How to Recharge When Life Won’t Slow Down

I’ve been in Canada the last couple of weeks,

Surrounded by nature so beautiful it makes you stop mid-breath crisp air in the morning,

Shimmering lakes,

Old trees that feel like they’ve been keeping watch for centuries.

And also surrounded by people.

Family. Friends. Invitations. Events.

All good things. But here’s the truth: even the good can drain you if you’re not plugged into you first.

This time of year, the pull outward is real. August in the Northern Hemisphere has its own kind of buzz BBQs, lake days, reunions, late nights under the stars… everyone’s trying to squeeze every drop out of the light before the days get shorter. But here’s what doesn’t get talked about enough:

If you’re not choosing your own energy first, summer can burn you out just as fast as it fills you up.

🔥 The Question That Changes Everything

In one of my mentor Michael’s recent teachings, he asked:

“What would it take to truly have your own back like you do for a child, a beloved partner, or a dear friend?”

It stopped me in my tracks… because, honestly? I wasn’t. My energy was everywhere with everyone else and barely any of it was coming back to home base: ME.

He followed with:

“Where in the vast passages of time did you give up being there for you?”

And that’s when I decided—no more.

💍 Self-Commitment as Power

We’ve all been told our whole lives to be of service to others. Give. Show up. Put others first. And yes service is beautiful. It’s part of why we’re here.

But here’s the shadow side: it can make the idea of fully choosing yourself feel selfish, even wrong. That’s why so many people myself included feel guilty when we stop. Or we don’t stop at all, because we simply don’t know how.

So when Michael said, “It’s time to commit-  to almost “marry” yourself. Commit to your own happiness more than ever before. This life, this experience, this planet is yours to enjoy. Choose it.”

It felt… almost rebellious.

Choose it.

Not hope for it. Not wait until things slow down. Choose it now.

So I did. I cleared my calendar two full days. No plans. No people. Just me, my journal, meditation, and nature.

And I didn’t do it to “escape.” I did it to lead. Because when I’m rooted in my own energy, everything I give is clean, powerful, and intentional.

And I can feel it a new chapter wants to come through for my book. Space is what allows the signal to come in.

🚀 Your Energy Is Your Leadership

When you claim space for yourself, you’re not stepping back from life — you’re stepping into your role as the leader of it.

Leaders know when to step forward.

Leaders know when to retreat.

And leaders understand that their impact is only as strong as their connection to their own source.

This doesn’t always mean disappearing for a week-long retreat or having two whole days to yourself. Sometimes it’s micro-moments:

• Waking up ten minutes earlier to drink your coffee in silence before the house is awake.

• Putting in a 15-minute “quiet time” for the kids with books or an activity while you step outside for fresh air.

• Choosing one invitation this week to decline, even if it’s just skipping the extra playdate or optional work Zoom.

• Taking your lunch in the sun instead of at your desk.

• Locking the bathroom door and running a bath after bedtime, no matter what’s on the to-do list.

So if you’ve been over-booked, over-giving, or just over it, this is your reminder:

You can say no.

You can reschedule.

You can create little sanctuaries inside your day.

You can show up for yourself with the same devotion you give to everyone else — without abandoning them, and without abandoning you.

✨ A Little Soulwork for You

• Ask yourself each morning: “If I had my own back today, what’s one thing I’d do differently?”

• Release one thing this week that drains more than it gives even if it’s tiny. (Yes, skipping a text thread counts.)

• Book a date with yourself and guard it like it’s with the most important person in your life — because it is.

Summer isn’t just for going out.

It’s for going in;

into the quiet corners of your own heart,

into the conversations you’ve been avoiding with yourself,

into the kind of stillness that reminds you who you are when no one’s asking for a single thing.

Because when you lead yourself first, you don’t just enjoy the season more…

You shape it. You own it. You decide how it feels in your body and what memories you’ll carry forward.

And maybe this isn’t just a summer thing.

Maybe this is the start of how you lead every season from here on out.

This is your life. Your season. Your joy.

Choose YOU now.