A reframe of the "bare minimum" & a 10-min yoga nidra practice

How I approach energy management in the summertime and a blank permission slip for YOU too 🙌

everywhere we go this summer, my almost 3-year-old just lies down in the grass and basks in the moment (this is the middle of an about-to-be-very crowded outdoor restaurant 🤣). I think Georgie’s got the right idea.

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Have you gotten to that point in summer yet where you just feel like overripe fruit?

It’s that slight tinge of burnout that usually comes somewhere in August after 2 months of all the bright, energetic, go-go-go energy that summer naturally brings (plus layer in vacations, endless social plans, and any Tuesday night that could turn into a party!). And it’s usually coupled with an almost nostalgic feeling of wanting to hold onto summer forever.

We’ve had a couple of cooler, rainy days this week in the Hudson Valley, and it felt like the right (overripe!) moment to share this little Q+A.

Since this essay bites off a bit of that big topic I’m going to share a DISCLAIMER before we dive in: this is big-feeling, deep-rooted, lifetime-of-practice stuff we’re talking about and, today, we’re just skimming the surface.

It can’t be solved in one essay and certainly not in a list of hacks for “3 tips to better time management to prevent burnout” or some app a tech brah built!

There’s SO much systemic stuff built into the topic of burnout.

Where I do my work with my people (& myself — I am my own first, best, and lifelong client ;) is rewiring the stories, the systems, and “-isms” buried deep into our beings and brains and patterns that make us basically feel like we need to hustle harder still AND YET we’ll never quite be enough.

So yeah — we’re not going to “solve” it all here, but I hope this little-toe-dip-in-the-water gives you at least a nugget to work with or an idea to chew on or a suggestion to take with you and mull over on your next walk.

(And if it does, leave a comment below & let us know!)

“Q: I wonder if my brain will ever not be on summer vacation mode….”
”A: Let’s reframe the bare minimum.”

This question came in via voice memo from a client/student/mentee/friend the other day —

“In the summer, it seems like I can’t get anything done and I don’t think I really need to actually DO IT ALL right now. Like, I’m doing the bare minimum each day. And anything beyond that feels annoying. Plus theres like FUN I want to have, things I want to enjoy right now — I want to nap and cook and take walks and hang out and see friends and work less right now. I felt so much differently in the winter, which is interesting…”

I LOVE this question because it brings up so many threads we can begin to pull on.

FIRST — Summer rhythms *are* different. Especially if you are a parent of school-age kids and even if you’re not, it doesn’t matter — it’s just different AND we all have our reasons why.

So I’ll say this, if you are caretaking for anyone, if you are in an in-between stage (moving, changing jobs, figuring shit out), if you are facing health challenges (of any kind) or caring for someone who is, if you are exhausted, burnt out or just craving more joy, space, and pleasure but feel like you can’t possibly take that for yourself, here’s what I would say to you if we were working together —

Ok, for as long as you need this — and let’s just start with today: take your to do list and then halve it. And then halve it again. And then double the timeframe you’re giving yourself for these things, and maybe double it again: THAT is what you need to do right now, nothing more. Sure, call it the “bare minimum” but that’s so self-flagellating! We can give ourselves some grace. We can be more generous with ourselves and others. How about this reframe: “I am excellent at taking care of only what’s essential, what keeps the trains running in my life everyday. And that’s all I’m going to require myself to do right now. How wise am I?”

:: cue a deep exhale ::

There are SO many reasons to do less in any given moment:

You’re already doing too much! And you need to catch your breath, have some breathing space! And that’s OK!

Or it’s summer! And you want to enjoy some of the wonderful weather and spend less time in your office pushing goals forward and timelines ahead. Maybe you can drop the reigns on endless-forward-moving-SMART goals for a few days / weeks / months and the world will keep turning? I don’t know. Only you know! If you let yourself try it!

Whatever the reason — for whoever needs a small head nod of approval (which you really don’t but I’ll give it to you if it gets you a break!): Here is your blank permission slip to sometimes just DO LESS and let your best be enough. OK? OK!

SECOND — SEASONAL RHYTHMS: Listen, this 9-5, 5-day, 40-hour work week — OR whatever version of this that has been imposed on you and you’ve likely internalized too🙋‍♀️ — was made up fairly recently by capitalism in the Industrial Revolution! Imagine that!?

For a long, long time the world (and some people and places still do) marked their rhythms of work, rest, and play with rituals that followed the seasons, the moon, and menstrual cycles.

So for any of you that just feel like your energy, attention, and effort aren’t the same year-round or shifts with the month and the seasons, amazing!

You are paying attention to an underlying rhythm and an inner knowing that is WISE and wants you to be the organic matter that you are. Let’s just start there? ;) You’re not a robot. You’re living, breathing human BEING.

THIRD — this is great data for you! So you might be already overcommitted / It’s an election season and there’s work to do!

For whatever reason, you might not be able to make big changes toward doing less right now. (But maybe you can a little bit? I bet you can a little bit! Even if you are the busiest, most stressed out person you know, I bet you can a little bit? Like … relax your jaw, loosen your literal grip, take a deep exhale. Let’s start there).

Listen to this information that your life, your body, your energy, your desires are giving you right now and PLAN for next summer now.

Heck, make it a practice to stay curious and observant — to simply PAY ATTENTION to your energy over the next 12 months.

Move through all the seasons, another full turn around the sun, and take notes!

Don’t judge, just simply take it in. Notice it. Name it. And then take small steps to thoughtfully respond, as you plan the next cycle ahead.

I say this often and I’ll say it here — if you can see it, you can name it. If you can name it, you can begin to change it.

And I know, I know. This isn’t a very sexy thing to invite you to do. It’s not a 3-step hack to more energy or more time or more rest or more fun RIGHT NOW, but I don’t know that those things exist?

(And if people guarantee you they do and it’s “so easy” if you just try this formula, well… I would just be careful with that!).

I can tell you that if you pay more attention to yourself in this way, regularly and often and continuously check in, calibrate in small & slow & steady ways, over time, in time, you will be able to pause and look up and around and say:

“Wow, yeah things feel different now. I have just a littlemorespace between myself and my habitual reactions and, well, in that space is the whole damn universe!”

Again, not sexy. But real, rooted shifts just seem to take the time they take.

OK — I’ve got a couple more related Q+As in the hopper already. If you have one that feels adjacent to this topic, leave it in the comments below.

I simply love having this conversation in supportive community with you!

So much more to come. Just enough for now,
Cath xo

p.s. — for my PAID Subbies, a 10-min Yoga Nidra practice (aka NAP TIME) below. In case you’re just damn tired right now and need some good rest 👇