Connect to Summer: Simple Seasonal Living
Living seasonally and embracing nature’s rhythms grounds us in the world. We can invite some simplicity into our lives by letting go of the need to be everything and do everything at once. When we live connected to the seasons, we can let go and simply be.
As we observe the cycles of nature around us, we also notice how our lives and days are shaped by similar cycles. Summer is when the energy of fire and Sun move through the earth and we feel a sense of vitality, spontaneity, adventure and playfulness. All the goals and intentions we set during the Spring season are now being propelled into action. However, in many places in our Australian bush, Summer is also a time of dormancy and survival mode. In the heat and intense sunlight, it is easy to get burnt out if we push forward with our goals if we don’t also let in some rest and self-care.
Here, I am going to look at some ways we can both live with the Summer season to embrace its joyous energy but also how we can take care of ourselves. Self-care is a ritual that enhances all aspects of your life.
Using the energy of the Five Elements to describe the different areas of wellbeing, let’s explore how we can connect to Summer and embrace the cycles and rhythms of nature in our lives. Whether it’s spending long balmy evenings with your besties or taking a long nap in the shade, these sunny moments are precious.
EARTH
Summer Skin-Care
As the temperature rises, we strip off and enjoy the sun and heat on our skin. While we love this sunny time of year, we also need to listen to our bodies as they respond to the season. Maybe we spend long salty days at the beach in the sandy breeze or we take our daily walk sweating in the thick humidity. Observing the needs of our bodies as they change through the seasons is also part of paying attention to the cycles and rhythms of the seasons.
Here are some ways we can take care of our skin when it is needed most:
Protecting our skin with light natural fabrics that allow it to cool. This is a great time to pull out your light linens and cottons. It is also a great opportunity to wear lighter bold colours which channel the energy of summer.
Protecting our skin directly with non-toxic mineral-based sunscreen. A little extra protection is needed in the intense heat when we spend long summer days in the sun.
Caring for our skin after spending a little too much time lapping up the rays. Using some soothing and cooling after-sun spray or lotion means your skin can recover faster and you avoid longer term damage. Drinking filtered water is the best care you can give your skin, hydrating it from the inside out.
Keeping our skin hydrated after exposure to dry windy hot days with facial mists and serums. Our Lemon Myrtle Hydrosol contains potent antioxidants and vitamins C, A and E to repair skin.
Especially during these hot months, although your skin will thank you for year round care, applying daily facial oil or moisturizer is like giving your skin a nourishing drink. Our Saltbush Serum* uses the protective and hydrating powers of the Old Man Saltbush to create an effective barrier for your skin.
* Will be made available in our online store soon!
Always make sure you research any products you buy and be scrupulous as skin care products are often green-washed.
Homemade skin products are an excellent alternative and they don’t need to be tricky or tedious. Here is a recipe for an aftersun spray which is easy and helps you skin recover sooner from all those beautiful sunny days:
Soothing After-Sun Spray
1tbsp fractionated coconut oil
30 drops lavender (Lavendula augustifolia) essential oil
10 drops peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil
3 tbsp hydrosol such as Old Man Salt Bush (Atriplex nummularia), Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla).
*These hydrosols will become available in our online store soon.
1 tbsp herb- Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) extract available at your local pharmacy
2 tbsp aloe gel
200ml bottle with spray nozzle
Directions
• Combine the coconut oil and essential oils in the bottle and stir or shake to mix well. For adults, use up to 40 drops of essential oil to make a 2% dilution. For children, omit peppermint essential oil and reduce lavender essential oil to 20 drops for a 1% dilution.
• Add aloe gel, hydrosol, and vinegar and stir or shake to mix well.
• Label and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks before making a fresh batch.
• Shake well before each use, and spray evenly over skin.
Sometimes taking the time and care to look after ourselves, and our skin can feel a bit extravagant or we simply don’t make the time. As a busy mum, I had to remind myself to look after my skin and that it was important to take that time without rushing. Now, I treat skin-care like a self-care ritual. I take this time to be present with myself, to breathe and to remember that I am extraordinary, just as I am. And so are you.
Food in Summer
Over the last few years eating seasonally I have come to realise how much more excited I am about eating throughout the year. Eating seasonally isn’t only about taste or frugality. It is gentler on the planet and supports local farmers. It is about eating food that supports your body's needs through the seasons. And it means a more diverse diet and pure joy when your favourite foods are back in store. That first taste is just magic.
