Every seasonal change is a great time to evaluate your energy and routine to be proactive about the season to come
“Autumn mornings: sunshine and crisp air, birds and calmness, year’s end and day’s beginnings.”
— Terri Guillemets
Some people love the fall season for its pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters and cooler weather. Personally, I love to rock a badass pair of boots and a cozy scarf!
But I also see the transition into autumn as an opportunity to look at the flow of my life and prepare for the upcoming season.
My favorite fall rituals
I have a few different routines I love to do when ringing in Fall. I find when I’m mindful about entering fall, I have less stress during the holiday season.
Here are my fall rituals:
In addition to doing a spring cleaning of my wardrobe, I like to do an autumn “clearing of clothes.” I look through my closet and evaluate, “Did I wear this at all last summer?” If not, it gets donated or sold on consignment. This is a nice way to keep clutter down (aka, chaos), and if someone wants to buy me a cute winter dress for Hanukkah, well, I have room!
I also clean out the sand from the car from trips to the beach over the summer and toss sunscreen bottles with just a few drops left.
Doing a “fall clearing” makes me feel more calm going into the hectic holiday season.
I start thinking of holiday gifts I may want to purchase for my loved ones and community. I find when I begin thinking of this at the beginning of fall, while I’m out shopping various places over the following couple of months, it’s way easier to collect gifts from the heart and not be overwhelmed at the last minute.
In fact, I nerd out on this task pretty hard. I create a Google sheet (here’s a template you can use, too!) and include the name of my person, what I bought for them last year and any preferences or sizes. This way, when I’m purchasing something, it truly is a gift from a thoughtful place versus grabbing something last minute for the sake of giving something.
This practice also helps me remember the people in my extended community who may not be top of mind in the throes of holiday mania. I collect gifts all autumn long and by the time the holidays are here, I have a good portion of them purchased. I can take better advantage of big sale days when I have items in my mind already. How many times has Cyber Monday rolled around to find you staring at the deals but having no idea what to take advantage of? (And then you end up with a whole lot of unnecessary stuff and things because….SALE!)
This might be sneaky, but I try to trick my kids into going to bed earlier. I point out to my youngest, Sage, how very dark it already is and oh my goodness we better go to bed! Personally, my energy flows with the sun, so when it gets dark earlier I’m ready for sleepytime much earlier. I also allow myself to sleep in later with the sunrise being later. It’s all about listening to and honoring my body in not only internal cycles but seasonal changes.
Mindful transitions and looking ahead
As you enter the fall season, I invite you to look ahead to what your traditions and routines will be. Proactively solve any disparities between how you have your days and weeks set up and how you want them to go.
With shorter days in the sunshine, reflect on how you want to use your sunshine time. Strategize how to be most productive during the day, so you can have fewer expectations and responsibilities when the sun has set.
Take a look at your past seasons’ behaviors, habits and systems and see if they were beneficial and sustainable, or stressful and detrimental.
Questions you can ask yourself:
Do you need to attend every holiday party you’re invited to? (No.)
Do you need to create elaborate games for the kids like Elf on the Shelf? (Nope, unless that’s your jam!)
Do you need to adjust your workouts to a different time of day to take advantage of your natural energy this season? Do it.
Be intentional about who you spend your precious time with and what that time consists of. In every season. Happy Autumn, everyone.
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