With summer just around the corner (although, here in Columbus Ohio, it already feels like it’s arrived), it’s a great time to check in with yourself…
How do you want to feel this summer?
Don’t rush past this question: take a moment to really feel into it.
After a year and a half of a global pandemic, I know I’m feeling deeply grateful for a season that begs us to come outside and play in the sunshine. I’m ready for silly, sunny, sweaty days.
And, I also know that playing in the sunshine is not what everyone thinks about when they hear the word “summer.”
What comes to mind for you when you think about this summer?
For most of my life, I HATED (all caps necessary to properly communicate the disdain) summer.
The swimsuits and shorts made me feel like my body was on display. I assumed everyone else was picking me apart in all the ways I picked myself apart every single day.
Summer, for me, was a time when the intense year round pressure to “fix” my body got even more intense. I was constantly counting down how many days I had until my next social event and negotiating what food and exercise rules I needed to be following until then.
The increase in social plans sent me into a spiral. Constantly worrying about what I would eat, if I’d be able to follow those aforementioned food and exercise rules, and what would happen if I couldn’t.
I was so focused on trying to control myself that I was distracted all summer long. Who could enjoy a BBQ or dip in the pool while at war with herself inside?
Not me that’s for frickin’ sure.
When the sun came out and the clothes got smaller, I felt so SEEN. And, I did NOT like that.
Because I wasn’t able to truly see, love, or accept myself at that time, I was so deeply uncomfortable with others seeing me. It was incredibly challenging on so many levels.
Can you relate?
But those many painful summers I spent hating myself and counting down until I could hide under a cozy blanket come fall?
Well, they led me here… to this very moment… writing this very email to you.
They were the catalyst to my own healing journey – a journey that I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world.
They are a part of why I’m so passionate about helping women to release perfection, heal their relationships with food + movement + their bodies, and cultivate deeper self-trust, self-compassion, and self-connection.
They are part of why I created my signature summer program Well & BEING years ago and my coaching community HELD this year.
If you’re struggling with the upcoming change in season, I feel so deeply for you. I promise you that it doesn’t always have to be this way.
As if a global pandemic isn’t hard enough, diet culture found a way to use COVID as fuel for its fire. The pressure + messages about controlling and “fixing” our bodies with food, exercise, and willpower have only gotten louder, more manipulative, and more intense.
I know for so many, the feelings and fears coming up around this summer are reflective of that.
You may be navigating body changes, trying on clothes that no longer fit, preparing to see people who you haven’t seen since pre-COVID, anticipating conversations centered around diets + weight loss, or navigating all the mixed emotions emerging as things begin opening up again.
You’ve been through a lot. This is all a lot. You are not alone.
Today, I want to offer you some opportunities to connect with yourself, reflect on what you’re experiencing, and get clarity on where you’d like to go:
- What messages did you hear about food, movement, body etc during the pandemic?
- In recent years, how have you felt about summer?
- How is this year similar or different?
- What fears or worries are coming up for you as summer approaches?
- How do those impact your inner dialogue, the way you feel about yourself, how you show up in your life, and / or how you treat yourself?
- What are you looking forward to this summer?
- If you felt at home in your body this summer, what would you say “YES” to?
- And, what would you say “NO” to?
- How do you want to FEEL this summer?
- What would you need to let go of or release in order to experience that?
- What would you need to accept, believe, or embrace to experience that?
Take a minute to let all of this wisdom that just came through really soak in. And, when you’re ready, I’d love you to ask yourself about what you NEED:
- Would more self-trust, self-compassion, and self-connection feel helpful?
- Would support to feel more grounded in + at home in your body (through intuitive eating, intuitive movement, body image support, and emotional wellbeing) feel helpful?
- Would working to create & communicate loving boundaries this summer feel helpful?
- What about cultivating a deep inner sense of confidence?
- What about finding ease and freedom in your relationship with food?
If any of the above would feel supportive, I’m here for you.
And if the thought of being surrounded by a community of warm, loving, welcoming women who GET IT with me as your coach would feel helpful, I’ve got an invitation for you:
Grab your spot on the waitlist for HELD x Well & BEING summer support here.
Tomorrow, the doors to HELD (my coaching community) will be opening for 1 week. This is the only time the doors will be opening this summer and it’s the last time to join for $50 / month.
As a special bonus for my coaching community, I’m sharing Well & BEING (my signature summer program that’s all about getting grounded and feeling at home in your body through intuitive eating, intuitive movement, body image, and emotional wellbeing) EXCLUSIVELY within my HELD community this summer.
The only “catch”? You have to be on the HELD waitlist if you want to receive emails letting you know when doors open + sharing all the amazing details, answers to your Qs, member testimonials, and more.
Want to learn more? Join the waitlist for HELD x Well & BEING summer support here.
If you do, I’ll be in your inbox tomorrow with an invitation for a summer full of beautiful support, encouragement, community, and coaching.
What if you didn’t have to spend all summer hating your body? Just imagine it.
