Creating Better Routines for You AND Your Wellbeing ; Autumn Edition
If you are anything like me you may have been finding it tough to adjust to the change in season, the shorter days, reduction in sunlight, and colder, wetter weather?
Sometimes it can be hard to let go of the summer season and mentality, especially if you enjoy the heat and the feeling of expansion and growth Summer brings.
BUT sinking into the cosy vibes, slower and darker days of Autumn and Winter is important too!
The seasons are a cycle, one which repeats each and every year without fail, and, just like the ebb and flow of energy within each of these seasons [the expansion and growth of Spring/Summer, the contraction, withdrawal, and rest of Autumn/Winter] our minds, bodies, emotions, and needs also need to rest and withdraw sometimes.
Without those seasons of rest, reflection, dreaming, and recuperation we are expecting our bodies, our creative abilities, and our focus and productivity to ALWAYS be switched on, working at 100% and active.
That just isn't realistic or sustainable.
Not if you want to protect your health and wellbeing and stay healthy at least... as you may already know if you are dealing with the constant company of burnout, fatigue, hormone issues or persistent illness + injury!
The toll of constantly forcing our mind and body to keep going is constant, elevated stress, and a gradual depletion of the body's resources until it can no longer keep going....
What if, instead of always trying to push forward we actually listened to our bodies when they told us to slow down and take a break?
What if when we felt exhausted and drained we slept a little longer, did a little less, said no a little more often?
ROUTINES + HABITS TO ADOPT THIS AUTUMN
It takes intention and will to untangle ourselves from the overproductive tendencies our capitalist culture pushes us into, but Nature is here to remind us that now is the time to find beauty in depth, in release, in darkness, in death.
It's normal that our priorities change. Our motivation, productivity and energy levels are different from one day to the next, one season or cycle to the next.
The more we listen and work with those rhythms, the less we feel in battle with ourselves.
If you are wanting to start slowing down and appreciating more of the peace and rest of Autumn (and prepare yourself for Winter too) here are some simple habits and rituals you can start incorporating into your daily and/or weekly routine to help you to slow down, create space and ease, and some mindset shifts to think about that will help you to change how you see taking time off or doing less.
Take time to plan the habits and rituals you want to adopt into your daily life and routine now, rather than regret not making time for them later….
DAILY HABITS + ROUTINES
As the nights get longer and the days get shorter allow your body to sleep a little more; try adjusting your routine to go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier and (if you can) wake up a little later too.
Prepare warming soups, roasted roots, and herbs that are seasonal and abundant through Autumn to both strengthen our bodies and help quiet our minds. Focus on eating and making warming foods for every meal; porridge or stewed apples for breakfast, soups or hot sandwiches for lunch, and stews and hearty vegetable dishes in the evening.
This not only helps keep your digestive system working better through the colder months when it's prone to become sluggish but also helps your body to keep warm through the day and makes sure you get lots of complex carbohydrates which your body needs through Winter.
Invite friends round for home cooked meals, board games or deep conversation — take time to nurture + strengthen close relationships.
Take time to light candles and honour the shifts into darker days and longer nights.
Focus on restorative stretching, strength training and less intensive ways to exercise as the days get colder.
Decide on what you want or need to let go of . Autumn is for shedding layers, releasing the old and things you no longer need or want in your life — focus on the ways you want to improve your health and what’s standing in the way of that.
Increase your rest ; sleep a little longer each night, go to bed earlier, plan down time into your week or weekend where you have completely free time without any plans, distractions or pressures.
Say no to plans, work or invites that aren’t with people who feed your energy and wellbeing.
Take time to journal or find ways to focus on your internal world and the transformations you can achieve through working with your subconscious and shadow self.
Create a calming tea or cacao ritual making warming soothing drinks that not only keep you warm, soothe your senses, but also support your wellbeing with ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, elderberry and echinacea are all beautiful ingredients…
Instead, when we can take our foot off the gas, learn to accept and flow with the changing energies and themes of each season, we can follow the patterns -- that natural cycle of action, focus, creativity AND analysis, rest, dreaming, and planning -- to not just increase our our productivity output, but more importantly to protect and support the wellbeing of our whole body, improve work life balance, and increase our contentment and happiness too.
MINDSET QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF FOR AUTUMN -
:: Where are you holding onto habits, people, goals and dreams or beliefs about yourself and the world that are weighing you down and holding you back?
:: What activities are bringing you joy and contentment in this season?
What are the hobbies, activities, places or people where you feel at peace, content, and relaxed? And more importantly, how can you start to prioritise more time in your week to incorporate doing these things more?
:: Where can you increase flexibility in your work day?
If you work for yourself this can look like starting later or finishing earlier on days you are struggling. Taking a day off if you’ve had a particularly stressful week.
If you work in an office try taking 1:1 meetings outside and walk while you talk. Set yourself a calendar reminder for multiple time a day to 1.look away from your screen 2.Take 2minutes to relax, close your eyes, and focus on breathing deeply and evenly from your diaphragm.
Ask about the option of working from home, even if it’s just 1-2 days a week.
:: How do I want to FEEL in this season? And what can I do to achieve that?
Whether is better organisation of your time, prioritising different things, doing less, or focusing on one goal decide what small steps you can start to use to back up and set you up for the feeling you want to create for yourself.
:: What are you feeling called to change this season? What is no longer feeling like a good use of your time, What feels like hard work, Where are you forcing yourself to do something because you think you 'should' rather than because it is good for you are makes you a better version of yourself?
Wishing you a peaceful and cosy autumn season,
xo Emily
