Easing into Fall

I entered this September differently than I ever have before as I’m returning from my first one-month sabbatical from work. This was the first time in my career that I allowed myself an extensive break to simply be. The weeks quickly filled with birthday celebrations, a family vacation, a memorial service, and some much-needed alone time at the beach. Though my days were full there was also room and space to breathe and move throughout each day without rushing. I listened to my body and rested when I was tired, ate when I was hungry, and didn’t feel torn between what my body needed and giving into the shoulds of life (e.g. I should check email, work on 2022 goals, consider ways to be more effective at work, etc.).

We’ve been living and operating in a pandemic for almost two years. Many of us have been running on empty for months as we navigate the emotional toll of working, parenting, relating, living, and grieving through COVID. While we can’t always take a one-month break to rest and reset, we can incorporate daily actions that bring us moments of peace and calm as we continue to navigate uncertainty.

But what if we paused for a few minutes each day to give our minds and bodies what is needed to function and even thrive?

A few small changes can make a big difference as we ease into fall. Try the following:

Create 5 minutes of quiet time for yourself in the morning to sit, breathe, or read a passage that fills you.
Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual. Use the digital wellness function on your phone to turn it off at a set time.
Curate your social media. Oftentimes we scroll through our phones and feel lousy. Review the people you follow and content you absorb and delete those that don’t add value to your mind.
Eat food that fuels your body. This may take planning and prep time but it’s worth spending an extra 15 minutes to get food that energizes you.

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