My Tips for Actually Slowing Down This Summer

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Every summer I tell myself the same thing. This year I am going to slow down.

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This year, I'm going to slow down.

It sounds simple enough. Yet somehow I always find myself squeezing in one more email, one more meeting, one more "quick" task before I finally give myself permission to relax. As if rest is something I first have to earn.

The truth is, slowing down doesn't just happen. At least, it doesn't for me. It takes a conscious decision to leave space in the day. Space where nothing has to happen.

This summer, that's exactly what I want to practise.

One of the first things I plan to do is spend less time looking at my phone and more time looking around me. I don't mean disappearing offline completely, because let's be honest, that's probably not going to happen. But I do want to be more intentional. During dinner. At the beach. While wandering through a market or sitting on a terrace with a coffee. The emails, Instagram comments and endless to-do lists will still be there tomorrow.

The Italians have a beautiful expression that I've always loved:dolce far niente. The sweetness of doing nothing.

I think we have almost forgotten how to do that.

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If you have recently looked in the mirror, tried to pull up a pair of trousers that fit perfectly six months ago, and felt a sudden wave of betrayal, you are not alone.

Doing nothing isn't wasting time. It's watching the sea without checking your notifications. Listening to cicadas instead of a podcast. Sitting under a tree without wondering whether you should be doing something more productive.

Some of my happiest memories aren't attached to big achievements. They're attached to tiny moments that, at the time, hardly seemed important at all.

A perfectly ripe peach.

The smell of fresh coffee in the morning (I am considering an Italian morning cappuccino this summer).

The warmth of the sun on your shoulders.

A cold glass of prosecco at the end of the day.

A conversation that lasts much longer than anyone planned.

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If you have recently looked in the mirror, tried to pull up a pair of trousers that fit perfectly six months ago, and felt a sudden wave of betrayal, you are not alone.

The older I get, the more convinced I become that happiness rarely arrives with fireworks. More often, it quietly slips into the ordinary moments we almost forget to notice.

I'm also leaving my business books and self-improvement books at home this summer. Instead, I'm packing novels. Stories that transport me somewhere completely different. Books that remind me how wonderful it feels to disappear into someone else's world for a few hours.

Now, before you start thinking I've turned into the Queen of Relaxation...

I'm also packing my yoga mat, my dumbbells and a few resistance bands.

At this moment, my motivation is sky-high. My plan is to continue doing my hotel room workouts while we're away. Whether that motivation survives after a few long lunches, late dinners and generous scoops of Italian gelato... we'll have to wait and see.

The reason I'm so motivated is actually quite simple.

For the entire month of June, I exercised three times a week.

That may not sound particularly impressive to some people, but I honestly don't think I've ever managed to stay that consistent before. I'm still carrying the ten extra kilos that quietly appeared somewhere over the past year, but for the first time in a long time I can actually see my body changing.

I'm stronger.

My posture has improved.

My clothes fit differently.

I have more energy.

It has reminded me that progress isn't always measured by the number on the scales. Sometimes progress is simply feeling more at home in your own body.

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If you have recently looked in the mirror, tried to pull up a pair of trousers that fit perfectly six months ago, and felt a sudden wave of betrayal, you are not alone.

June also happened to be one of my favourite months professionally.

I'm still smiling when I think about my collaboration with JACKS beauty line. Seeing so many of you using the brushes has been incredibly special.

And then, after almost a full year of designing, testing and waiting, my own lipsticks finally launched.

Holding them in my hands for the first time was one thing. Seeing all of you wearing them has been something else entirely.

Blushing Coral is still my personal favourite, although I have to admit that Bois de Rose and Dusty Orchid are becoming very serious competitors.

Now, though, I'm ready for a different rhythm.

It's been one of those wonderfully busy years that flies from one school holiday straight into the next. The kind of year that fills you with gratitude, but also leaves you feeling pleasantly exhausted.

And that's exactly how I feel.

Not burnt out.

Not overwhelmed.

Just ready to refill my own cup.

I can't wait to eat the pasta.

To lose myself in a good book.

To wander through little Provençal markets.

To watch the Mediterranean shimmer in the afternoon sun.

To breathe in the scent of lavender and pine trees.

To eat one ice cream after another without counting.

To cycle through sleepy villages.

To laugh with Martin and Finn.

To sleep a little longer.

To simply be.

Perhaps that's what summer is really about.

Not becoming a better version of ourselves.

Not chasing another goal.

Just remembering who we already are when life slows down enough for us to notice.

Whether you're travelling somewhere wonderful, staying home, or your holiday has already come and gone, I hope these summer weeks bring you exactly what you need.

A little sunshine.

A little rest.

Good food.

Good company.

And plenty of moments where there's nowhere else in the world you'd rather be.

Have the most beautiful summer.

Love,

Dee

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