In her wisdom, the earth provides the nourishment and nutrients we need through the seasons. In summer we see all those juicy, cooling veggies and fruits fill the store. Melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, blueberries and strawberries. Lettuces and leafy greens. Zucchini, peaches, capsicum and mangoes. The list goes on.
Our bodies, in their brilliant intelligence, crave these nourishing, refreshing foods and we need to listen! Packed with vitamins, minerals and rich in water content, these foods connect us to the earth that surrounds us, what we can grow in our own garden or pick up from a local farmer. Salads, stir fries, poke bowls, sushi, BBQ. Make it one step better and feast with friends once the day has cooled with Mexican inspired platters or tapas.
Summer, with its holidays and long days, is the most social season of the year. We gather outside, catch up with family and friends, and make new connections. This can be little or large groups. In a world where so much emphasis is placed on self-reliance and independence, having a strong community of family and friends is healing and an act of resilience. Community care is healing, for ourselves and the larger world we are all a part of.
As our bodies need to be in the parasympathetic nervous system or the rest-and-digest nervous state when we eat in order to actually absorb all the nutrients, this makes it a perfect time to be with your community of family and friends. We are relaxed, our fight-flight-freeze mode is off and the slower we go, the more we get from our meal. Sharing a meal with your community can be a self-care ritual this summer.
WATER
Summer hydration
Whether you're stepping out into jungle-like humidity or bone-dry heat, hydrating our bodies needs to be a focus. Even mild dehydration affects our mood, our ability to focus and mental clarity, our immune response, hormonal balance and the overall functioning of our bodies. Hydrating with clean, filtered water can make ALL the difference in how you feel.
Iced drinks such as iced teas are the best way to cool down and hydrate your body and include all you favourite summer herbs and flavours. Add in a squeeze of lime juice or some fresh Finger Lime beads and all the built up intense heat simply flows away.
Here are my favourite summer Iced Tea Blends:
Rosella, River Mint, Aniseed Myrtle with Finger Lime beads
Holy Basil, River Mint, Peppermint with a slice of lime
Green Tea, Native Lemon Grass, Chamomile with a dash of lemon
Herbs of Summer
Just as different foods support our needs through the rhythms of nature, so too do flowers and herbs offer us different medicine and well-being at each seasonal cycle.
In climates where summer is a time of intense sun and heat, nature retreats into survival mode waiting for cooler days and soothing rain to go on to bear fruit. Sometimes, simply surviving is all we can do until the circumstances are right for us to keep on growing. These summer herbs support us through the season of sun, heat and those hungry bugs that love the summer too:
Spearmint
Rose
Rosella
Aloe vera
Calendula
Plantain
Lemon Balm
Rivermint
Red Raspberry Leaf
Lemon Myrtle
Native Lemongrass
Finger Lime
Peppermint
Holy Basil
Use these herbs in Iced Teas (find tea blends under Summer Hydration) and your skin care routines to soothe and restore moisture.
Making Herbal Honey Icy Pops is the perfect blend of cooling, herbs, and summer nectar in one delicious bite. Make Herbal Honey Icy Pops here:
Cooling Herbal Icy Poles
3 tbsp dried Lemon Balm
3 tbsp dried River Mint
1 litre water, just off the boil
Raw honey to taste
Icy pole moulds
Directions
• In a 1 litre glass canning jar or stainless steel pot, steep herbs in hot water (just off the boil) for 15 minutes. Cover with a lid or plate to prevent volatile oils from escaping.
• Strain the infusion through layered cheesecloth—composting the herbs and reserving the liquid. Allow to cool slightly.
• Add honey to taste. Pour into icy pole moulds and freeze.
• A cooling treat for the summery hot days!
FIRE
A Summer in Nature
Getting outside, observing the changes in nature as we journey through the seasons and connecting with this rhythm is also part of seasonal living. Spending time in the outside world helps to remind us that we are all part of Nature and part of something larger than our own lives. We are deeply connected and grounded through the Earth.
