Here’s the thing about summer: Where I live, it stretches from April through October. And inevitably, every year, I need to briefly tap out. Around mid-August, the heat and humidity—which I usually romanticize to an absurd degree—become oppressive, the monotony pressing down like a stalled warm front.
I need an escape… so this year, I got one.
I’m writing this week’s newsletter from one of my best friends’ apartments in upstate New York. Normal life on pause, new places and longer walks, a shared list of fun after-work activities for us to complete together. The ultimate summer reset.
What I love about visiting people, besides just being away, is how small routines almost immediately gain new perspectives. My first shower after our road trip from North Carolina to New York? I spent it browsing her body washes and wondering, Should I become someone who uses a black elderberry body scrub? Or as we were ordering groceries: When did I forget about pancakes for dinner? It’s easy to settle into a routine and forget that better, more joyful, or simply different options exist.
And that’s really the whole point of a summer reset. It doesn’t have to include a borrowed apartment or a 12-hour drive north, either. Sometimes it’s about tiny swaps and upgrades hiding in plain sight. In fact, when we asked women in our community what drives their distraction and restlessness most often and how they approach their own resets, the themes were familiar—and the fixes, surprisingly easy.
42% of women feel unsatisfied with their wardrobes
When my wardrobe isn’t working, I treat optimizing it like a job, because it matters to me. Emotionally, creatively, functionally—always. (This article from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will cure any misgivings you have about caring about clothes.)
My favorite approach? I dedicate a Saturday to playing dress up—methodically. I choose three words to describe how I want to look and feel, then I create outfits from what I already have that align with those words. I document favorites in a spreadsheet.
Maybe that’s why this reset approach from Stefanie Dickinson, a project manager at our partner company Delaware North, felt instantly relatable to me:
“When I need a reset, I treat my life like a broken printer: unplug it, wait 10 seconds, and pray for the best. Then I crack open the ol’ Trapper Keeper (yes, it’s still in rotation—no regrets) and get to work. Step one: brain dump. Step two: tame the chaos and rebuild my routine like a motivational montage scored by late-‘80s synth pop. It’s classic Type A therapy—because nothing says ‘I’m fine’ like a freshly color-coded crisis plan.”
Unplug, reboot, reorganize. Crisis plan planners, unite.
65% of women say clutter or mess makes it harder for them to concentrate
Of course, not all resets are as grand as overhauling a closet. Sometimes it’s as simple as tackling the piles in front of you… which I have to do often. I somehow manage to keep a wardrobe spreadsheet and still gravitate toward clutter. Truly a gift. So, I employ the 10-minute rule religiously to keep that tendency in check.
As such, the community tips on managing mess felt like gold:
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“When it's time to take a break, I'll pick up 5 things to put away. It only has to be five, but it helps me feel like I've cleared some clutter, and it gets my steps in (dropping items in the relevant room), and helps clear my head and my physical space a bit before I dive back in.”
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“I go to my local library and request a 2-hr study room (like in college)!”
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“Oh just hide the mess, of course.”
Yes, and for this reason, the door to the room where I sew will remain closed until I discover a new way to organize fabric. Relatable.
41% of women are only getting 6-7 hours of sleep
A plurality of women clocking six to seven hours isn’t bad—but it could be better. And the end of summer is exactly when many of us should be strategically thinking about sleep.
Jessica Valentin, project coordinator at our partner company AUC Group (Seven Seas Water Group), says:
“One way that I reset after summer is to refresh my routine. Summer with kids is full of late nights and laid-back days. I like to get back to an evening and bedtime schedule a week before school starts. I also like to prepare the night before for the next day. That way I am not rushing around in the mornings.”
My hacks: dim lighting in the evening, phone on Do Not Disturb after 9:30 p.m., a nighttime skincare routine that feels like self-care, and light meditation as I fall asleep. Other resets to try? Journaling, moving bedtime up by 15 minutes every night, stretching and breathing exercises (I swear by diaphragmatic breathing), and morning walks to regulate your circadian rhythm.
Think of these practices as finally clearing enough space on your phone to download the new upgrade. Delete those 17 identical screenshots, and make room for something your body actually needs. I’m always surprised how human I feel after an upgrade.
66% of women say the summer isn’t going as planned
I have found my people, and we all agree summer 2025 has been a wash. But it’s high time we reclaim the season, with help from this thought from Michelle Adams, vice president of associate general counsel at partner company Ping Identity Corporation:
“You made it through the chaos of summer, so celebrate that win! Take an afternoon for yourself. Meditate or get a massage, recharge, then spend an hour identifying the professional and personal priorities you want to advance before year-end. A little space to reflect can bring a lot of clarity.”
As for me, I mentioned that my friend and I made a list of things to do together. Goofy, fun, random things. Last night, a YouTube tutorial (by a child, no less) taught us how to make string friendship bracelets. Tonight: stir fry and Oklahoma!. Later in the trip: a Hudson River cruise and meeting friends an hour away for a picnic and lake swimming. It’s all on the list.
The spirit of this is simple: If things aren’t going as planned, plan something else. You don’t need a trip or a special occasion to reset. The occasion is you.
And if you don’t have a borrowed apartment, a borrowed body wash, or a borrowed routine to spark inspiration, then by all means, borrow some of mine. It’s just hot enough for something new to stick.
