How to ease into an Autumn reset
Whether you have school aged children or not, it’s hard to miss the back-to-school vibe in September. All round us are reminders that Autumn is the season of change – a time for new beginnings and transformation.
It can be a useful prompt for us to declutter – whether that’s physically tidying our living and workspaces, revamping our routines or overhauling our lives completely.
If we had good intentions in January which for whatever reason haven’t quite materialised, Autumn is an opportunity to have another go. After all, there are still a few months of the year left!
How does that make you feel?
Maybe you’re excited by the idea of change, clearing out the cobwebs and letting go of what no longer serves you.
Or perhaps it induces a feeling of anxiety – like at the beginning of the year when there can be such a focus on new year’s resolutions and pressure to make a ‘fresh start’.
Whether you’re raring to go with an Autumn reset or you’re feeling a bit ambivalent about the change of season, there are ways to make the transition into Autumn a gentle one.
Begin where you are
Being told what you ought to be doing at the beginning of Autumn might be helpful if you’re feeling energetic and enthusiastic about re-working aspects of your life.
However, you might be feeling some sadness about summer ending. Perhaps it wasn’t as relaxing or as fulfilling as you hoped, or maybe you didn’t get enough time to yourself.
Holidays can be stressful, and we all know that picture perfect social media feeds can hide what was really going on behind the scenes :-)
A good starting point for a reset is how you’re really feeling right now.
Take some time to reflect and write down your thoughts – if you don’t already have a journal, now might be a good time to get one [related post: Finding value in the simplicity of pen and paper].
Here are 10 questions to help focus your reflection:
What were the highlights and challenges for me this summer?
What do I want to do differently next year?
What’s going well in my life at the moment?
What’s not going so well / what’s worrying me right now?
What area of my life do I want to focus on more? (family, self-care, work, friends, learning, creativity)
What am I doing because I feel I should rather than because I want to?
What brings me joy and where does that fit into my week?
Is there anything I’ve committed to that I could let go of?
What did I want to do this year that I haven’t got around to yet?
Am I getting enough rest?
Writing down your thoughts and feelings about where you are in your life right now can help make space for what lies ahead.
Start small
You might be surprised by what comes up in your reflection, and you might have a lightbulb moment where you instinctively know what action you need to take to reset an area of your life.
You may not though, and that’s OK. What’s important is the act of reflecting and recording your thoughts.
Try to think about what small step you could take straight away to move things forward - arranging a coffee with a friend you want to see more of for example, or asking your partner if they could take over an admin task you’re struggling with.
Small steps make a difference over time.
Perhaps you want to focus more on self-care but you’re feeling exhausted and sluggish after a busy summer.
A doable step forward could be to carve out some time for yourself every day. It might only be 5 minutes but even 5 minutes is better than none :-)
It’s something to build on.
If you’re wondering what on earth you can do for yourself in just 5 minutes, a great place to start is movement – a 5-minute stretch or yoga practice when you get out of bed, or a short walk every day.
Movement doesn’t need to be time-consuming, complicated or punishing. It’s one of the most accessible forms of self-care and one of the easiest ways to reduce stress and improve your mood.
Giving ourselves permission to make small changes gradually can make all the difference to whether a new routine sticks or not.
Ideas for an Autumn reset
From your reflections you may already have come up with a list of things you’d like to do in Autumn.
Whether your list has 1 item on it or 50, what matters is that it’s unique to you - tailored to your priorities and your capacity.
Here are my top 20 ideas for an Autumn reset which you might find helpful. There’s no order of priority!
Pick a space that needs clearing (a drawer, shelf, wardrobe, your email inbox) and work on it for 10 minutes every day, then move onto the next one! This approach can help avoid the overwhelm of de-cluttering
Unfollow people on social media who no longer inspire you
Try something new – a new routine, a different beauty product, a new recipe
Aim to go to bed and get up at the same time each day for a better night’s sleep (at weekends too!)
Consider setting a time to put your phone to bed each evening (ideally outside your bedroom…)
Book a therapy session /massage / facial – what would help support you right now?
Schedule in catch-ups with friends
Spend time outside every day
Commit to some form of movement every day
Stock up on candles and light one when you get up in the morning
Treat yourself to new notebooks and pens
Try keeping one day of the weekend free of jobs and ‘doing’
Build in 5-10 minutes of meditation, journaling or reading every day
Buy new cosy slippers!
Start a book wishlist and pick out a few books to read before Christmas
Plan a trip or short break before the end of the year – something to help you feel excited
Spend 2 minutes breathing consciously when you get out of bed
Book tickets for your favourite Christmas events – what do you not want to miss?
Think about how you want Christmas to look this year – what worked last year and what didn’t?
Stock up on immune support supplements – Vitamin D3, Vitamin C and elderberry extract are 3 of my go-tos, they’re conveniently combined in these effervescent tablets
The change of season from summer to autumn invites us to reflect and turn our focus inward.
Taking stock of where we are in our lives can help us reset and make positive changes, one step at a time.
If you’d like to find out more about how homeopathy could support you in improving your health and wellbeing, you can send me an email or book a free call with me:
Subscribe to my newsletter
If you enjoyed this blog you may like to sign up for my email newsletter where I share useful and inspiring information: