Summer is one of my favorite seasons — the long light, the late dinners, the spontaneous joy of it all — because it’s a time that invites us to live outwardly. I was born in the summer, so maybe that’s part of the reason it’s always felt like a season of expansion and possibility.
Even with all that beauty, summer can sometimes feel like too much. Too loud. Too fast. Too scheduled. (And me personally, I tend to get overwhelmed when my schedule fills up quickly.)
“Even with all that beauty, summer can sometimes feel like too much. Too loud. Too fast. Too scheduled.”
If you’re someone who self-identifies as soft or sensitive — someone who feels deeply, who notices the shifts in light and tone in a room, who needs space to process — summer might leave you feeling overexposed. And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that. This article is a permission slip for those of us who need a gentler pace, even when the world feels like it’s running on high volume. Because staying soft doesn’t mean opting out of joy, it just means protecting your capacity for it.
To help us navigate this delicate balance between openness and burnout, I spoke with Wendy Tran, LMFT, who offers thoughtful strategies for honoring your sensitivity while staying connected to yourself and others.
Let’s explore what it means to stay soft — and whole — during the brightest, busiest season of the year. ☀️
First things first: What does it mean to be soft?
Softness is often misunderstood. It’s not weakness, fragility, or passivity, though the world may try to tell us otherwise. To be soft means to be attuned, to feel deeply, and ultimately, to move through life with tenderness, empathy, and sensitivity, even when it would be easier to shut down or harden.
“It’s not weakness, fragility, or passivity though the world may try to tell us otherwise.”
For sensitive people, softness is often a default setting, not something we turn on and off. That is a major strength that can foster compassion, creativity, and connection. But it also requires care. Without thoughtful boundaries and replenishment, that openness can tip into exhaustion or emotional burnout.
This is especially true during fast-paced seasons like summer, when the social calendar swells and the days stretch long into night. So, how do we stay emotionally open without sacrificing our peace? How do we remain soft without feeling drained?
The rest of this article will explore exactly that with grounded strategies, sensory-based rituals, and therapist-approved insights on how to honor your sensitivity and thrive because of it.
And why summer can feel like a lot (especially for sensitive folks)
Summer gets marketed as a season of freedom thanks to vacations, barbecues, weekend trips, rooftop hangs. For sensitive or highly attuned folks, the sheer volume of activity can feel like a sensory overload. “If your normal rhythm is slower,” she says, “then summer may feel quite stimulating or exhausting. Especially with the summer sun hours, you may feel the need to stay out later since the sun doesn’t set until much later.”
“For sensitive or highly attuned folks, the sheer volume of activity can feel like a sensory overload.”
When the world speeds up, soft people may feel pulled in multiple directions and want to participate, but need rest. Or, desire opportunities for connection yet also need space. If that sounds like you, know that there’s nothing wrong with the way you’re built. You simply have different energetic needs. And summer doesn’t have to be something you “push through.” It can be navigated on your terms.
1. Recognize when openness becomes overexposure
Sensitivity is a gift. However, without boundaries, it can lead to burnout. “It’s important to be aware of physical symptoms along with emotional symptoms,” she explains. “Burnout typically will likely trigger something in our sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our fight or flight mechanism.”
“Sensitivity is a gift. However, without boundaries, it can lead to burnout.”
To stay ahead of overwhelm, Wendy recommends checking in regularly. “Track your symptoms with a scale of 1–10. Rate your level of irritability, anxiety, stress, tiredness. Tracking hours of sleep can also be very helpful to see if it’s affecting your normal patterns.”
The goal isn’t to shut down your openness, it’s to protect your ability to stay open with care.
2. Set gentle boundaries
If you’re someone who finds yourself drained by too much interaction, you’re not alone. Setting boundaries can feel difficult, especially in a season that celebrates saying yes to everything.
“Setting boundaries can feel difficult, especially in a season that celebrates saying yes to everything.”
Wendy emphasizes that it’s possible to hold both truths: “You can want to feel part of a socially active season and need rest at the same time. Both places can be valid.” By honoring both your social desires and your internal rhythms, you allow yourself to show up more fully when it matters.
One way to do this is to pre-plan rest around social events. Take breaks between gatherings. Leave space in your calendar that’s just for you.
“We need to fill our own cup before we can share with others,” she reminds us.
3. Try grounding rituals to stay soft
Softness doesn’t mean staying emotionally exposed at all times. It means having the right tools to recalibrate when things get too loud. Wendy recommends simple grounding techniques that support your nervous system and emotional clarity.
Here are two she suggests:
- Body scanning. “Do a body scan in the morning or before bed,” she says. “Start from the top of your head down to your feet and ask yourself — what needs attention? Is my jaw clenched? Do my shoulders need to relax?” This creates awareness and signals safety to the body.
- Breath work or visualization. “I love using breath to down-regulate the nervous system,” she adds. “Try inhaling for four counts, holding for four, and exhaling for six. Or imagine a safe, quiet place in your mind. Let your body feel what it’s like to be there.” These gentle tools restore your baseline when the world feels too full.
4. Give yourself permission to opt out, guilt-free
In a world that rewards constant participation, it’s easy to feel guilty for needing slowness. But Wendy says, “You can want connection and still need space. Both things can be true.” You don’t need to earn your rest. And you certainly don’t need to explain it.
“You don’t need to earn your rest. And you certainly don’t need to explain it.”
Softness requires boundaries. It asks us to listen inward. It’s okay if your summer looks different from everyone else’s. There is no prize for pushing through burnout and no shame in choosing peace.
Remember: softness isn’t something to overcome, it’s something to honor. It’s a quiet kind of power, one that asks us to move through the world with care, intention, and emotional integrity. And while summer might invite us to spread ourselves thin, staying soft means we choose presence over performance, rest over resentment.
“Softness isn’t something to overcome, it’s something to honor.”
“You can want to be part of a socially active season and still need rest,” she shares. Both can be true. Both are valid.
So this season, give yourself full permission to slow down when you need to. Protect your peace and nurture your sensitivity. Let softness be your superpower.
Stephanie Valente is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a copywriter and editor covering wellness, commerce, lifestyle — and more — for publications like Brooklyn Magazine. Based in Brooklyn, she’s often writing poetry, getting lost in a book, or hanging out with her dog.
The post How To Stay Soft During Fast-Paced Seasons appeared first on The Good Trade.
