Each year when we approach the Summer holidays I feel a similar heady mix of excitement, relief and trepidation at the long 8 week stretch.

Don't get me wrong I love (and find challenge in) spending days with my kids and finding answers to the daily question of ‘but what are we going to doooooo?' but I'm prone to losing myself in the long hazy days of the holidays & in the pursuit of everyone elses needs.

I default to something that feels a bit like dissociation, or freeze. I put my needs last and I often fall into resentment.

In order to not do that I try to remind myself of all of the ways I anchor myself into embodied presence and something that I've been reflecting on in the last weeks has been how the restoration of choice is one of the most foundational parts of an embodiment practice.

When I find myself reverting back to conditioned/automatic ways of being in stressful or triggering situations (Summer and unplanned days can feel triggering to me) one of the most powerful things I can do for myself is remind myself I have a choice.

From a trauma-informed perspective, we know that moments from our past that have made us feel unsafe or have inhibited our ability to assert our agency can impact our nervous systems, modify our survival strategies, and change the relationship we have with ourselves, others and the world.

The restoration of choice or the reminder that we are allowed to choose is often what helps us on the road to healing and can be the root of us finding a connection to personal safety (or ‘safe enough’) & empowerment.

When we cultivate our ability to chooose and orient ourselves to what feels good or offers us support and/or allows us to feels safe we are actively moving away from the current overculture that wants to keep us small and under control.

We live in a society that limits choice, that encourges our disempowerment and actively prohibits choice from groups of humans it deems challenging to the status quo but we can choose a different way.

The invitation to restore choice begins with awareness and feeling.

When you notice yourself slipping back to the default of doing things from a place of mechanical or automatic response, practicing something different in your own body is a radical act.

Feelings can be messy and tender but with patience and gentle forward motion you can explore your capacity to meet the moments of your life with more embodied presence.

In this way we step out of the autopilot of going through the motions, and reconnect with our embodied aliveness that is here and now. This practice asks us to hold the tension of the unknown with deeper trust. Are you willing to explore your capacity to choose as you navigate doing something different?

Some gentle suggestions to get comfortable with embodying CHOICE.

Choose a song that invites you into movement (or try THIS playlist) Can you follow the natural pull from your body? You get to choose to move how you want - there's no right or wrong here.

Through these simple ‘micro’ practices we can begin to shift the needle from overwhelmed and ‘on’ to comfortable with doing less.

AND FINALLY

if you want to get curious about your relationship with doing less you might want to consider these questions….

What narrative comes up or what have I been told about doing less?

Does what I've been told align with my values?

Where in my life do I can I encourage more comfort with doing less?

Where in my day today can I offer myself space to do less?