currently | june

the curated guide and lowdown for your month ahead

Ahhh, sweet sweet (almost) summer. If you know me, you know I am a summer lover, tried and true. The excitement is like when you’re sitting in a theater waiting for a movie to start. I love the talk of summer plans and day trips, gardens coming to life and long, sunshine-y golden days. At this point, I am so ready for the end of June so we can slowww that schedule down and begin weaving a new, simpler routine. At this halfway point of the year, I need some serious TLC, and it comes in the form of sun soaked days, juicy watermelon and mama blue 🌊

Here we go »

the here and the now:

Currently eating: blue cheese stuffed dates (DO NOT knock it ‘til you try it), watermelon with a sprinkle of salt, blueberries, salads with greens from the garden + homemade vinaigrette, hibiscus iced tea (and this hibiscus creami drink).

Currently questioning: the trajectory of my life — since I was little I envisioned a version of my life and it’s actually pretty spot on at this point. I’m here — so now I get to ask the question of, what’s next? Deep stuff. Kind of exciting. I’ve heard this comes up a lot at my age (am I at a mid life crisis or…?)

Currently simplifying: my summer business strategy (with help from my gal Sam Wolk) so I can continue to work while also being present with my daughter through summer break!

Currently supporting: my cycle health because sheewwww I had a rough luteal phase this past cycle. All a reflection of my lifestyle and stress levels that past month which were anything but great. Life happens — this is why I’m so glad I have a toolkit when it comes to my hormone health, so I know exactly how to course correct so I won’t have symptoms keeping me down this summer.

Currently learning: how to accept my body again as it seems like it is changing on the daily (welcome to your late 30s?) Admittedly, I feel like my body has really remained constant my whole life and suddenly I am noticing a lot of changes; like more grey hair (and even the texture of my hair is changing), areas of my body are softer than they ever were, my skin is just everrr so much looser and stress shows up a bit more heavily than before. Sometimes it feels like everyday I wake up and it’s going to be a little surprise when I look in the mirror — but I’m learning how to accept the newness and roll with these totally natural shifts that occur at this point in life. Some days this is easier said than done, but it’s a work in progress.

Currently listening to: Little Wide Open (my sister and I dubbed this the album of the summer, LISTEN TO IT)

Currently reading: Meet Me At The Lake, and I’m about to start The Keeper

Currently looking forward to: my slow down Sundays — our weekends have been BUSY and now that activities are winding down and the gardens are pretty much set to go for summer, I am very much looking forward to slow mornings, coffee in the garden, crosswords in a lawn chair and ambling walks in town.

journal prompts | june

• What am I most proud of from the past six months?

• How do I want to feel this coming summer?

• What experiences do I want more of over the next 3 months?

• Where have I grown in ways that aren’t obvious from the outside?

• What are some activities that make me lose track of time?

• What would a slow summer day look like for me?

• What expectations can I release this summer?

• What brought me joy in summer as a child?

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share with a friend and write your journal prompts together at a summer bonfire during sunset with some delicious mocktails ok?

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foods to focus on

Insert me squealing like a little girl because summer foods are my favorite. It’s so easy to put together simple meals that just slap because the foods in season during summer are just so full of flavor and so juicy and colorful — it’s like a party on the plate. I just love it. Now that I’m done with my ode to summer foods, here is what’s in season and what’s good to focus on right now:

• Strawberries

• Cherries

• Blueberries

• Apricots

• Peaches (more late June)

• Raspberries

• Mulberries

• Asparagus

• Peas

• Lettuce

• Swiss chard

• Arugula

• Radishes

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Mint

• Parsley

• Cilantro

• Dill

Some particularly nourishing June combos to try:

