In this week’s blog, we explore how seasonal disruptions like summer heat, unexpected challenges, and shifting schedules can unsettle us. Join us as we share insights into navigating overwhelm with gentle awareness and embodied presence.
OCTOBER 17, 2025
Summer has always held a particular intensity for me.
In Canada, where I lived previously, it was wildfire season. Summers became a period of vigilance, constantly checking evacuation notices, feeling the subtle but persistent hum of uncertainty beneath every activity. Even when danger wasn’t imminent, a quiet sense of readiness lingered, making genuine relaxation elusive.
Alongside that tension, summers brought family visits.
Although these reunions brought joy, their unpredictability inevitably disturbed my familiar routines. Without consciously realizing it, I often found myself caught between gratitude for shared moments and stress from disrupted schedules and expectations.
It was simply the natural rhythm of summertime and I found myself continually resisting.
Since moving to France, summer’s rhythm changed dramatically yet again.
Now, instead of wildfire alerts, I grapple with heat waves, relentless in their intensity. Unlike Canada, where air conditioning provided instant relief, here, the discomfort seeps deeply into everyday life.
At times, the heat becomes so pervasive that concentration, sleep, and productivity feel impossibly distant.
At first glance, these experiences seem disconnected but beneath the surface, they share a common theme. Each scenario profoundly disrupted my own rhythm, jolting me out of predictable routines and challenging my internal equilibrium.
Yet it was precisely in these disruptions that I began to understand overwhelm more intimately.
Overwhelm isn’t simply having too much to do or too much to handle. It is often the result of our nervous systems responding to uncertainty, unpredictability, and shifts in our environment.
Without our usual reference points and familiar routines, our nervous systems subtly enter states of heightened alert, fatigue, or disorientation.
Realizing this shifted something inside me.
Instead of fighting against overwhelm or trying desperately to regain lost routines, I learned to meet disruption through embodied awareness.
This gentle noticing became my anchor.
When heat overwhelmed me, instead of pushing through, I paused and noticed my body’s signals.
When family gatherings disrupted my work rhythm, I consciously grounded myself in the small moments with an intentional breath, feet firmly on the ground, and noticing sensations.
Rather than trying to control the unpredictable, I learned that embodied presence could soften my response to disruption.
Awareness provided a sense of steadiness, even when external circumstances felt chaotic.
I share this not to diminish the challenges. Whether it’s managing your work while your team balances summer childcare, navigating family dynamics, or simply coping with the sheer discomfort of a changing climate, these experiences are real and impactful.
I also recognize fully that embodied awareness alone cannot resolve every disruption or soothe every source of overwhelm.
It will not change the difficult reality of financial stress, the frustration of limited childcare resources, or the genuine danger posed by extreme weather.
Nor should it be expected to.
Embodiment is not a magical cure but it is a subtle and powerful practice that can help ground us in difficult moments, clarifying what we might need or how we could respond next.
Embodied awareness provides a moment of internal reconnection and clarity precisely when external circumstances are beyond our immediate control.
It gently creates the space to ask ourselves questions we may otherwise overlook: What support can I realistically seek? What boundaries could I set? Which expectations can I release, even slightly, to ease the burden right now?
Summers, with all their unique pressures and interruptions, can paradoxically become powerful opportunities for greater self-understanding and connection.
When we respond to overwhelm with compassionate awareness rather than resistance, we transform moments of chaos into profound opportunities for growth.
As you navigate your summer, notice where disruptions unsettle you. Instead of immediately trying to restore order or regain control, pause briefly. Tune into your body, notice sensations and ask yourself: "What wisdom does this disruption offer me right now?"
You might discover that in the midst of life's unpredictable rhythms, there is a steadiness within you, ready to be noticed, embraced, and nurtured.
By Petra Brunnbauer
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni®, host of the globally-ranked Jōrni Podcast, and author of The Functional Freeze Formula™. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.