Fall is definitely in the air. And on our social media feeds! Indoor décor inspiration, decorated front porches, white pumpkins and comfort food recipes grace my feed right now and I am not mad about it! I love this time of year and change in season. I am also particularly fond of hot coffee and sweaters, so I’m looking forward to these next few months.
The past few weeks of summer were jammed packed for us. With the big move, lots of visitors and a new city to adjust too, I have expelled a ton of energy outward and I can feel myself burning out. Burn out is a place I have visited before and am not at all excited to go back too. So, I find myself really needing some inward time. And it will require more than just a day or two of my general self-care routines.
I need some deep, intimate, me time. To re-evaluate, rediscover and realign with what I want to create in the coming months. I am working on multiple things right now but lately, I find myself only wanting to participate in a few, small projects that I am truly passionate about and fill me up. It wasn’t until I made this decision in my work life, that I realized I needed some time and space for this clarity in my personal life as well.
In the next coming weeks, I will be lovingly adding in the below changes with the intention of creating some space and realigning with what’s important after a very busy year. If you find yourself overwhelmed, a bit lost or misaligned, needing a rest, or just a bit of self-lovin’, try any of the below to bring some peace back into the flow.
When it’s inward time.
SLOW LIVING: I want to slow down. With everything I do. Morning routines, errands, the endless emails. All slower. The to-do list must get done but how do I want to feel while doing it? Currently, I feel tense and stressed as I race through the list in an insane attempt to get it all over with as soon as possible. But how does that serve me? It doesn’t, and I spend the whole time feeling totally awful, then exhausted after and then resent it the next time.
I know it doesn’t have to be this way, if I just slow down. Slow down, breathe, be in my body and do everything at a much, much slower pace. It will all get done, it always does, but abandoning myself throughout the process doesn’t work. Breathing and staying present and with my body during every moment, allows me to find some peace in the midst of the daily chaos.
CREATING SPACE: inside myself for new opportunities, relationships and connections. Really evaluating what is working in my life and what isn’t. My energetic bank account has dwindled and been spent on relationships, activities and areas in my life that aren’t serving me. I need to start saving up again by finding the people and activities that add to my energy account and removing anything that takes away from it. My energy levels are so important to me so getting really clear on the surplus and deficits of this ‘account’ is a priority.
GETTING OUTSIDE TO GET INSIDE: the weather is getting cooler and it’s tempting to stay indoors, but being outside allows me to get inside more than anything else. For me, it is the water that brings peace and healing. For others it may be the forest or a park.
Spending time in nature not only has physical health benefits, but emotional and mental ones as well. Less stress, clearer mind, and increased connection are all benefits of being in nature. Sometimes I don’t even know what I am looking for and once I am outside, I find it. Having the lake so close to us now is such a gift. I plan to spend as much time there as possible in the coming weeks in attempt to get really grounded. Regardless of what outdoor adventure you prefer, getting outside is a direct route to the inside.
SELF-CARE UPGRADES: and not the typical list I have shared in the past. I still need to incorporate those loving acts such as naps, face masks and bubble baths, but this time of retreat will require more. These will be cognitive and conscious upgrades to the way I currently do my self-care.
Right now, because I am feeling out of alignment, I will go through it like a checklist. Smoothie. Check. Exercise. Check. Meditation. Check. Bath. Check. And although I am doing the act of self-care, I am not feeling cared for. As I mention before, how do I want to feel while performing self-care? Am I just doing it for the sake of doing it and checking the boxes, or am I really enjoying myself and allowing the full benefits of this time for myself?
This will be an area where I definitely focus on slowing down. Taking the time to really appreciate the acts of self-love I try to incorporate daily, but on a much more conscious level. Paying attention to how I feel through every moment. Sounds exhausting right?! I promise it’s the other way around; it’s so ful-filling to give yourself that present time and energy.
NOURISH WITH NATURE: foods, spices, essential oils. All have incredible healing benefits and help ground us immediately. Our bodies will naturally start to crave warmer and fuller foods as the weather gets cooler. This is important information to listen to. Roasted veggies, hearty soups, and home-cooked dishes like oatmeal, will nourish our bellies and warm us from the inside. Warming spices like turmeric can be added in liquid or ground form as an additional health benefit to a smoothie or soup. And essential oils are a great way to rejuvenate our bodies from the summer sun if you apply them topically (proper ones for topical use of course!), or diffusing them for a relaxing effect. We are so blessed to have access to such means for increasing our health; nature is such a beautiful provider.
Making conscious decisions on how we want to be and feel in this world allows for constant shifts. For me these coming months, it will be finding ways to slow down, do less, and love more.
Live well,
Cher
