Happy Pride Month!
June 26, 2024
Reason to Hope
July 10, 2024
Slow down this summer.
It is so healing to slow down, to take a break. With warm days and summer plans, this is a good time of year to step back and relax. This week in the USA there will be parties everywhere for the 4th of July. I hope you can enjoy the 4th in a style that works for you. If fireworks are triggering for you, I hope that you can find a quiet place to get away. If you love crowds, I hope your local parade is amazing. July is a month for ice cream and art festivals. The long days allow for early walks and evening strolls. May you find ways to slow down and relax. Rest builds resilience.
Vacation or Staycation
Take some time away from work, a vacation or a staycation. Some prefer to get away from home – housework and projects are out of sight and out of mind. Others prefer not to do the work of planning a trip and enjoy a week at home or take time to be a tourist in their own town. Either way, stepping away from work and projects gives your brain time to reset.
Casual Gatherings
Create time for connection with those you enjoy. Plan gatherings with family and friends where all you do is eat food and chat. There might be a cornhole or badminton set in the yard for those who want to play. If you like water, set up time together at the beach or a lake. Consider it a bonus if you run into your neighbor at the ice cream stand and have a chance to chat. Mixing time outside with time to catch up is summer at its best.
Mid-day Siesta
On a hot summer day, the heat can make you drowsy. May you have time to nap or to get out of the heat with a book and some ice water. Quiet time after lunch can be time to paint or daydream. Letting your brain wander gives it the freedom to surface ideas and thoughts that don’t show up when life is too busy.
Let Your Projects Simmer
Step away from some of the projects you are doing at work or at home. Where possible, give your goals time to simmer. Read a book or watch some videos indirectly related to what you are working on. Bring them up when you are chatting with others or daydream about them on vacation. This cross-referencing of ideas can increase your creativity.
I hope that summer finds you enjoying time to relax, to connect with others, to rest, and to daydream. All of these allow you to grow your inner strength and peace, your ability to be resilient.
Peace,
Laura A. Gaines
