Tag: living intentionally

  • The New Hot Girl Summer

    The New Hot Girl Summer

    As fall approaches, I’m reflecting on the rave otherwise known as Summer. It’s been a season of record-breaking global heatwaves, full-powered megastar world tours, and a mass return to “outside.” Hot Girl Summer — the femme-centered rallying call to play, do what we want, and care for our overall well-being — skyrocketed. However, even as temperatures continue to surge, the jovial energy slowly wanes as we prepare trade swimsuits for sweaters and take our wanderlust to the Great Indoors.

    I’ve been in deep thought about what lessons this much, much hotter than normal summer has brought me. How has it deepened my relationship to my own self-care? How can I carry those lessons forward in the coming months? If we’re able to keep Hot Girl Summer energy flowing, we can build practices that not only make us feel our best and freest during one season, but year-round, too.

    What can be said about the way summer makes the soul feel?

    Warmth, laughter, and adventure are the persistent themes of this mid-year pause. It’s when the world takes a break from learning, working, and so much doing to put our best foot forward in organizing, planning, and manifesting fun. For many, summer provides a short reprieve from everyday life, but the sun and fun doesn’t have to end there. We can be intentional in our reflections of the past summer. Then, we can use what we glean to summon fiery and energetic vibes that suit our mind, body, and spirit. As we bundle up and embrace the coziness of autumn, we can still find ways to get sun on our faces even if only for a short while. 

    Ask: How can we commit to letting joy and relaxation be our compass when our bodies want stillness, comfort, and solitude? There’s a seam we can find in those conversations with ourselves. We can commit ourselves to not just a “summer body” but to whatever body supports us best for the dreams and work we’re carrying forward in any time of year. I’m thinking about planning beach trips abroad when it’s anything but warm at home (virtual or video game counts, too). We can intuit ways to inject lightheartedness and play in our everyday. Especially so, on dreary days when we could use a little cheer. If summer feels good to you in any way, it’s beneficial to get into the details of what elements you love and plant them in as many aspects of life as possible.

    Chasing the Sunnier Thoughts

    The heat of this summer inspired thoughts around what it means to be on a planet that’s slowly but surely warming up. As Earth’s cycles and weather patterns change, I think creatively and holistically about what it means to establish personal and sustainable life cycles for ourselves, our community, and global well-being. Summer is when we bask in the beauty of this place we call home, admiring the verdant landscapes, the clear blue of the ocean, and fiery orange sunsets. How much more can we deepen our gratitude for the grays and cool pastels of fall and winter? What does caring for the planet and ourselves look like while indoors? 

    I’m journaling to see what ideas come forward. The shiniest nuggets of my reflections came to me while sitting in my backyard on the slightly cooler days. (Can the mid-90s be considered cool?) In them emerged my new mantras and how I plan to embody Hot Girl Summer long after the days get shorter:

    • Plant the seeds of new experiences throughout the year. 
    • I can find the sun even when I can’t see it. (Reminder to myself when SAD kicks in hard.) 
    • I wear white whenever I want!  
    • Energy is all around me.
    • Baddie season is forever.
    • Resting IS fun. 
    • …and the list goes on…

    As we take our books and mags from poolside to fireside, let’s not leave our penchant for glee in the sand. Keep vitality. Keep merrymaking. Bring the best parts of summer with you always. Stretch the party out for as long as you can, extending the magic of summer wherever you need it most. 

    Credit: Jed Villejo

    In all seasons, we can embrace the mundanity of every day, relish in it, and sprinkle sun and vibrancy into it where it may appear dull. 

    We may trade our flirty cocktails for toddies and teas, but it doesn’t mean the time for fun and taking the best care of ourselves is ending. Each season change only marks a new beginning; one we can always be ready for when we approach it with curiosity and intention. 

    If Hot Girl Summer is merely the loud-but-unbothered cue to double-down on the self-care practices that make us feel like ThatGirl when we step out for a night we won’t forget; then nothing is stopping us from keeping that same energy throughout the entire year. From that viewpoint, a Hot Girl Summer never really ends.