There are many ways to while away the long warm days outside. Here are some ideas to exercise, play or rest in Nature:
Mindfulness in nature. Spending intentional time in nature has been found to have significant benefits on your wellbeing. There are many ways to be mindful and intentional in nature such as meditating, breathing, doing yoga or nature journaling. Forest Bathing or Shinrin-yoku involves the immersion into Nature through the senses and through moving slowly, slowing thoughts and bridging the inner and outer worlds.
Summer outdoor exercise can be fun and playful. Paddle-boarding and water adjacent activities will always be on the favourites list. Other great summer season activities include hiking or as I like to say, trail hunting. Cycling. Badminton in the park? See if you can grow a few summer flowers. Just even a daily walk, maybe through a new area can be interesting and re-energizing.
Rest and taking time to replenish our vital energy is so important during the summer season when we naturally want to be doing things, moving forward with goals and dreams, and spending every toasty minute busy with intense summer vibrance. If we don’t take the time to rest, we can burn out and end up depleted and out of balance with the rhythms of Nature. My two favourite ways to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of the busy season are to take a book into a shady spot and read, even a few pages. The other to sit by a cool creek or waterfall where the moisture in the air creates a cool oasis and take a dip, have a nap or just sit and enjoy the simple joy of cool air on my skin. Another unmissable summer restful activity is watching the stars on a balmy night. Pick a favourite star, watch for shooting stars or just feel the breathtaking awe of life on Earth.
Summer arts and crafts are also a creative way to spend a few weekend or evening hours when being outside is unbearably hot. Here are some fun low-key craft activities to try:
AIR
Celebrating the Summer Solstice
The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. This date usually falls between December 21st- 23rd. Traditionally, the summer solstice has been celebrated as a festival of a seasonal festival of light, growth and transformation. In celebrating the summer solstice we reconnect to the cycles of the earth and give gratitude to the energy and abundance of the sun.
Here are some ways to celebrate the Summer Solstice:
Watch the Sunrise
Write down what you are ready to welcome in
Take a nap in the shade
Make flower crafts, make a flower crown
Have a bonfire with friends
Light a candle at the end of the day
Spend time in nature, go for a swim or hike if you can
Summer Self-love
While it may seem that this season of playfulness, adventure and vitality it is not the right time to reflect and reassess our inner landscapes, it is always a good time to check in on yourself.
Not only does what we eat and drink, how we exercise, socialise and rest and what we put on our skin determine our wellbeing; what we think, how we feel and what we take in through social media, through conversations and our everyday relationships plays a big role.
Questioning you personal thoughts and feelings and your social and relational areas of life can help to clear up some inner space for more of the summer vitality and playfulness. Sometimes letting go of socials, work or personal relationships that are no longer healthy is necessary. However, more often you can make changes by having a conversation, communicating openly and clearly and setting up firm and caring boundaries.
How can you re-think the narrative and strengthen the positive, energizing and supportive relationships in your life. Our inner landscapes and social worlds can also reflect the ebb and flow of the seasons.
ETHER
Summer dreams
Often summer is the season when we push to live out our dreams and goals. The seeds were sown in Spring as we woke up from the sleep of winter and by Summer we are ready to make it happen. But if we listen to our bodies and align our energy with the world around us, we can see that Summer is also a time of rest and resilience.
Rest doesn’t mean losing momentum or failing to show up for yourself, it means gathering energy to continue forward, figuring out what matters most and letting go of what needs to go.
Ways to simplify big goals is to break them down into manageable pieces and then tackle these. Sharing thoughts and feelings with friends, family or professionals can give you a different perspective or help clarify things for yourself.
Journal prompts for mindfulness and gratitude:
What can I let go of this summer? What can I welcome in?
What are the simple things that make me feel better?
Step out into nature. Take your time. Listen to the sounds nearest you. Name them. Listen to sounds in the distance. Name them. Listen to the stillness in which all the sounds are held. Stay here and simply breathe for a while.
What are your favourite memories of summer, why have they stayed with you?
How has you body adjusted to the changes of the seasons, what does it crave and what soothes it?
Sit under the cooling shade of your favourite tree or one that holds you attention. Sit with the tree for a moment and simply breathe. Now imagine what one day in the life of this tree looks life. What people or creatures pass it by or live here? How does it experience its day? Give the tree a name and a story.
What are you grateful for this summer?
Sending lots of light and sunny playfulness to everyone. Thank you for being here and joining me this exploration of wellbeing through the Summer Season.
