Recently, I’ve heard so much talk about “hot girl summer.” If you don’t know what that is, hot girl summer essentially entails being free, young and wild; doing whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s a time where we can show off our glow up, new sense of self and confidence without being in a romantic relationship.
As much as I wanted to be a part of this “hot girl summer” wave, I’m too tired. Just like most of the world, this year was really difficult for me. I feel like I’m still recuperating. Sure, I can go out and have fun with my friends, but I haven’t gone to sleep before 2 a.m. in almost two months, I eat at weird hours of the day, I don’t drink enough water, I’m tired all day, my room is a mess, I’m behind in my summer school classes, I don’t stay active — the list goes on. Clearly, I don’t think I’m ready for a “hot girl summer.” I knew that going into the summer, so I was prepared to watch my friends go off and have fun as I tried to get a grip on things. Then, I ended my little pity party and decided I would have my own type of summer: a healing girl summer.
What this means for me is that I prioritize myself. I try to go to bed at least 10 minutes earlier than I did the night before, I plan meals that I look forward to eating, I bought myself a new water bottle, I try not to drink so much coffee and I clean my room for at least 20 minutes a day while listening to a podcast. I’m still working on the summer school part, but you get the picture. I also started writing down an internal monologue with myself, which I know sounds insane, but it works. I check in with myself and really ask myself questions like why I haven’t cleaned my room in two weeks. Usually, the answers are problems and feelings that I’ve been avoiding — too anxious to even begin to understand at all.
Of course, I have days when I don’t pay attention to class, I can barely get up in the morning and I do everything that got me to where I was in the first place. But it’s the active effort to change that makes a difference. I don’t recommend making unrealistic goals such as, “I am going to start running 3 miles every day” when the last time you ran a single mile was months ago. Start by making a list of little things that you think can help you heal in whatever ways you need to. They can be as small as you need them to be; no one is judging you. They can also be fun things such as taking yourself out on dates, trying a new art form, learning how to dance and spending time with people who build you up. There’s really no guide — the point is to do things that will make you feel good, happy and fulfilled.
