Summer Confessions & Tips to Align With Summer's Energy

Confession: I don’t like Summer.

I’m kind of embarrassed sharing this because everyone is supposed to love summer!

At least that’s the dominant message I’ve experienced, from TV and commercials and all the 'Hooray, it's Summer!' vibes.

But I just don’t like blazing sun beating down on me. The heat is suffocating, and the sun and brightness are, well, too sunny and bright.

That's a Highly Sensitive Cat Person for you!

Maybe that’s why Portland, Oregon suits me just fine.

Yes, I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and yes, it’s 82 degrees F, sun out, blue skies almost all year round there, and yes, I did all the outdoor beach things because that’s what you do when you grow up there.

I didn’t experience anything else…

...until I was introduced to the four seasons. 

Ahhh.

Here are photos of Multnomah Falls throughout the year. (The falls is nature's most popular tourist attraction here in the Pacific Northwest.)

As an empath, intuitive, and HSCP (Highly Sensitive Cat Person), this thing about seasons really resonated.

In Hawaiʻi, I didn’t experience the visible, dramatic change in nature over the course of the year. 

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, the seasons were a refreshing revelation.

Spring 🌱 brings a bit of the energy of clarity; blooming starts, animals peek out. Summer, ☀️ things are in full bloom, the sun is bright and animals are everywhere. Fall, 🍁 the leaves change color, it gets dark as the sun recedes. Winter, ❄️ the trees are bare, it’s constantly overcast, sometimes it snows and it’s very quiet.

All of these changes reflected what I would internally feel as the year turned, and I felt the elegant design of it all.

However, through the years and especially recently, I’ve also realized that...

...spiritually and energetically, I can be in one "season," while at the same time, according to the yearly calendar, we’re all supposed to be in another...

And this can feel like a long ride on the struggle bus!

🥴

With all the chaos in the world during this era, my system has needed more Fall and Winter energy - the energy of stillness, release, quiet, refuge, reflection.

But, it’s Summer right now!

It can be difficult to walk the line between where you’re at spiritually/energetically and nature’s season.

Nature’s season can sometimes almost engulf you - Summer with its suffocating heat, sun and brightness, remember? 😩

So how do we navigate this???

Here’s what I’ve been doing and have found really helpful.

Energetic Supports and Strategies for Highly Sensitive (Cat) People:

Flower Essence Support

We all need energetic support. I created a seasonal flower essence blend for Spring/Summer that gently introduces Spring/Summer energy to the system, almost like a middle ground and bridge from where you are to nature’s season. It can also be an excellent blend to fully embrace the season - energies of blossoming, flow, radiance, and play! I only have this in a spray so it also includes essential oils of orange blossoms, jasmine and wood resins - it smells light, fresh and green! (All our sprays include essential oils. I created this blend in Spring for myself and loved it, so I wanted to share it with you!)

Handling Summer Invitations

Everyone seems to be out and about and you may be getting invited to this and that. When you receive an invitation, take your time to respond. All the texts and emails can be very activating to our nervous system. Take a breath and take time to check in with yourself. If you’re actually free on that date...and if it’s not an immediate internal "yes"? Then it’s likely a no. I recently heard some advice to imagine the invitation was for tomorrow or a much closer date; would you want to go? If no, then 2 weeks from now, it’ll probably still be a no, too. (This helps prevent us from agreeing to something because it's 'out there on the abstract future calendar.' I bet many Highly Sensitive People can relate to that. When the date arrives, we feel icky pressure and anxiety and  wish we hadn't said yes those weeks ago.) 

FOMO to JOMO

In Portland, because we only have the sun a few months out of the year, everyone is outside! You may feel like you’re missing out if you say no to an invite and choose to honor your internal system. But the flipside is actually more energy and joy in only doing the things you love and want to do with people you love - Joy of "Missing Out"! And if you worry about not being invited again, it’s okay. You can always do the inviting yourself, for something you’d love to do. And if “friends” disappear, that’s also okay because you’re creating space for more aligned friendships.

Gut Check + Fact Check

Two separate checks. Internally, do a gut check, and ask what is my system saying. AND, also look at the plain facts because for some of us, it’s hard to hear our systems. Recently, we were invited to go berry picking. My gut instantly said a big YES because I had never been berry picking before. But thankfully, I also looked at the facts - weekday, twilight hours, weather was going to be mild - perfect! My internal 'gut check' "yes" was to berry picking. But what if the facts of the invitation meant it would be on a Saturday, midday, a scorcher? Yikes! It would’ve been too crowded, rushed energy all around, while being burnt to a crisp in the sun. Does that sound like joy to you? (Not to me.) (photo: me berry picking under a mild twilight sky; no scorching sun rays beating me on the head, yay! And below, the berry haul from Columbia Farms on Sauvie Island. 🍓🫐😋)

Your Season and Nature's Season

It’s not one or the other. It's both/and - your season and nature’s season. If, like me, you find yourself in a spiritual season other than Spring or Summer (I call those two “sister seasons”) honor that, while peppering life with aspects of Spring and Summer you can still enjoy. The twilight berry picking outing was just a perfect aspect and dose of "Summer" for me. And after that, I spent about 2 weeks hibernating and honoring my Fall/Winter self. 😊

• • •

I can't be the only Highly Sensitive Cat Person sensing this friction with Spring/Summer.

??? 🤔

So I really do hope these thoughts are helpful to you.

Thank you for reading 🙏🏽 and thank you for hearing my confession 😊

Please feel free to share in the comments about how you’ve been “summering” so far! 

I'll leave you with Bear my cat 'loafing' on the cool side (a.k.a. the Summertime side) of his 'comfy clamshell' cat mat. 

💌LOVE NOTE: For cats that don’t mind the spray sound or water (a select few) I keep a small glass spray bottle of spring water in the fridge. Bear my cat loves a few spritzes to stay cool during the Summer!