles and muscle fibers which helps prevent soreness and overall stiffness. It also boosts our mental health because it makes us start the day calmly while focusing on movement and breath. This is also the time when you can set your intention for the day ahead.

You don’t have to do long yoga sessions in order for it to be effective, even just 5 to 10 minutes a day will have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing. I usually start with the sun salutation, which is a sequence of poses, breathing in and out as you move through each fase. You can find the poses in the picture below.

Of course you can also find some more elaborate yoga sessions online that you could do at home. I particularly like ‘Yoga with Adriene’ and her cute dog Benji.

I hope this post inspired you to have a soft and intentional Summer filled with nourishing moments that fill up your cup.

What are some of your favorite things to do during the Summer months?

Love,

Wendy