• Strawberries + cottage cheese + honey

• Cherries + greek yogurt

• Cucumber, mint + lime salads with a sprink of salt

• Arugula + peaches + goat cheese

• Steamed beets + mint + feta

• Peas tossed with butter + mint

nervous system reminders

With the onset of summer often comes the pressure to do more — socialize more, travel more, exercise more, etc. Often, one season winds down and before we have a chance to catch our breath the calendar can become full if we aren’t fully taking a pause to check in with where we are at. It’s certainly fun to have later nights and enjoy the fact that it’s way easier to be active during the summer, but I love the feeling of being able to stay grounded while still enjoying the energy of summer. Try incorporating some of these to balance out the high energy of this season:

• pop that phone on do not disturb at least 1 day per week. It’s ok to be unreachable for a short bit to let yourself be in the present moment

• plan 1 day per week to be a down day where you don’t make any solid plans so you can wake up without urgency and go where the day takes you

• take an evening walk during sunset — the post dinner timeframe is supportive for blood sugar and the evening light helps set you up for better sleep

• take advantage of earlier sunrises and carve out an extra 10 minutes in your morning to ground outside and take a few deeeeeep belly breaths before you start your day

what to release

Unfinished expectations from the first half of the year — we don’t usually see June framed this way, but it is exactly halfway through the year. And it can be a time of reflecting on how far we’ve come thus far. However, I like the idea of letting go of unfinished expectations and perhaps even pivoting if need be for the second half of the year. You’ve come this far — what can be released, what can be adjusted and what new things do you want to call in that maybe you hadn’t thought of before?

what to protect

Your body’s signals — whether it’s hunger, fatigue, sleepiness, PMS or thirst; listen to your body when it gives you these nudges. It’s easy to go all out in the summer (perhaps even overdo it sometimes because YOLO — we’ve all been there) but checking in with yourself every so often can go a long way in keeping things balanced and your energy consistent. When you feel that first wave of sleepiness at night, head to bed, you’ll sleep deeper. When you get PMS, check back on the past month and ask yourself what could have been supported better. When you feel hungry, eat my girl! Your body is constantly communicating with you, it’s up to you to tune in.

one simple wellness goal

If I were to impart some wellness wisdom upon you for the month ahead, it would be this: pick a cut off time to turn off social media for the day. Something I’ve been focusing on lately is refilling my mental energy reserves and a huge energy suck for me is social media, which can be a tough one because I run an online business! But seeing that many opinions, chatter, glimpses into people’s lives, etc can be a lot for the mind, and frankly I don’t think we should be taking in that much information daily.

Let’s aim to balance out our usage by picking a time that works for us to put it away for the day. For me, it’s usually around 3pm. At that time, I close the app and don’t go back on. It was tough at first to stick to that, but it’s become such a habit now that I don’t even think about it. I’ve gotten into the habit of picking up a book I’m reading instead of scrolling (it helps to have a great book on hand!) OR my new favorite obsession — a crossword puzzle from our local paper. My mind feels so much better because of this little habit. I definitely suggest trying it out!

the mini golden pod of the month:

Something I notice that pops up as we get closer to summer is the restriction chatter — time to get bikini ready! or, I’m skipping meals so I look good in that dress later (you know, we’ve all heard it.) This summer, I’m proposing we skip that rhetoric, and instead we focus on habits that actually make us feel deeply good, because the only thing standing between you and a great summer is how you feel.

And if you’re plagued with PMS, or your plans get canceled because of a shit period, or your energy is wonky, or your digestion is crap and leaving you bloated…well then…those symptoms are going to be the things ruling your summer.

In this month’s mini pod, we are exploring simple habits to stay grounded and feeling good, so you can let loose sometimes and actually enjoy yourself and be in the moment.

If you have ideas, questions or topics you’d like me to cover, pop them in the comments below or you can also message me as well!

That’s all she wrote — happy almost summer and start of the warm season and see you in July!

Thanks for reading,

Em

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For the woman who is running on empty and needing clear and simple direction on what to do so they can reclaim their spark: The Radiance Reset

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WELCOME —

If simple and sustainable wellness is your jam, welcome. Golden Wellness is a reader supported space for those who are over the noise and confusion of the modern wellness world, and are looking to learn more practical and realistic ways to support their body and mind — with a little touch of personal musings and fun content thrown in the mix. Come hang.

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