From Sunburn to Sanity

Hit “clear cache” on your body before fall begins

There's something about late summer that feels like a full exhale.

The days are still warm, but you can sense the shift: kids back in school, routines snapping back into place, golden hour arriving a smidge earlier each night. And with that shift comes a little reality check: you’re probably carrying more than just tan lines and mosquito bites into September.

Summer’s pace — even when it's "fun" — can leave you just as frazzled as your busiest work week. Travel, visitors, late nights, sunscreen in your hair… it all adds up.

That's why now is the perfect time for a reset. Not a "new year, new you" overhaul. Just a simple nervous system rinse.

Your breath doesn't care if it's July or January. But you can use this seasonal edge — the pause between summer and fall — to clear out the extra weight you don't want to drag with you.

Your nervous system is basically your own internal digital storage system. All summer long, you've been downloading experiences, stress responses, late-night adventures, and travel hiccups. Some of it's good stuff you want to keep — those perfect beach sunsets, the laughter from that family BBQ. But a lot of it… well, it’s just digital clutter taking up space in your system.

Think about it...

Every time you had to navigate airport chaos, your nervous system filed that away. Every time you stayed up too late because vacation brain said "sleep when you’re dead," your system logged it. Every bug that buzzed by your ear and started making you swat the air around your head like crazy? Yeah, that's stored too.

And now here you are, trying to shift into productive fall mode while your nervous system is basically running with 47 browser tabs open from summer.

The beautiful thing about breathwork is that it's like having a "clear cache" button for your entire system. When you breathe with intention — i.e. slowly, deeply, purposefully — you're proactively signaling to your nervous system that it's safe to let go of all that stored-up activation.

Wanna give it a try?

Of course you do, why wouldn’t you?

Find a quiet spot. (Yep, your bedroom works, or even your car if that's your only solo sanctuary.) Set a timer for just five minutes. Close your eyes and start breathing in through your nose for a count of five, then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of seven.

Here’s the key part — and this is where the magic happens. On each exhale, don’t just breathe out air. Breathe out something specific. Maybe it’s the frustration from that delayed flight a few weeks ago. Maybe it’s the overstimulation from too many social events. Maybe it’s just a feeling of being slightly “off” that you can’t quite name but have been carrying around for weeks.

Picture it leaving your body with each breath. Literally imagine exhaling something out — stress looks like gray smoke, overwhelm might be a tangled ball of string, fatigue could be thick, sticky tar. Whatever image works for you, watch it exit with your breath.

Then on each inhale, draw in what you want more of. Maybe it’s focus for your fall projects. Maybe it’s energy for the season ahead. Maybe it’s just the feeling of being settled in your own skin again.

This isn’t woo-woo visualization (though if that’s your thing, feel free to add some glitter and fairy dust to the mix). This is your nervous system recognizing the difference between holding and releasing, between activation and rest. Your body knows how to do this — you’re just giving it permission.

Because your body wants to align with that “fresh notebooks, clean slate” energy you’re feeling — but first, it needs room. That’s exactly what this breath gives you. With every five-count inhale, you’re calling in the steadiness and focus you’ll need this season. With every seven-count exhale, you’re clearing away the buildup from summer — the stress, the noise, the mental clutter that doesn’t get to come with you.

This isn’t about mourning the end of summer (some of it was wonderful, after all). It’s about making space. Space to think clearly. Space to create. Space to actually enjoy what’s ahead instead of dragging energetic leftovers with you.

Your September self deserves that kind of breathing room. And it doesn’t take a full reset or a life overhaul — just five minutes and the willingness to breathe with intention.

So if you’re heading into the long holiday weekend in the US, don’t just stash the beach towels in the closet and put away the pool floats. Take a moment to clear your nervous system, too. Breathe out the summer. Breathe in what’s next.

And if you’d like a little extra help? Grab my free “5 Breaths in 5 Minutes” kit — a quick set of guided practices you can keep at your fingertips all season long.

Last Gasp

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." – John Steinbeck