A manifesto for summer 2022
Care less about your to do list, and more about the memories made. When winter rolls around, you won’t remember the days you were extra productive, or the time you got your report finished early because you worked through lunch. What you will remember are the evenings you spent catching up with friends in that golden hour glow, or the afternoons you splashed about in the paddling pool with your favourite kids. Be there, truly there, for those moments.
Embrace the spirit of adventure. Stay up until sunrise. Swim in the sea. Pitch a tent. Jump in the car and see where you end up. Summer is a time for getting lost, for finding hidden gems, for spending the entire day laid on a picnic blanket and laughing with your friends - make the most of it.
Reconnect with the things that remind you of your childhood summers. Make daisy chains, do cartwheels, blow dandelions.
Make a list of your favourite summer rituals and tick them off week by week - have a BBQ, drink Pimms, eat your dinner al fresco, fill the freezer with ice lollies. Savour all the things that only feel possible when the sun is shining and the days are long.
Embrace radical rest. The last few years have been a lot, and now is the time for some deep, nourishing recovery. Remember that rest isn’t just about sleeping - it’s about filling yourself up creatively, it’s about spending time with the people who make your soul sing, it’s about connecting with mother nature. Prioritise all types of rest above everything else, and trust that your future self will thank you for it.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to change yourself for the summer months. Wear the clothes you want to wear, move your body in the way it craves. Your joy doesn’t exist on the other side of a certain size or a number on the scales - it’s there for the taking right now.
Get curious. Notice what shows up for you when life starts to slow down a little, and follow the breadcrumbs. You never know where a conversation or an inspired Google search will take you.
Make time for the things you love the most. Read in the garden, work on your creative projects, while away hours stomping along the coastline. Remember that there is more to life than work, and summer is the perfect time to reconnect with those parts of you that might have been neglected recently.
Let go of comparison. Just because someone is jetting off to another luxurious destination every weekend doesn’t mean they’re doing summer better than you. The only life you have is yours, so lean into and make the very best of what you’ve got.
And finally, remember that these few golden months that lie ahead of us are fleeting. Don’t let that be a cause for sadness - instead, let it be a reminder to show up, to be present, to savour every last slither of joy. You deserve it.
Need some help infusing your summer with more joy? Come and check out my brand new programme, Joy School!