How to Have the Best Fall Ever
In what has been a long year already, we bid farewell to summer. Fall begins tomorrow, on September 22nd. At least, that’s when the autumnal equinox occurs.
The light and the darkness will be balanced, as we tip over into days that include more darkness than light, at least until the winter solstice in December.
Some of you are taking part in the Falling for Fall Challenge, which has provided mindfulness prompts and ideas each day. If you are part of the Challenge, I hope that you are enjoying it and that you are working on your Fall Bingo sheet!
For those of you who want some additional guidance on transitioning to fall in a mindful way, I’m sharing five journaling prompts today.
What can I do to balance myself in this season?
Maybe you need to add more movement to your day if you’ve been too sedentary, or maybe you need to add more rest to your day if you’ve been too busy (or both). Perhaps you want to refocus your attention on nutrition, or learning something new, or creating community in an intentional way. Write down what feels out of balance for you, and what you might want to do to bring it back into balance.
What needs harvesting? What can I let go of?
As the season shifts, we often feel as if it’s the start of a new year. For folks like me who just celebrated Rosh Hashanah, that can be literal; for others, it’s “school year” energy, even if they aren’t dealing with school or school age kids. In times of transition, those of us who identify as female or nonbinary end up taking on a whole bunch of duties and obligations that might not truly belong to us.
If you have a partner, assess whether you are doing more than your share of the communal work. Whether you have a partner or not, assess whether all the stuff that you have piled onto your plate is truly necessary. Is there anything you can delegate or hire out? Or anything you can straight up stop doing?
How can I nurture myself now?
Fall is a perfect time for nurturing yourself, and for starting to think of how to establish a sense of hygge for yourself in the months to come. Nurturing yourself could look like deep rest, taking breaks, eating healthy snacks, making a pot of soup . . . basically caring for yourself in a loving way. What would feel deeply nurturing to you right now?
What messages or lessons does this new season hold for me?
Think about the transition to fall, whether you focus on the balance of the equinox, the longer periods of darkness in each day that invite us to look at our own shadow selves and see what we can uncover and heal, or the way the trees let go of their leaves to prepare themselves for the coming winter. They do it to lighten their load, just as you can lighten your own. Or you can look at the garden, which may now be empty or fallow . . . resting and rebuilding for a new season of growth.
How can I continue to grow, even in this quieter season?
Even as the trees drop their leaves for winter slumber and draw their attention inward, they are preparing to put out new buds and leaves. As the soil is turned over and put to bed for winter, it replenishes itself by stocking up on nutrients so it can support growth later.
The fall is a good time to turn back to things that help us grow, whether it’s reading, taking a course (online or in person), setting intentions (my Dream It, Do It workshops can help!), or beginning a new project or hobby.
I hope you will take some time to work through these journaling prompts to help you have the best fall ever. Because actually, you can.
