In our busy lives, it’s easy to dismiss the shift in seasons as just background music in a busy, fast-paced life. Yet, connecting with Nature can be the very thing we need to restore balance.
Transitions are not always easy. In times of change, the body needs to be supported. These are the very moments when tending to yourself is most important.
Yet, you may find yourself keeping the same frenzied, fast-paced lifestyle with high demands, pushing your body over the limits, or ignoring what you need. You may rationalize you’re too busy to take care of yourself, or find yourself feeling guilty at the thought of taking time away from your to-do’s. Self-tending can land at the bottom of the priority list, or not have a presence on your schedule at all. Constantly prioritizing others can leave you exhausted and depleted.
In an effort to find an outlet, you may find yourself turning to less desirable habits, such as emotional eating, turning to sugar or alcohol, distractions with screens, and poor sleep – all of which can take a toll on your health.
True self-care involves sacrifice, honesty, community, and a commitment to making choices in your best interest.
– Catherine Beard
Autumn provides you with the opportunity to slow down, and restore balance to your physical and emotional rhythms. This is a great time to create new routines that nourish you, support you in feeling grounded, awaken your creativity, and connect you to joy and your inner flow.
I invite you to choose a new practice (or revitalize an old one) to weave into your routine – something that inspires you, brings greater ease, or supports your future self toward a goal that’s meaningful. Keep it simple. It may take a little practice to get comfortable with a new rhythm, but it’s worth the effort!
Here are a few questions to ponder:
- What is significantly out of balance for me, or no longer tolerable?
- What resonates with who I am now?
- What do I want in my life this Autumn? And, what steps do I need to take to ensure it happens?
- What do I need to let go of?
The benefit: Investing in your self-care lifts your spirits and enhances your body’s wellness. This allows for more energy for your relationships, projects and activities – helping you feel better and bringing greater contentment to your everyday life. It also builds your reserves and resilience for challenging times, and supports you into winter.
The unexpected gift: It has a ripple effect. As you rejuvenate yourself, the energy of your presence has a contagious affect upon everyone you come in contact with. When your energy is high, you uplift others, and may spur them to take care of themselves too!
Paying attention to how nature supports you can change your relationship with your health; how the plants nourish you, how the water cleanses and replenishes you, how fire transforms the old but also ignites your creative source and how air moves energy with your breath.
– Lena Stevens, The Power Path