Embracing the Light: Summer Solstice Reflections

This coming weekend marks the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere – the longest day of the year and the official start of astronomical summer.

Across the UK, people will be making pilgrimages to sacred sites like Stonehenge and Avebury, gathering among the ancient standing stones to witness the sunrise. I’ve always felt drawn to the idea of watching the sunrise on the longest day, but somehow I’ve never quite got round to it. Life gets in the way, and before you know it, another solstice has passed.

But this year feels different and I’ve actually booked something special: an open water swim to mark the occasion. Swimming has become my absolute favourite activity, and there’s something utterly magical about the idea of being in the water as the world awakens. Though I suspect it might feel rather less magical when my alarm goes off at 3:45am! Still, spending time in nature on the solstice feels like exactly the right thing to do – it’s intuitive, somehow.

The Chronic Illness Connection

Living with fibromyalgia has taught me to pay closer attention to the rhythms of my body and the natural world around me.

Marking significant moments like the solstice helps create anchors in what can sometimes feel like a blur of symptom management and daily challenges. When pain and fatigue threaten to dominate your experience, it’s easy to lose track of time, to feel disconnected from the natural rhythms that ground us. The solstice reminds me that I’m part of something bigger.

A Time for Reflection

The summer solstice also marks the halfway point of the year, and I always find myself slipping into reflective mode around this time. It definitely feels like time is speeding up the older I get – it doesn’t seem a minute since Christmas Yet here we are, six months later already.

This year, I’m planning to spend some time journalling about how the first half of the year has been for me and what I’ve learned. It ties in perfectly with a check-in I do with a journalling group I’m part of – it’s become our customary mid-year review, and I find it incredibly grounding.

Like many with chronic illness, I’m not particularly good at acknowledging my successes. I have this tendency to tick something off the list and immediately move on to the next challenge, without pausing to recognise what I’ve achieved. Living with fibromyalgia makes this even more important, because progress often looks different when you’re managing a chronic condition. Some days, getting dressed is an achievement. Other days, you might manage a woodland walk or complete a work project that felt impossible the week before.

The solstice feels like the perfect time to pause and take stock. To acknowledge not just the big victories, but the small things too, the moments of joy despite the pain, the days I was kind to myself when my body needed it most.

Looking Forward

For those of us living with chronic conditions, creating meaningful rituals can be especially powerful. They don’t have to be elaborate – sometimes the most meaningful ceremonies are the simplest ones. Watching a sunrise, swimming in open water, lighting a candle, or simply sitting quietly in a garden can become sacred acts when approached with intention.

This solstice, I’m setting an intention to be more present in my body, even when – especially when – it’s not behaving as I’d like. To notice the warmth of the sun on my skin, the feeling of water supporting my weight, the way light changes throughout these long summer days. To remember that my body, despite its challenges, is capable of joy and connection and wonder.

Practical Solstice Self-Care

If you’re inspired to mark the solstice but wondering how to make it work with fibromyalgia or other health challenges, here are some gentle suggestions:

• Sunrise watching: If getting up at dawn feels too much, consider sunset instead – still magical, and often more manageable energy-wise
• Water connection: A warm bath with Epsom salts
• Nature time: Even five minutes sitting in a garden or by an open window can help you feel connected to the season
• Light ritual: Light a candle at sunset to honour the longest day
• Journalling: Reflect on your journey through the first half of the year – both challenges and victories

The beauty of marking the solstice is that it’s ultimately about connection – to nature, to ourselves, to the passage of time. However you choose to acknowledge this longest day, remember that your presence is enough. You don’t need to climb mountains or swim lakes (though if you want to, and your body is up for it, go for it!). Sometimes the most profound celebrations are the quietest ones.

Here’s to embracing the light, in all its forms.