    Header: Tahiti Spears

  • Intentional Living Is More than a Temporary Trend

    Intentional Living Is More than a Temporary Trend

    In the last days of winter with the beginning of spring on the horizon, how are you feeling?

    As leaves start to slowly fill branches and bushes, the renewed cycle of seasons comes with the checkpoint marking a year since we all had to put our lives on hold with extreme caution at the forefront. Without rehashing the story we’ve been and are still living through, it’s safe to say it’s been a rough year across the board. Riding waves of ups and downs with an undercurrent of constant distress is taxing on our well-being; and it’s fine to admit that. We should admit to that.

    It’s okay to not be okay, and once that’s acknowledged,
    we can do the work to navigate through it.

    We found ways to cope and live on, whether it was diving deeper into work, playing hours of Animal Crossing; thriving on social media, or doing absolutely nothing but make sure we were as safe as possible. These are all choices, signs that through it all we’re preserving at least some of the agency we have over ourselves; even while facing many situations that feel so far out of our control. You might feel pressured to be productive, but productivity is a tool of intentional living, not its driving force. Rest counts, too.

    Photo by Ross Sneddon

    When we were in planning stages at the end of last year, the word intentional kept coming up. So, we decided it was the perfect term to carry with us in 2021 as we attempt to reach — if not a sense of “normalcy” (whatever that looks like) — then at the very least some better grip on our next moves. That’s where implementing a practice of intentional living comes in; and we don’t take that lightly. All the choices we’ve been making to simply get by have been intentional; so rather than write it off as a new age trend or feel guilty about taking care of yourself, really embrace it. Chances are you’ve been living intentionally anyway; it’s just another extension of self-love and self-care.

    “Intentional living means understanding your fundamental beliefs and values and then actively living your life in line with those values.”

    — “What It Means To Live Your Life With Intention,” The Good Trade

    Living intentionally helps to keep us from checking out. It also encourages us to stay connected to ourselves and learn more about who we are at our roots. If there’s something we can certainly use after a year of events happening to us, it’s taking an active role in our lives and making decisions for ourselves.

    intentional living - blowing confetti
    Photo by Hugo Ruiz

    — 3 STEPS TOWARD INTENTIONAL LIVING —

    Ask yourself questions and don’t be afraid to answer

    If you haven’t already made a habit of living intentionally, change can be scary. We’re evolving people. What suited us in the past may no longer serve us in the present; which applies to everything from certain flavors we find appealing to how we interact with others and how we’re treated. When facing the crossroads of whether or not you want something in your life, ask if it aligns with the person you are today and who you’d like to be in the future — instead of who you were yesterday. You just might find out a surprising fact about yourself, such as your favorite color changing from red to green. You won’t know until you ask without shying away from it. 

    Dare to say no

    We tend to play up the act of saying yes to experiences, but saying no is just as important. It establishes boundaries. If someone offers you a hamburger because you used to like them so much, but now you’re a vegetarian, you aren’t going to accept it, right? If the taste doesn’t sit well on your palate, don’t even put it in your mouth. Say no when necessary. And if your no happens to change to a maybe or even a yes at a later date, you have the authority to make that call yourself.

    Give yourself permission to live the life you want

    So many factors come into play when we’re curating our lives. Giving yourself permission to “live as you choose” could sound a lot like shutting everyone else out to strike out on your own; however, that’s simply not the case. We live our own lives, but we aren’t the only component of it. If the life you want means jetting off on your own with no one to answer to, you’re allowed to have that. If the life you want means settling down with other people and being a caretaker or being the one taken care of, you’re allowed to have that, too.

    Remember that the state of being is not a singular thing. We’re constantly changing, and life is constantly evolving. Don’t fear transformation. Adapt and keep moving forward. There’s no turning back now.

    Are you curating a life with intention? What helps you to live intentionally?

    Header: DESIGNECOLOGIST