It’s officially summertime, and it seems as if everyone is set on having a hot girl summer. However, the continuous nights out, flights and day parties leaves very little room for the soft-life girls who just want to put on a face mask and be in bed by 9 p.m. By way of social media-induced FOMO, it’s easy to feel pressured to be a part of everything. However, you have sovereign authority over your time and energy.

If the idea of reclaiming your time, resetting your nervous system, and moving with a bit more intentionality provides a sense of relief, then maybe it’s time to demand yourself a slow girl summer. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of the excitement

. It simply means that you don’t feel pressured to be a part of it all. Here are some easy first steps to achieving your ideal slow girl summer.

Build a Morning Routine You Love

There’s nothing more grounding than being consistent with a morning routine that fuels your spirit and sets an uplifting tone for your day. Curate a flow of morning stretches, skincare, breakfast and maybe even a walk. Find a formula that makes you feel your best and devote yourself to fulfilling it every day. Immediately doom-scrolling or jumping right into your tasks can feel disorienting, and a slow girl summer is all about ease.

Find a Simple Hobby

Hobbies are back in and having a slow girl summer means committing to mastering a fun task just for the sake of it. It’s not about earning money nor proving anything to anyone. It’s about reconnecting with simple joys and a tender sense of fulfillment. Whether it’s knitting, pottery, gardening, roller skating or painting, your inner child will love the intersection of harmless pleasure and a new challenge.

Discover a Grounding Movement You Love

While HIIT and heavy lifting certainly have their cardiovascular benefits, sometimes a slow girl just wants to breathe. Options like tai chi, pilates, yoga or simply a steady walk give your body the exertion it needs without too much strain or stress. Consider giving a movement practice that regulates your nervous system and drops you into the present moment a try.

Feel Comfort Saying No

With society quick to embed people-pleasing tendencies, it can be difficult to say no and potentially disappoint a person who you love. However, when you wake up the next morning depleted with a social hangover, only you have to deal with the consequences. There’s nothing to truly miss out on because you’ll always be where you’re supposed to be.

Leave Room On Your Schedule

If you’re embarking on a slow girl summer, make it a point to leave dead space on your schedule. When the day arrives, you can listen to your body inform you about what it wants to do, whether that’s to go on a solo date, link up with a friend or simply lie down on the couch and rest for an evening.

Tap Into Your Spirituality

With less noise and stimulation around you, it’s much easier to tap into your intuition. If you haven’t been feeling all that connected, try out a breathwork routine, incorporate a daily meditation practice or attend a sound bowl class. Your spirit will thank you for the nourishment.

Spend Time in Nature

Whatever form of nature is within access to you can do wonders for resetting your nervous system and releasing any stress you’ve been holding. Plan a picnic in the park or go for a hike. If your head ever starts to get too loud, reconnecting with nature is the perfect way to find calm and come home to yourself.

Limit Screen Time

Spending too much time scrolling social media can overstimulate the brain into a frenzy and only feed your desire to be part of everything all at once. Instead, consider setting a hard limit on your screen time and invest in other forms of media, like finally reading a book you’ve been meaning to get around to or deep diving into a podcast.

Less Is More

When you’re discerning with when and where you distribute your time, it makes the moments in which you do show up all the more special. At the end of the day, having a slow girl can be just as fulfilling as any other kind of summer, because you are the one who defines what having a good time looks like. For some, it may be a night out where you catch the sunrise on your Uber ride home. For others, it’s successfully completing your 12-step skincare routine and snuggling into fresh sheets. Whatever your truth is, let it be one you live loudly.