Summer doesn’t have to be the season you survive. It can be the one where you reclaim your relationship with food, your body, and joy. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? And I understand why…

For so many high-achieving women, summer means pressure:

• To look a certain way
• To eat a certain way
• To hide discomfort behind food, control, or over-scheduling

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The Myth of the “Summer Body”

Let’s get this out of the way: a summer body is any body in summer. Phew.

The toxic ideal of the “beach body” creates a cascade of nervous system responses:

• Hypervigilance around food
• Shame about movement or being seen
• Disconnection from joy, play, and rest

Your nervous system deserves better. You deserve better.

Emotional Eating Isn’t a Failure—It’s a Signal

When we’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, or under-nurtured, food often becomes a coping tool.

Instead of judging the behavior, get curious:

• Are you eating because you’re hungry, or because you’re anxious?
• Is food providing a sense of regulation that your body isn’t getting elsewhere?

Regulate Before You Eat

One of the most effective tools for breaking free from emotional eating is self-regulation.

Try this 30-second practice before meals:

1. Pause. Take three deep breaths.
2. Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly.
3. Ask: “What is my body truly needing right now?”

Even if the answer is comfort, let it be conscious. You’re still allowed to eat. This is how we teach the body it is safe without restriction.

Mindful Summer Snacks That Satisfy

Summer food doesn’t have to be a landmine. Try options that satisfy both texture and nervous system needs:

• Crunchy veggies with dip (grounding)
• Frozen fruit (cooling)
• A salty-fatty-sweet combo (like nuts and dark chocolate with sea salt) for satiety and satisfaction

Pair food with presence, not pressure. Enjoy the flavors, textures, and aroma.

Beach Anxiety Tools

The beach or poolside can trigger intense dysregulation. I’m no stranger to this feeling either:

• Being seen in a swimsuit
• Comparing your body
• Overexposure to unspoken cultural expectations

These tools genuinely help to stay anchored, especially when you use them over time:

• Sensory grounding: bring a towel with texture, water with mint or citrus, or a grounding object
• Movement breaks: take a solo walk or do a few ankle rolls under the umbrella or water
• Somatic affirmation: Repeat, “My body is not a problem,” while tuning into sensations, impulses, or thoughts that come after the affirmation.

Joy-Based Movement

Movement shouldn’t be punishment—it should be pleasure and the joy of having a body that is able to jump, dance, and move when you want it to.

This summer, ask:

• Does this movement feel joyful or obligatory?
• Am I moving to feel more like myself, or to erase parts of myself?

Try dancing in your kitchen, walking barefoot, and stretching in the sun. Whatever you do, let joy lead.

You Deserve Summer

Not when your body changes. Not when you eat perfectly. Not when you prove your worth.

Now.

Your summer gets to be a season of regulation, nourishment, and coming home to your body.