Rock Bottom Summer

is the new hot girl summer

I recently doom-scrolled Instagram after putting my daughter to sleep. Bad idea, I know. When the algorithm finally stopped showing me the obligatory stream of successful business girlies explaining their 7-step skincare routines in beachfront apartments, it blessed me with a video of a girl claiming we should all forget about "Hot Girl Summer" and "Brat Summer" because this is clearly a "Rock Bottom Summer." “The weather is at its best, we’re feeling at our worst,” and “We’re traumatized but tanned.” I instantly loved this girl.

Check it out: https://www.instagram.com/theglennisshow/reel/C-G00zqgcDb/?igsh=ZGJqNnJmejlvZDd6

I envisioned this summer as fun, carefree, and surrounded by community, but in reality, I feel stressed and exhausted 90% of the time. It started with a failed attempt to move to New York City and is now ending with a failed attempt to move to Portugal. I’m unemployed but far from funemployed, trying to build a business solely on my own while being with my daughter 24/7, and living with two other single moms and their children.

I thought I would finally get my life together after buying a purple fluffy journal along with a purple sparkly pen, but it seems like I actually have to put in the work. Meh. I know nothing is that serious, and this is just a chapter I have to go through, but I feel like the universe could finally treat me to a miracle—or a million. Or both.

I have to admit, the video made me feel better about my own rock-bottom summer because it captured exactly how I want my Substack to feel for you—unserious. We see so much success on our explore pages daily that it’s easy to feel like shit after scrolling for too long, so it’s refreshing to realize that not everyone is doing better than us. Maybe we should even embrace this rock-bottom summer because, in a weird way, it’s kind of fun to be at our lowest point—at least we can’t go any lower. Or at least, I fucking hope so.

Rock Bottom Summer has its own blessings, though.

I began this summer completely depleted and disoriented after nearly two years of traveling, uncertain of where I wanted to live or how I envisioned my life. I prayed for direction, and through everything I experienced, I think I found it—or at least I'm a few steps closer. I thought I wanted to move to New York, but as soon as I arrived, I realized it was no longer my dream. I believed this step was necessary to reveal my true desire for a peaceful life, but when I pursued that in a community surrounded by nature, I realized that wasn't my dream either. After years on the road, I thought decorating a home and cooking my own meals would bring me happiness but I discovered that exploring brings me more joy. Ultimately, I concluded that what I truly want is a mentally peaceful life in a chaotic environment. I no longer need to attempt living off-grid because my inner extrovert could never, but I also don’t need to try living in the world’s largest city anymore, because my inner nature girly could never.

I’m basically just like Hannah Montana—I want the best of both worlds.

As the summer isn’t over yet, I decided that moving forward, I’m done with the lessons and ready to embrace hot girl summer energy again. And so it is.

If you’re also experiencing a Rock Bottom Summer, welcome to the club. I hope this newsletter made you feel less alone, gave you a fresh perspective, or even made you chuckle a little.

We got this,
Sarah xx