Enter The Fall Season With Purpose And Let Go Of What’s No Longer Serving You
The switching of the seasons doesn’t just signify colder weather forecasts or holidays suddenly on your calendar. For many of us, the transition is deeper than that – causing us to take a step back, look inward, and reflect on the past few months.
This is actually a great thing, allowing you to take inventory of your current situation and dive into this next chapter with purpose.
From busy work schedules to personal relationships and responsibilities, things get hectic, and in the midst of the chaos, you don’t want to wake up in December, realizing that autumn has flown by and nothing has changed for the better in your life.
That’s why taking stock of your feelings and participating in a little “fall reset” is the perfect way to assess where you’re at now, welcome change, and look for happiness in this latest season. Here’s how to get started.
1. Look Back On The Summer
You can only make fall work for you if you recognize what didn’t work for you during the summer.
Sit back, pull out your phone or a journal, and write down everything that sucked your energy last season – whether that be social media, a lack of sleep, too many gatherings draining your social battery, or constantly worrying.
On the flip side, make a note of what “filled your cup” or made you feel energized. Was it your weekly family dinners? Drinks with friends after work on Fridays? Your daily walk with your dog?
As you think about these pros and cons of summer, start to consider how you can prioritize more of the stuff that made you feel good and less of whatever dulled your sparkle.
Julia – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
2. Realign Your Mind
Change can be scary, but it can also be empowering and exciting. So, look at fall’s arrival as an opportunity to grow and set some new intentions for your life.
Imagine what the ideal you would do this season. Are you spending more time with loved ones, delving back into your hobbies that got pushed aside during the warmer months, or committing to a healthier routine?
Regardless, set some goals and make a plan that’s actually achievable. Focus on what you can do every week to gradually make your vision of fall become a reality.
At the same time, remember that our outside environment can have a big impact on how we feel inside.
Making it a point to declutter your space may help you feel more relaxed and in tune with the new season; meanwhile, getting outdoors more often will allow you to become more in touch with fall’s essence.
3. Prepare Your Body
Unfortunately, what fits your schedule and needs in the spring and summer probably won’t be the same for fall.
Let’s start with the obvious: exercise habits. You may not have been hitting the gym as much lately if you were often participating in other activities that allowed you to move around, like hiking or swimming at the beach.
As colder weather approaches, though, these opportunities will be few and far between. And we all know the importance of exercise for maintaining our mental health.
So, ask yourself how you can ensure you’re treating your body well this fall. How might you incorporate more movement into your day-to-day routine? How should you fuel your body?
On a similar note, as daylight shifts turn late summer nights into early fall evenings, take into account how this change may impact your sleep schedule. You might feel like you need a bit more rest during the darker months, and that’s totally normal.
4. Care For Your Soul
We are all only human at the end of the day, and we need to be our own biggest cheerleaders.
While the move from summer to fall can be tough for many, you also have the power to show yourself the love you deserve, the love that will get you through this next season.
It may sound cliché, but try your best to romanticize your life. Put up your Halloween decorations if you haven’t yet, find a new seasonal drink that you love at your local coffee shop, curate a playlist that screams “fall vibes,” or pick up your favorite pumpkin-scented candle at the store.
Create some habits that you can fall in love with, and throughout this process, it can be helpful to keep a journal. On a daily or weekly basis, write down what you’re grateful for and what’s serving you.
Then, if you realize you need something new in your life, go for it. Say goodbye to social media if it’s stressing you out, or say “no” to those overwhelming get-togethers with relatives.
It would be naive to say that you can change your entire life this fall, of course. But by giving yourself grace and truly listening to your heart, you can begin to let go of what’s not working for you and enjoy the season more purposefully.
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