“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go” – Unknown.
Autumn is a glorious time of the year. It marks the start of the time to go inward again and carve out periods of stillness, reflection and rest for the the mind and body. The chill in the air reminds us to nurture our bodies, to wrap them up in our favourite socks and sweaters and feed them with warm, nourishing food. The advancing darkness and shortened daylight hours act as a signal to return home and replenish our energy. It is a wonderful season of transition from doing to being.
So, here are some health and wellbeing tips to help you fully embrace Autumn’s lessons and deepen your connection with yourself.
- Take a walk and observe how the leaves, as they turn and fall, show you how to effortlessly shed that which no longer serves you. Reflect on the simplicity and ease by which this is done.
- Notice the seasonal colours of red, gold, orange all around you – clothes in shops, root vegetables in the supermarket, leaves on trees. Use this blanket of colour to create a blanket of emotional warmth around you and allow it to bring you joy as the colder weather and darkness sets in.
- Reassess what you eat. This is a time to look at what is growing locally in abundance and create some meals around that. This moves your body gently from summer to winter, reducing the likelihood of colds, as you start to lessen the amount of ‘cold’ summer foods, such a salad and iced drinks from your diet and increase ‘warming’ foods such as soups and casseroles.
- Reconnect with your body in a nurturing and gentle way. Take warm baths instead of showers, light a fire inside and outside, wrap up warm – say hello to your favourite hat and scarf again.
- Harness the ‘new term’ feeling and attitude. Autumn marks a new academic year with all its promise and excitement. Use this feeling to make a commitment to try something new. Find a new class or course in your local area or on-line or take up a new hobby.
Autumn and it’s ‘new start’ emphasis is a good time for a life laundry. Give the house a good clean and create cosiness with cushions, blankets and throws, in preparation for battening down the hatches and resting over the winter months. Recycle and clear out the accumulated clutter to help create the space you need in your mind and body to reflect and assess.
Then look at how you want to use your time for the next few months. Ensure you have a balance between work and recreation, social and alone time, action and rest, doing and being. Make a commitment to try something new every month. This new action could be a decision to incorporate 30 minutes of stillness into your day.
Finally, when you identify what you need to let go of, feel yourself shedding that with the ease a tree sheds its leaves – quietly, without fuss and without a pain – standing tall, grounded and nourishing itself with deeps roots throughout the process.
How do you plan to bring this ‘new start’ into your life this autumn?