We have a few weeks until Labor Day, but I’m already feeling a familiar anticipatory dread. The sudden influx of post-vacation emails and back-to-school sales are tugging on my happy-go-lucky summer-self, reminding me that soon, both the weather and collective energy will shift.
When I sense this shift coming, I tend to fight it. I swim against the current, resisting the inevitable transition into a busier season. But there’s another way to respond to a changing current: learn how to move with it.
That’s the idea behind this Stretch Break edition. The current can be the momentum carrying you forward, the energy flowing through you, or the present moment you’re experiencing right now. All three are in motion, ebbing and flowing. Rather than worrying about where they’re taking you, meet yourself where you currently are and trust you can adapt as things change.
Your first task: Picture yourself as a shimmery piece of glass, resting just beneath the sea’s surface. Above you, waves are constantly moving. Some are gentle, others crash and pull with force. Things drift past you. The water changes direction, but you don’t fight or follow it.
Now, use that scene as a lens for your own life:
- Where is most of my energy flowing right now?
- What might become easier if I approached it with curiosity instead of resistance?
- When things are in flux, what values, relationships, or routines can I return to?
- What am I ready to stop chasing, controlling, or carrying?
Recreate this Mood Board for yourself:
- Write your own user manual to notice patterns
- Relax and let August be August
- Pick a color theme: salt air, window seat, backyard grill…
- Pin this reminder to simply exist as you are
- Transport yourself to a serene lakeside cabin
- Prep a strawberry chia pudding and citrus juice for the week ahead
- Spend an afternoon collaging a deck of cards
- Pair your coffee with a few thoughts on slowing down
- Ask yourself: what small things make life worth feeling?
Life, unplugged
🪸 Picture your end-of-summer tidal pool
Before you get swept into the next season, take a moment to look back at what this one has left behind. Imagine walking along your “shoreline” at the end of summer. The tide has gone out, revealing all the little things beneath the surface. What would you find?
Grab a notebook and make a list (or a scrapbook page using photos, ticket stubs, receipts, magazine clippings) of everything you “found” this summer:
🐚 Your shells—small things that brought you joy: a meal you loved, a song you played on repeat, your favorite trip of the summer, etc.
🪨 Your rocks—moments or people that shaped you: a challenge that changed the way you see yourself, a person who showed up for you, a habit that grounded you, etc.
🦪 Your hidden treasures—something unexpected that came into your life: a new interest, connection, opportunity, place, or experience you didn’t plan for.
🪵 Your driftwood—something you’re ready to let the current carry away: an expectation you put on yourself, a worry that’s been taking up too much space, an unhealthy mindset, etc.
Familiar comforts
🎀 Host a current swap
We're not static people. What we're drawn to, excited about, and spending our energy on evolves. The things we love right now offer a snapshot of our current selves, and sharing them with others can help us notice how our interests, routines, and sources of joy change over time.
Try it: Get together with a few friends and ask everyone to bring one thing they’re loving. It can be something physical to swap or simply a recommendation to pass along:
- A book you're reading or can't stop thinking about
- A recipe you've been making on repeat
- A restaurant or cafe you've recently discovered
- A song or podcast that's been on repeat
- A show or movie you've been recommending to everyone
- A ritual or routine that's making your days better
Take turns sharing. Then, choose one thing someone else shared to bring into your own life: add their song to a playlist, make their recipe, borrow their book, or make plans to try their favorite spot together.
Help desk
🏄♀️ How to adopt a surfer’s mindset
In life, we’re often waiting—or bracing—for the next wave: a job offer, a promotion, a relationship shift, a goal finally falling into place. But when we don’t know when that wave is coming, or how big it’ll be, it’s tempting to spend a lot of energy trying to predict, chase, or force it.
This is where we can learn from surfers. A surfer knows you can’t control the ocean or make the next wave arrive any faster. Instead, they control how they prepare, how they respond, and whether they get back up after falling.
Think of something you’re currently waiting for and break it down like a surfer would:
- The wave: What am I hoping will happen?
- The ocean: What parts of this are outside my control?
- The board: What skills, relationships, information, or preparation can I work on now?
- The ride: If things don't happen exactly as planned, how can I adapt?
Reader insights
🫧 Give yourself permission to recharge
We all have different thresholds for when it’s time to step back and rest. More than half of women in our audience have taken a mental health day within the past six months, but nearly 3 in 10 haven't—or don't have access to one. We asked readers what they do when they need a reset, and their responses offer a few different ways to make space for yourself:
“A calm, relaxing day. Moving slowly, not feeling rushed. Enjoying the moment, savoring sweet and gentle thoughts. Smiling. Having gratitude for what I have in front of me and not worrying about the future.”
“A day where I can fully un-plug and do whatever sounds nice.....a walk in the park, a long reading session, a glass of wine in the afternoon? No agenda and no guilt about the pending work tasks.”
“A mental health day looks like not being on a schedule of any kind. If I want to go to sleep, I sleep. If I want to spruce up the house, I do that. I go with the flow of how I feel.”
“Take a long, hot bubble bath and then relax with a good book or show and some yummy snacks. Have my phone on silent with no interruption.”
“Quiet, alone time. Coffee, morning news, window shopping, cooking a nice healthy meal, watching a movie or creating something.”
