Honoring Yourself this Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is happening for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and it is a powerful time to set intentions for the upcoming season and the remainder of the year. What might you do to honor yourself today to set up a flourishing season? Has something been draining your energy, nagging at you, or bothering you in some way? Or perhaps you have a lot of desired energy going into the summer season, how can you use that to honor yourself and sustain your energy through the next season?

A powerful practice is to ask yourself, “What do I need today to honor myself?” or “What can I do to honor a part of myself that needs the attention and care?” When you ask yourself these questions, what comes up for you? Is there any underlying message you're hearing but wanting to ignore? Perhaps go a little deeper and spend a few minutes breathing deeply in stillness before asking yourself what you need today and then journal what comes up. Try to not direct the thoughts or feelings coming through, just let yourself write down whatever comes up.

Honoring yourself and your needs is a practice of self-care and self-love. One of the definitions for honor from Merriam-Webster is: to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect. Honoring yourself is treating yourself with admiration and respect. What comes up for you when you read that? How might you treat yourself with great honor and respect today? And maybe, you can set the stage for tomorrow and the remainder of this new season. Might you hold the mantra of I treat myself with great care and respect this season? What would that mean for you? What would that look like for you? Each of us has our own needs for self-care. Perhaps you can create a seasonal plan for your self-care this season. Honor yourself and your needs. You deserve the care and love.