IN SEASON: July

cooling the body, softening the mind

Suddenly, we’re halfway through the year.

July is a common benchmark for the goals we set just six months ago. For some, it leaves us feeling behind, convinced we need to push harder to catch up. For others, it comes with unspoken expectations to fill every sunny weekend and warm evening, to make the absolute most of summer.

The irony is that while our culture asks us to do more during the summer, nature asks for something entirely different.

Many of us have calendars filled with patio dinners, beach days, festivals, weekends away, and endless opportunities to make the absolute most of the season. But the pressure to maximize summer is starting to feel less exciting and more exhausting. Lately, I’ve been secretly hoping it rains on my days off just for the permission to stay in bed all day, resting without guilt or the feeling that I am somehow wasting away the season.

I think this sense of exhaustion feels bigger than just my own experience. Across the world, record-breaking heat has changed the feeling of summer, making it something to shelter from rather than a season to enjoy. Online, conversations about solar activity and astrology have many people searching for explanations for why things feel different.

Whether those shifts are environmental, symbolic, or simply a reflection of the pace of modern life, one thing feels sure: many of us are craving less intensity, not more.

Meanwhile, nature continues on without urgency. Trees are full, tomatoes are ripening, gardens are overflowing, and daylight lingers long into the evening. Nothing in nature is rushing; it’s simply expressing itself fully.

We are a part of nature, too.

That’s what I’m leaning into this month.

Rather than pushing harder, I’m choosing to cool the body, soften the mind, and remember that summer isn’t an endless to-do list, but a season to inhabit. One that asks not for force, but for presence.

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Energy

We are at the peak of summer energy.

In both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, July is recognized as a time of peak heat. While each uses a different language, they arrive at a very similar conclusion: when the environment around us becomes hotter, our bodies ask us to respond with balance rather than resistance.

TCM

• Yang energy reaches its peak

• Heat naturally rises

• Excess heat can dry our body fluids (yin)

• Signs might include feeling irritable, restless, overheated, thirsty, having trouble sleeping, or feeling mentally scattered

Ayurveda

• Summer is governed by Pitta

• Pitta gives us drive, ambition, confidence, and transformation

• Too much Pitta can become impatience, inflammation, perfectionism, overheating, and frustration

Both traditions remind us to protect our energy, nourish our fluids, and move through the season with more softness. Rather than fighting the heat, they encourage us to work with it.

One of the simplest ways to do that is through food. During the hottest months, our cravings naturally shift toward lighter, fresher, and more hydrating meals. In both TCM and Ayurveda, bitter, naturally sweet, and astringent foods help balance excess heat, while fresh herbs like mint, basil, cilantro, dill, and parsley offer a cooling effect.

What’s IN SEASON

My favourite way to get more seasonal and local foods into my diet is by heading to a farmer’s market.

July is one of the most abundant months in Quebec. Rather than shopping with a strict meal plan, I like to choose ingredients that I feel instinctively drawn to and experiment with new foods that catch my eye. Creativity and play in the kitchen feel very July.

FRUITS

• Watermelon

• Cherries

• Peaches

• Nectarines + apricots

• Berrie! Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries…

• Early plums

• Rhubarb (early July)

VEGETABLES

• Cucumbers

• Tomatoes (cherry + heirloom)

• Zucchini + zucchini flowers

• Lettuce

• Green beans

• Snap peas

• Radishes

• Swiss chard, kale, lettuce, arugula

• Carrots

• Garlic scapes

• Fresh onions

• Fennel

HERBS

• Mint

• Basil

• Cilantro

• Parsley

• Chives

• Thyme

PROTEIN

• White fish

• Sardines

• Lentils

• Chickpeas

• Tofu

HEALTHY FATS

• Olive oil

• Avocado

• Pumpkin seeds

This month, I’m eating…

• cucumber with flaky salt and dill

• tomato sandwiches on fresh sourdough

• peaches with yogurt and pistachios

• a bowl of cherries

• zucchini with basil and lemon

• fresh herbs on everything

• zucchini blossoms from the market

• berries on chia pudding

• grilled fish

• sparkling water with mint, cucumber, and lemon

Seasonal Practices

Cool your body

Open the windows as soon as you wake up to let the cooler morning air circulate before the day heats up. Exercise earlier in the day, spend time near water whenever you can (a public pool counts!), and choose breathable fabrics like linen. Stay hydrated, seek out shade, and remind yourself that spending an afternoon indoors or taking a nap isn’t wasting summer. It’s often what the body needs.

Ground your mind

When the pressure to be constantly “on” or to always be documenting your best summer ever feels a bit too much, come back to yourself. Evening walks, reading outside, watching sunsets, and having no-phone hours are small rituals that can have a profound impact on your nervous system and overall state of wellbeing this month.

Nourish your relationships

This goes far beyond the plate. Not every social invitation fills our cup. The people we spend time with matter just as much as how we spend our time.

Ask yourself, what kind of conversations nourish me? Which friendships leave me feeling lighter? What spaces make me feel truly relaxed?

Make time for play

Adults are seriously deprived of play. Think back to what you liked doing when you were a child. For me, I loved to dance, swim, bike, and read. Recently, I’ve taken up a ballet class for beginners, and while I am still finding my footing (literally), there is something so freeing and fun about finally giving myself permission to play. On my long walk home in the evening heat, I stop for an ice cream and Facetime my best friend.

July is the perfect month for filling your days with what makes you feel truly happy and connected to yourself, without any audience for which to perform or impress. Joy regulates the nervous system. Joy is what this life is all about.

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Nature doesn’t rush, and yet everything ripens

July reminds us that growth doesn’t always come from doing more. Sometimes it comes from slowing down long enough to notice what is already here. It’s about allowing yourself to come back to the things that nourish.

This month, I’m choosing presence over pressure, cooling over forcing, play over productivity, and rest over guilt.

If you’re feeling the intensity of this season too, I hope this serves as your permission to let July unfold a little more slowly.

After all, summer is something to savour, not something to conquer.

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What does slowing down look like for you this July?

I’d love to hear what’s helping you stay cool, present, nourished, and joyful this season.